Kate Gilheaney's Reviews
Childminder
5 out of 5
Parents say
The childminder provides exceptional care in a nurturing home environment. Children enjoy varied activities, healthy meals, and educational outings. Parents praise the warm atmosphere, structured learning, and visible progress in their children's development. The setting is highly recommended for its trustworthy, caring approach to childcare.
Summary generated by AI from the text of recent member reviews
Parent reviews
Below are the latest reviews for Kate Gilheaney. Please note that reviews represent the subjective opinions of other Childcare.co.uk members and not of Childcare.co.uk. Parents must carry out their own checks and references on childcare providers to ensure that they are completely happy before enaging in the use of their services.
Our daughter has been with Kate since mid December and she is loving it! It truly is a home from home setting with all the love and warmth you want your children to have whilst you’re at work. Our daughter settled in really quickly and has already progressed so much. Couldn’t be happier with our choice of childminder - we know she is well cared for, well fed with healthy nutritious meals and actively encouraged in her development. The best!
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
Eleanor
on 09/02/2026
Response by
Kate Gilheaney
on 09/02/2026:
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a lovely review. It's an absolute pleasure and privalige to work with and for familes and children like yours. The staff will be delighted to read how happy you are, thank you for taking the time. It's always so nice to hear these things. xx
Kate and her team are, quite simply, amazing. They provide an exceptional standard of care, combining high-quality provision with a truly nurturing heart.
Returning to work after maternity leave felt like such a daunting hurdle for both me and my son, but the team’s reassuring presence and professional expertise gave me instant peace of mind. My son has been with them for nearly a year now, and it has been a joy to watch him flourish both socially and developmentally.
Why We Love It:
Curious Minds: The team excels at delivering a well-structured educational programme. Their monthly rotation of topics keeps the children engaged, curious, and excited to learn.
Healthy & Happy: The nutritional standard of the home cooked meals is outstanding. It’s so comforting to know my son eats like a King every day - their well being is clearly the top priority.
Trustworthy & Kind: For any parent feeling that natural apprehension about childcare, I cannot recommend Kate and her team highly enough. They provide a trustworthy, enriching, and loving environment.
Choosing Kate was the best decision we could have made; you won't regret it for a second.
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
Ellen
on 08/02/2026
Response by
Kate Gilheaney
on 09/02/2026:
Hi Ellen thank you so much for your wonderful review. It’s an absolute privilege and pleasure to look after your family and we are so lucky to work with such lovely people. The team are so delighted to hear the feedback, thank you so much. X
Over a year ago, I reached out to Kate when I found out I was pregnant with my third child — a complete surprise, and much sooner than we had expected. With my second child only 18 months old at the time, we suddenly needed childcare for two little ones, and quickly.
Having used a mainstream nursery for years with my son (now 6) and daughter, I knew exactly what I didn’t want to compromise on. Making the decision to leave them was incredibly hard — they had been such a big part of our lives.
When I came across Kate, it honestly felt too good to be true: a childminder who looks after babies, toddlers and preschoolers, provides hot meals, organises trips, and is genuinely affordable.
We’ve now been with Kate for four months, and I truly wish we had found her sooner. I cannot begin to describe the amount of effort, organisation and care she puts into making each day — and each month — exciting, nurturing and educational for the children.
From fantastic activities to educational outings, and not to mention the annual nativity (which was absolutely adorable!), it’s clear how much thought and love goes into everything she does.
If you’re considering Kate… this is your sign to choose her now.
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
Yasmin
on 30/01/2026
Response by
Kate Gilheaney
on 09/02/2026:
Ahhh what a lovely review to read. Thank you so much. It is an absolute pleasure and privalige to work with such lovely families and children. It's so nice to know you are happy and the children are too. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts, I know the girls will be delighted to read this. Thank you xx
Words can’t express our gratitude to Kate and her team.
After a really bad experience with a previous nursery we were so worried about everything and wasn’t sure how we could restore our trust in childcare until we met Kate!
From the moment we were welcomed into her beautiful home we knew we had to make this work for our daughter. So personable, hardworking, normal and confident in what she has to offer.
The care, environment and organisation was so apparent with lots of happy children.
The monthly plans for learning, activities, outings and development are so well put together with a clear structure. We know our daughter is safe - what more could we ask for.
Most importantly we know we made the right decision because our daughter is shining with confidence and developing weekly, comes home with a smile and visually looks cared for.
We wholeheartedly recommend Kate to any parent looking for a truly wonderful place for their child.
