Little Monkeys's Reviews

My daughters have loved coming to Little Monkeys!

My 2 year old daughter is currently at Little Monkeys and my eldest daughter, now five also went to Lucy's and both girls have learnt and developed so much in the time they have been there and made some lovely friends along the way. The setting at Lucy's is a real home from home environment with a lovely garden and fantastic range of toys. They do loads of activities and day trips from trips to the park to trips to the farm and lots more. Photos are sent in the day so we can see what fun they are having!

My daughter is always smiling when I pick her up and drop her off and even asks to go to Lucy's! We've found the whole team there brilliant to deal with, really friendly, approachable and down to earth and we couldn't ask for more.

Would definitely recommend as a wonderful setting for your child, thank you for all you do for our children x x

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by Clare_83 about Little Monkeys on 01/09/2022

Highly recommend!

Our son has been going to Lucy's since he was 10 months old (he is now 3) and we are extremely happy with the care provided by Lucy, Gemma & Natalie. He settled in immediately when he first started and always comes home happy and eager to tell me about his day. We love that it’s a slightly larger setting, meaning it’s more like a nursery but with a homely, family feel. The pick-up/drop-off service is so convenient and he is given a healthy, balanced menu of delicious food.

He has flourished under the care of Lucy and the girls. They offer a variety of fun and stimulating activities, all of which encourage his natural curiosity including baking, water play, gardening, crafting and games which explore science and nature. We especially love that each year the children are guided through the whole metamorphosis process as they observe caterpillars developing into butterflies. Our son has developed a deep curiosity about the natural world and 'how things work' which has been stimulated by the experiences he has at Little Monkeys. They also go on some brilliant trips out, he loves going to Willows, soft play and the De Havilland Air Museum in particular.

Each day we are provided with a diary detailing what the children have done that day, what they have eaten etc which is really useful. We are also sent lots of photos and videos of their day which is wonderful. We get regular updates on our sons development, so we can be confident that he is hitting the expected milestones - but we also like that this is nurtured through play and self-discovery which challenge him without too much pressure. Our younger son will be starting at Lucy’s later this year, needless to say we would happily recommend her services to anyone.

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by Polly about Little Monkeys on 27/07/2022

We love Lucy's!

Our son has been with Lucy for 2 years from the age of 1, and will stay with her until he goes to preschool. We love Lucy's setting - she and the childminders who work with her take amazing care of our son - his confidence has grown immensely and they have so much fun. They go out most days on some incredible trips to some very exciting places which I think is rare and so valuable. They eat amazing food (we are jealous of their menu!) and do so much learning through play. We also love that he has interaction with children older than him, the same age and younger. Little Monkeys have offered us plenty of useful advice for his development and he is thriving. The group of parents is lovely and we are encouraged to engage with eachother through our whatsapp group and Christmas drinks which is a bonus too. We are expecting another baby and have already signed them up to attend, which I think speaks volumes. I'd happily recommend Little Monkey's setting to any parent.

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by Claire about Little Monkeys on 24/07/2022

Definitely recommend!

Our daughter has been going to little monkeys for nearly a year and we’re really glad we found somewhere we trust. They go on outings most days and the best part of our working day is when we receive the photo updates from their mornings out. They’ve also hosted a parent meet up during Christmas so that parents could meet each other.

We have a lovely collection at home from the artwork she’s completed whilst at little monkeys. Our favourite ones are the really thoughtful gifts during holidays (e.g a felt heart with a photo of our little one on valentine’s day).

I grew up in a house with both parents as childminders so had a fairly high standard of what I was hoping to get from the childcare. Little monkeys has ticked all the boxes and I can tell my daughter really loves spending the day there. She’s also learnt so much from the childminders and from the other children. She can probably bake better than me after all the regular baking sessions!

We love it because it’s a larger environment than a single childminder, but more of a family environment than a nursery. Would definitely recommend their childcare services.

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by hubs3 about Little Monkeys on 24/07/2022

Couldn't ask for more

Lucy, Natalie and Gemma provide the best care for my daughter, who has been attending the setting since she was 6 months old. They do tonnes of educational activities, they play and have fun and everyday is different. I could never entertain my daughter to the extent she is entertained at Lucy's. My daughter is always happy to go to Lucy's and I can go to work knowing she is safe, cared for and I'll go as far as saying loved. We get daily updates on the activities, meals, naps etc as well as milestones reports. Lucy's annual parents party gives an opportunity to parents to connect too.

I also love that Lucy takes parents' feedback onboard. I recall asking for an extra clothes change when we just started attending the setting, and Lucy accommodated. She also accommodated an extra nap when my daughter was very young as well as her dietary requirements.

I highly recommend Lucy and will be sending our new baby to Lucy's too

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by Ksenija about Little Monkeys on 24/07/2022

love Lucy and team

Lucy and her daughters make a wonderful team.

Lucy has had all of my 3 children; my daughter now 11, my son now 9 and currently my daughter whom is 2.

