Frances Keays Smith's Reviews
Childminder
Below are the parent reviews for Frances Keays Smith. Back to Frances Keays Smith's profile
Average Rating:
(5 from 19 reviews)
As a family we can’t praise Frances highly enough for her care in looking after both of our children. We started childcare with our eldest who is now 7, and I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending her to anyone.
Both our children have thrived in Frances’s setting, and most importantly have always been very content and always happy, which as a parent is very comforting particularly when they are young. Frances offers a home from home style setting where we always felt our children had a 1:1 experience, and has always spent the time and effort in those early days settling them in as a priority, to the point both my girls were walking in with nothing more than a smile. We felt that was especially important in the younger years which has given our children the best start in life and the confidence to move on to nursery and subsequently school.
Thank you Frances for all you have done in supporting us as a family, and you will be missed by us all! x x x
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Katy
about
Frances Keays Smith
on 19/01/2024
Response by
Frances Keays Smith
on 19/01/2024:
Thank you so much! You have been wonderful clients and I have enjoyed looking after your lovely girls enormously! Wishing you the very best of luck for the future. Xxx
Being new to the whole idea of sending a child to a childminder after being at home with our older 2, this was very frightening. The minute I spoke to Frances I was put at ease! Lu has always been settled with Frances, from day 1 he warmed to her and the rest has been history. I couldn’t have asked for someone more caring and loving to look after our baby whilst we were working. There was always good communication about things he had done during his day as well as a full handover at the end of the day. His progression with speech, knowledge of animals and numbers has been down to Frances hard work that she puts into the children in her care. The decision to send Lu to Frances everyday was hands down the best decision we have ever made! We can’t thank Frances enough for everything she has done for Lu and us as a busy working family!!
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Emily
about
Frances Keays Smith
on 06/01/2024
Our little boy started with Frances' childcare provision at the beginning of 2022 and she has been brilliant with him. He's so happy to go everyday, Frances provides wonderful feedback each day, she's knowledgeable and has built a great relationship with him, he loves being around the rabbits and cats - a home from home for little ones. It's been a breath of fresh air compared to our previous childcare experience with our first child. We really couldn't recommend Frances enough, I'm just disappointed we didn't fine her sooner!
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Rebecca
about
Frances Keays Smith
on 29/03/2022
Response by
Frances Keays Smith
on 29/03/2022:
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! Greatly appreciated!! He is an absolute pleasure to look after!! Xx
Chummy has been with Frances since he was 9 months old. When trying to decide on childcare as I returned back to work full-time, it was essential for us to have a childminder who favoured structure routine, but also focused on building him socially and developmentally as most of his week would be spent here. Chummy had suffered like all pandemic babies with a severe lack of interaction from outside our little family of three, since he was born. This had made him a little shyer than most babies. We were confident, that by going to a smaller setting (rather than a large nursery), and with Frances hands on approach, that his emotional needs would be met as he moved to interacting more and more with people. Over the last year, Chummy has absolutely excelled as a little human. Frances has done amazing work with him, and he surprises us everyday with new things that he has learnt in her settling. The one thing I notice most is how happy Chummy is, he loves being dropped off in the morning, and with most evenings its a struggle to get him back in the car! As a parent though, my needs are also being met. You always wonder what goes on in the day with your child, what they are doing, are they eating, have they pooped? Did they nap? You want to know as much as you can about their day so you don't miss a thing. Frances is amazing at sending reports, and has even structured the reports in a way I requested, so I can scan through and see the bits that I am most concerned about. There is loads of information in them and I feel that from these I can make confident decisions later in the day about Chummy's well-being. Also Frances is always helpful in discussing changes or trouble shooting problems Chummy might be facing (night waking, ages to go bed etc etc) but the best bit is when you are trying a solution, Frances walks hand in hand with you on those, and helps implement them. She really cares about the wellbeing of the children in her settling and that is a rarity. We are thrilled with Cheeky Monkeys and we are only sad that when he becomes older he will have to move on!
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by
Ruth_c
about
Frances Keays Smith
on 12/02/2022
We can't recommend Frances enough. Our daughter loves her days with Frances and her other friends there. She gets so excited just pulling up outside and can't wait to knock on the door to start her day!
Frances expertly helps the children settle in and then to make the most of every day with age and developmentally appropriate activities, indoors and outdoors. We have seen enormous development in our daughter's skills and confidence over the last 8 months.
Meals provided are healthy and homemade and the children are also encouraged and supported with their hygiene. Daily updates on what the children have been doing is great too and Frances is always keen to work with any individual requirements to meet the needs of the children.
I'm so pleased that my daughter can continue to enjoy her days with Frances for quite some time to come.
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by
ELS3178
about
Frances Keays Smith
on 04/11/2020
Response by
Frances Keays Smith
on 04/11/2020:
Thanku so much for this wonderful review! Looking after your little girl is always such a pleasure! Do rewarding yo see her progress too.
Frances is always welcoming, smiley and friendly. My daughter loves to go to Frances and has made some wonderful little friends; all of who play a massive part in her little world.
Frances responds to my daughter’s individual needs sensitively and with humour as well as keeping good communication. I feel very confident and reassured leaving her with Frances for 3 days a week which she manages very well at such a young age.