Thank you x
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
Robyn
on 29/01/2026
Response by
Kate Gilheaney
on 29/01/2026:
That's made me a bit tearful! Thank you Robyn, we are so lucky when we get to work with such kind and appreciative families. I know you had concerns given your previous eperiences, so I'm delighted we've been able to give you back faith in there being good places and good people. It's an absolute pleasure to look after your wonderful daughter and to work with your family. Thank you so much, I will be sharing with the team, who will also be thrilled with this review. Thank you! x
We have tried a few different childcare options with our children over the years but nothing comes close to the experience we have had with Kate in her home and at the Hut.
Her setting, staff and herself are amazing, welcoming, kind, caring. I can say that my daughter loves coming to see Kate and the team, and from a development perspective she is much more confident than my other children at this age!
She goes above and beyond.
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
Poppy123
on 28/01/2026
Response by
Kate Gilheaney
on 28/01/2026:
Ahhh how lovely to hear this. Thank you so much. We are so lucky to be able to work with such lovely families and be treated so wonderfully by you all. Thank you so much for these lovely words. I shall share with the team. It's so nice to hear you are pleased. Thank you for going to the trouble to write this lovely review. Kate & team x
Just had a very emotional goodbye to the Kate, due to moving away from the area. 🥺❤️ I wanted to just do a post to anyone looking for a childminder in the Bickley, Bromley or Chislehurst area. I moved to Chislehurst 3 years ago not knowing anyone or having any family here, so natural was very nervous about looking at childminders/ nursery’s and not being able to get any recommendations. I found Kate through Child Care.com and oh my goodness. She has been an absolute dream. A home from home setting and my daughter had grown into such a funny, chatty and lovely character. I honestly believe that’s due to Kate and her wonderful team. I cannot recommend her enough. The only sad thing about moving is not being able to bring Kate with us 💔
I can’t thank you enough Kate! We will stay in touch!
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
Brogan
on 23/01/2025
Response by
Kate Gilheaney
on 24/01/2025:
Awwww, Brogan, thank you so much for such a lovely review/tribute. Working with beautiful families, like yours, makes my job an absolute pleasure. Thank you for all your support always and for being such a joy to open the door to every day. We will really miss you all. We will definitely stay in touch 🥰 xxx
Kate has been looking after my older child at her pre school setting for a year and a half now, and he loves it!
As a result She has just started looking after my youngest at her home too. He loves spending time with Kate and her team, he gets stuck in to a real variety of activities and seems to eat like a king! Despite having a food intolerance, he still gets super varied and healthy meals. I always get regular updates on what he gets up to throughout the day and he has settled really quickly! Thank you Kate x
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
HC1
on 03/07/2023
Response by
Kate Gilheaney
on 03/07/2023:
Thank you so much! What lovely feedback. I've loved having both of your boys and super excited for the littlest to be starting with me and moving onto The Wonder Years Bromley, our other Pre School setting, when he's ready. A pleasure to have them. Thank you. x
I don’t know where to start… I love Kate, Amy and the team at Wonder years. My little girl loves it there and I genuinely feel that they care so much for her too.
The creativity, the space, the food and the family feel is more than I could’ve asked for.
My little one is 20 months old and has been coming to Wonder years for the last 4 months and I notice weekly that she’s learning new things that we haven’t done at home, so all credit to Kate and Co.! Thank you!! It must be exhausting looking after so many kids and always keeping that energy up!
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
Char
on 05/07/2021
Response by
Kate Gilheaney
on 06/07/2021:
Awwww thank you so much for the lovely feedback. It's a pleasure and a privilege to work with such wonderdul children and families, I never forget how much I love this job and the fact that parents are happy with what we are doing just boosts us to be more creative and think of more exciting things to do. Working with families, such as yours, is my favourite part of this job. Thank you so much :)
My boys spend a lot of time with Kate at her lovely pre-school. She is outgoing, bubbly, creative, enthusiastic, professional and enriches my children’s lives no end. I just cannot recommend her highly enough.
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
Maeve
on 29/06/2021
Kate and her team have looked after my daughter since she was a very young toddler. I was, of course, very nervous about returning to work after maternity leave and wanted to ensure my daughter (who'd only just turned 1) was spending her days in a nurturing, friendly and safe environment. I knew from the moment I met Kate that her set-up was exactly the right environment I wanted for my daughter and that she would be very happy there. What makes Kate stand out from the crowd is her willingness to provide a range of developmental activities and experiences for the children in her care. Our daughter has also benefitted from positive interaction with a variety of children of a variety of pre-school ages. She was always excited about going to Kate's, which goes to show what a top notch set-up this is. Thank you, Kate.