Both, say, still that being at Lucy’s was ‘some of our best times’.

In my opinion, at this early age, all I want is my child to be happy, learn manners, social interaction, good behaviour, go on outings, do craft activities and be SAFE! This is exactly what Lucy and her team provide AND it’s way better than what I could provide at home as my littlest really needed the social interaction after being born into covid. She took 3 months or so to settle. It was a bumpy road but they all persevered with her.

As parents, it’s our job to potty train. Especially if they’re just not ready and having accidents 2/3 times a day. I trained my children in half terms, holidays, etc.

I don’t expect Lucy & Co to follow a strict curriculum of development. They already report development online and share comments like most nurseries. If you want more, a private nanny or perhaps staying at home ‘parenting’ might be the better option.

My daughter is smiling when I leave, smiling when I collect her.

I love the picture updates..
the birthday parties..

I love the Christmas gathering for the parents and children. I love the advice Lucy’s given me over years.. first time parenting isn’t easy..

The team are kind, nurturing and just ‘great with kids’

In summary, if I had a 4th child, they’d go to Lucy too.

LK

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by LKosh about Little Monkeys on 24/07/2022

Absolutely wonderful

Lucy's was the first setting we visited when looking for childminders. People advised us to look around, so we did. I visited another 3 childminders who instantly made me realise how badly I wanted my son to be with Lucy! She was everything we were looking for and I was so thankful that she had a space for H!

H joined Lucy's setting when he was 11months and stayed there until he moved on to pre-school at 2years 10months. I was so happy with the care we received from Lucy, Gemma and Natalie and would recommend their setting to anyone. I could tell from day one that she would be great. I turned up to drop him off, nervous to leave him for the first time, and Lucy picked him up, smiled and said, "Have a good day mummy!" and helped H wave me off. And that was it. He was in and settled. We never had tears at drop off and H went in happily every single time. He left there 5 months ago and still talks so fondly about his time with Lucy.

H hit all his milestones while under Lucy's care and I very quickly saw changes in him as Lucy helped him grow in independence and confidence, particularly with his language skills. The two years H spent with Lucy prepared him so well for pre-school.

Lucy provides a great range of on site activities and visits to local parks/attractions and H always had such fun. She has a lovely setting with a great range of toys and equipment including a fireman's hat which I think H wore the whole time he was there!

H had three meals a day at Lucy's. He really enjoyed the food, and, according to Lucy's recording app, would often have second helpings!

The communication is excellent, daily photos and videos of the children having fun. Lucy always kept us informed and updated with text/WhatsApp messages as well as a daily record app and paper letters in the bag. Lucy was always very accommodating when H needed any additional care; nappy cream, medication, antibiotics, etc. and I felt very confident with her providing this.

Lucy also arranged a lovely social event at Christmas where all the parents could meet. It was so lovely to be able to see H playing in the setting with the friends he spoke about, as well as being able to chat with the other parents.

As a teacher, I had to go in to work during all of the lockdowns and Lucy continued to care for H during this time, so that I could care for the children of other keyworkers. Obviously this was a worrying time for me, leaving my 1 year old during such unprecedented times, but Lucy continued to provide a loving, home from home environment that I knew was safe. She was flexible and accommodating as my working hours changed a lot during that period and I'm so grateful to her.

Our daughter will be starting with Lucy in December 2022, also at 11months, and I'm so excited for her journey with Lucy to start.

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by Jessica about Little Monkeys on 24/07/2022

Fantastic and nurturing setting

Our daughter has been with Lucy, Gemma and Natalie since she was 7 months old. They were so accommodating during her settling in period taking her for adhoc days before I returned to work. She settled in really well and now goes full time. Our daughter loves going to little monkeys, even at her young age she is so engaged with the other children in the setting and we see lots of photos throughout the day of the brilliant activities in the home setting and out and about. She is fed really well, gets a good nap every day. We have also recently starting receiving regular development updates - which are really helpful to track her progress. We have found Lucy and the others very helpful, kind and caring - and it’s great to see our daughter enjoy her time there. She is so excited to see them all in the mornings! Her speech and social skills has come on leaps and bounds at the childminders. Highly recommend.

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by CMC about Little Monkeys on 24/07/2022

Excellent

Our daughter is around 15 months old and has been at Little Monkeys for 7 months now. We couldn’t be happier.
My daughter loves her time there and is always so excited when she arrives and that speaks volumes for me.
They go on lots of little adventures and everyone seems to get on so well together, and seeing the pictures is a highlight of the day!

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by Jonathan about Little Monkeys on 24/07/2022

Amazing

I had and i have a great relationship with Lucy ,my daughter go there from 5 month ,and i saw and see great improvements in my daughter behaviour she talk much more ,she eats by yourself ,they do great activities , i receive daily reports about my daughter ,and my relationship and level of communication with Lucy it is great .Kind regards Carmen

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by Carmen about Little Monkeys on 24/07/2022