As I am a key worker, Frances has been incredible during lockdown; she been able to continue to offer an ongoing, flexible service that has been invaluable to us as a family.
I will be sorry to leave Frances’s childminding services as we branch out into the world of pre-school but I’m sure newcomers will settle and be just as happy with her as we have been.
Thank you Frances 🙏
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by
HHart
about
Frances Keays Smith
on 02/11/2020
Response by
Frances Keays Smith
on 02/11/2020:
Ah thanku so much! What a wonderful fun time we have had! It's been an absolute pleasure!
Our second son has been with Frances since he was around 18 months and he turns 3 today! I can't recommend her highly enough. We couldn't ask for more. It has been such a wonderful contrast from our experiences of childcare with our first child. We love it so much that we have delayed nursery to keep M with Frances for a bit longer.
M settled into the setting really quickly. We have never had tears or any reluctance going. M is always bouncing with enthusiasm and runs through the gate when he gets close. At times he has even been disappointed to be collected!! He clearly feels cared for and able to fully express himself when he is with Frances. He is such a happy, confident little boy and he spends the majority of his week with Frances so all credit to her.
As parents, we have been super grateful for Frances' amazing organisation and clear communication. We love the daily diary and hearing about his day in detail. We feel so reassured that he eats well and healthily, he sleeps well yet comes home nicely tired, he is always safe, and even comes home clean and tidy (not sure how she manages that miracle). He talks about his lovely friends so fondly and clearly learns so much through all the varied fun they have.
Frances has been particularly wonderful and professional through Covid. She has clear policies in place to keep her family safe, her business running and, of course, the children in her care and their families safe. We feel so grateful to have the chance to use a smaller setting with lower risk, not least because we know that Frances is 100% on the hygiene and very careful that parents do their own checks before sending kids in.
I wish we could have given our first son the same start that we've had for M with Frances.
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by
Louisa
about
Frances Keays Smith
on 02/11/2020
Response by
Frances Keays Smith
on 02/11/2020:
Thank you so much for this amazing review... I really appreciate this! It has been a fantastic experience for me too! M is a credit to you.
We brought our son to Frances at 8 months, and it's been the best possible setting for him. Frances built a great rapport with him from the start, and is very attentive to the settling-in phase. He has never cried at a drop-off or pickup - indeed, he is always smiling!
We love that he gets exposure to playing with other young children, and her setting has varied, safe spaces for them to play and explore. She must have every toy/baby item under the sun, which is great because he can get the stimulation suited to his ever-changing abilities without us having to buy new stuff all the time. They do arts and crafts, singing and music, sensory play, and plenty of outdoor play. He's also very comfortable with all kinds of pets, as a result of being exposed to her very well behaved cats. She creates a harmonious environment for them to play and interact, making a safe and supportive environment for developing social skills.
The food she provides is healthy and age-appropriate, and she manages to provide varied fresh food while avoiding allergens and sugar. I know she maintains good hygiene standards, because he has not gotten a cold since starting with her.
Frances's communication has always been straightforward and prompt, and we appreciate that she keep such high standards for her business. The daily updates provide all the essential information, and she provided extra updates when he was settling in so we could be confident his first days and weeks were going well. She has been able to be flexible with the occasional early start or late pickup, as well as extra days.
Thanks so much, Frances!
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by
ZoeM
about
Frances Keays Smith
on 02/11/2020
Response by
Frances Keays Smith
on 02/11/2020:
Thank you so much for such a wonderful review! I really appreciate it! Looking after Tristan is an absolute joy!
In addition to our little girl (now 2) Frances also looks after our son (10 months) and has done for some months now.
We have seamless drop off/ pick ups even with two children which is nothing short of amazing. Both children are always excited to see Frances in a morning and it’s really made our life easy as parents knowing our children are so happy in her care.
Both children are well catered for according to their age appropriate needs. This spans all areas from education and adventure to food and social interaction with both other children and animals. All of these aspects (and many more) have had such a positive impact on both and children and indeed their relationship with each other.
I was delighted and amazed at the in-depth work frances puts into her observations of the children and planning of their care. It comes as no surprise she has been awarded ofstead outstanding twice.
We are sad to be leaving the area soon and only wish we could convince Frances to move to wales!
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Anne Mar
about
Frances Keays Smith
on 21/01/2020
Response by
Frances Keays Smith
on 21/01/2020:
Oh Anne, thanku do much for this lovely review. I have enjoyed every minute of looking after your wonderful children. I wish you all the very best of luck for the future in Wales!! Xx
Frances has looked after both our boys from when they were 6 months old until 3 years old for the older boy Ben (who is now at pre-school) and Nick who is now 2 and is still with Frances.
Frances is a great combination of being both very professional whilst clearly being very caring with our children, and they have loved spending time with her and we can relax knowing they are being well looked after. She also focuses a lot on their developmental needs, not onerously, but just nicely so it is fun for them to learn and grow.
I would highly recommend Frances to any parent looking for brilliant childcare in Exmouth.
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by
how2157
about
Frances Keays Smith
on 07/06/2019
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