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
juno27
on 15/07/2020
Response by
Kate Gilheaney
on 20/07/2020:
Thank you so much, what a lovely review. It's been a pleasure to be on this journey with you all. Thank you for the opportunity. I've really enjoyed watching her grow in confidence and seeing her personality bloom. :)
We can’t recommend Kate and all her team at The Wonder Years enough. There are only a handful of people we’d trust our children with, and Kate is one of them. It’s like leaving your children with family. There’s always something fun and stimulating going on - from museum trips to charity fundraising. From baking to sports days. We’ve recommended Kate and The Wonder Years to lots of people and will continue to do so. Your child will be in kind, supportive and nurturing hands.
My children always told me the food was better at Kate's than at home and my son is very sad he's now too old to go. Kate works closely with you as a family to deal with your child's individual needs - whether they are physical, food related, toilet training related, emotional/social etc. Just can't recommend enough.
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
boymum
on 01/07/2020
Response by
Kate Gilheaney
on 01/07/2020:
Thank you so much, that's such a lovely review. I'm so delighted you have been so happy with my care. I've really enjoyed working with you and your lovely family. Thank you for taking the time to post this feedback. Kate x
My 20 month old has been going to Kate’s for almost a year now and choosing to send him there has been one of my best decisions. It’s a fantastic environment and Kate, along with her assistants are very warm and welcoming. He’s had some great trips out and about, including visits to the zoo, a farm, a nature trail and attended his first ever party at Halloween and been in a nativity play. He’s always doing interesting things indoors too and brings home lots of pictures and arts and craft things he’s made (with a bit of help!) In the warmer weather last year he was outdoors a lot and enjoyed splashing about in the paddling pool in the summer.
The communication home is great, and as well as the daily record book, I get text updates of what he’s been up to most days.
Kate has made it very easy for me to feel confident dropping my son off there from the very start, which is no mean feat as a new mum leaving your baby for the first time to go back to work.
Overall I’m very impressed with the level of care my son is receiving and can’t recommend Kate enough.
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
Marple
on 24/03/2019
Response by
Kate Gilheaney
on 25/03/2019:
Ahh thank you so much, what lovely feedback. I'm delighted you're happy and caring for your son and working with your family is an absolute pleasure! xx
My son has always had trouble settling in new environments and meeting new people, so I was quite apprehensive about leaving him with a childminder when returning to work. Kate was very reassuring from day one, updating me on his progress with texts and photos which really put my mind at rest. Her communication skills are fantastic; the daily progress book logged his naps and what he was eating (everything, as it’s so good!) and the children also have an online journal so you never feel out of touch with their routine.
Kate has a lovely welcoming home and it didn't take long for my son to feel very much part of the family. He quickly gained confidence and I saw huge progress in his speech and social skills, as there are usually other children in Kate’s care allowing for interaction with children of various ages. He’s made lots of little buddies there and now wants to marry both of Kate’s daughters - and one of the boys too!
Kate and her assistants provide a safe, stimulating environment for the children and she plans lots of visits to parks, farms and zoo’s, as well as regular visits to local toddler groups. My son particularly loved his trips to the fire station and still talks about when a visiting police officer let him sit in a real police car! (I’m hoping it’s his only time!)
He’s now a cheeky, confident 4-year-old with good manners and a healthy appetite – all thanks to Kate and her team – and he will miss them all dearly when he starts school. I can’t thank, praise or recommend Kate highly enough!
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
Parent
on 13/02/2018
Our son has been with Kate since he was 1. Since that time, we have been regularly impressed with the service she provides. She offers so many interesting activities for them and has a group of regular assistants who the children all clearly adore. She provides excellent food, so much so that our son always eats better there than he does with us at the weekend! She is always willing to be flexible with hours, if one of us has to stay at work for a bit longer. I believe that our son's sociable and well-adjusted nature at age 3 is in the most part due to the excellent environment he experiences every day at Kate's; he has formed a series of close-bonds with the other children who go there. I really can't rate her highly enough. Excellent.
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
Shearer5
on 22/01/2018
Kate has looked after our daughter since she was 11 months old. Leaving my daughter to return to work after maternity leave was incredibly hard but finding Kate to look after her made the whole process a million times easier. It was clear from the very beginning how much Kate cared for all of the children in her care and I knew immediately that I would be happy to leave my daughter with her.
Kate has always treated our daughter like an extension of her family and has done everything possible to be flexible and meet our needs. She is always highly communicative and we always know what the current themes, plans etc are. Kate takes the children on exciting outings all year round, cooks homemade meals, regularly creates new and exciting activity opportunities - she is literally a superwoman and we have no idea how she manages it all! She also uses an online learning journal which is a fantastic way to record your child's progress and see what they're up to day to day with detailed and informative termly reports. Kate is also great at identifying developmental areas for your child, which is great when it's your first child and you're not really sure what they should be doing when!
We feel so bittersweet about our daughter leaving to go to preschool and if it weren't for us feeling she is ready for the next step before school we would absolutely keep her with Kate. I don't think we could have found better childcare. It is also worth mentioning Kate's wonderful assistants who are exceptionally committed and work so well with Kate and all the children. Barely a day goes by that our daughter doesn't pretend to be someone from Kate's house - and what brilliant role models they all are, including Kate's own children who our daughter has formed lovely friendships with and really looks up to. We will always be eternally grateful to her and her family and assistants for their support over the last 2 and a bit years. We will genuinely really miss Kate and her happy boat and we wouldn't hesitate to recommend her in a heartbeat.
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
Parent
on 22/01/2018
Our daughter started at Kate's when she was 10 months old and is now leaving to go to school. Kate has been amazing with her and she has been so happy there.
Kate takes the children on lots of outings or to different toddler groups which they love. They learn about different cultures and customs and have themed days to coincide with whatever topic they are covering.
The children are a very happy group who get along with each other well. Kate and her assistants are brilliant with them. She is always available to chat with if necessary and her communications are great - emails, texts, occasional photos , phone or in person.
We have never had a moment's doubt about choosing Kate to look after our daughter and we cannot recommend her highly enough.
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
Parent
on 24/07/2017
After a very negative experience with a local nursery we were very nervous about finding new childcare for our son who had just turned two.
Fast forward 6 months and choosing Kate was the best decision we could have made.
Not only is our son so so happy in Kate's care - but we are seeing him thrive too. His speech, his social skills, his eating, his ability to empathise.
Kate is very open and we always feel we can speak to her with any concerns. The set up with Kate's two assistants works very well and the children get to attend some lovely local groups as well as days out.
The communication, food, and home setting is wonderful.
Apart from very close family - Kate and her assistants are the only people we trust to look after our son. We will be sad when the time comes to move our son onto pre school.
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
boymum
on 14/06/2017
My son started with Kate when he was 10 months and from day one he felt completely at home there. He settled in straight away and still to this day (he's now 2 yrs 4 months) he runs straight in the front door and is always so excited to go to Kate's house. I also trusted Kate immediately. Her assistants are also fantastic. The food Kate provides is so varied and healthy and she goes above in beyond with fantastic activities and brilliantly organised days out. She circulates themed planners regularly with various activities for developing children's skills (EYFS). I really can't recommend Kate highly enough.
-
Overall
-
Setting
-
Cleanliness
-
Food
-
Communication
by
Rachel
on 24/07/2016
Our daughter started with Kate from 10 months old.
Leaving your 10 month old daughter with anyone new is always difficult, but we felt totally comfortable with Kate and our daughter quickly seemed at home. In fact, one of her first phrases was "yay, Kate's" when we would pull up outside!!
Kates own children are lovely and our daughter had a fantastic time playing with them when they were about too. She was also very helpful with our eldest on the few occasions when transport issues meant we weren't able to collect him from nursery on time.
We would thoroughly recommend Kate to anyone looking for a childminder in the area.
-
Overall
by
Parent
on 29/03/2015
My daughter has been going to Kate's for about 2 and a half years and she loves it. She's made some lovely friends and always has lots of fun. Kate is friendly, welcoming and is brilliant with all the children. Would highly recommend Kate!
-
Overall
by
Parent
on 06/03/2015
Kate has been looking after my two children for now nearly a year. She has been absolutely brilliant and although my little one was initially upset to let me go, it only took her a few days to adjust and be such a happy little girl. Kate is very organised and very experienced with children. She is extremely committed in caring for any child. She has also shown great flexibility when required. My two children are having a great time there and enjoy being with other children which teaches them fantastic social skills. Kate brings them to toddler groups, parks and other places such as the firefighters', the library...During school holidays, she would always organise special days out too.
I would highly recommend Kate to any parent looking for a childminder in or around the Bickley area.
-
Overall
by
Parent
on 18/09/2014
