My son has been fortunate enough to have been looked after by Emma for the last couple of years. During this time, he has developed a strong trusting relationship with Emma and her children which afford my partner and I a great deal of comfort. I consider the quality of care and overall professionalism to have been exceptional and credit Emma with having been a significant contributor to his overall development to date.
I would like you to know that my children both thoroughly enjoy their time with Emma. The activities are planned and shared in advance so I am able to talk to my children about what they will be doing. Emma shares information with my daughter’s preschool which has been really helpful in helping her progress at both settings. Emma’s safeguarding policy and in practice is exactly as it should be and I am informed of any changes to routine or people in the setting.
Emma has been looking after my daughter for the last 4 years and now our new addition too. Other than each other, there is nobody else that we would trust to look after our children. Emma has been our rock over the course of time providing support and reliability to support our working lives. Emma is always doing fun and interactive activities with the children and my daughter always happily shows her enjoyment of the day. Emma keeps working parents involved by producing formation feedback sheets with pictures to enable us to see what the children have been doing whilst with Emma. I would recommend Emma to anyone looking for a child minder. We are proud of our children and how they have developed but this is also down to Emma and the role she has played in this time.
My daughter has been with Emma for just over 6 months. She settled in very quickly. She was anxious for a brief period on leaving her with Emma but with lots of encouragement and Emma’s perseverance she soon settled again. She talks about her time spent with Emma and her family, include the pets! She enjoys the outside and outdoor activities often talking about going to the park to feed the ducks and playgrounds. I feel between myself, my mum and Emma, there is plenty of communication and I am able to contact Emma with any concerns I may have. Emma has also been very flexible with her days when needed. Overall I am very happy with Emma’s care and would recommend her to others. My daughter loves “Gizzy’s house”.
Emma Durrant has looked after my daughter for over 2 years. When I first met Emma she came across very friendly and welcoming but also very professional. Emma’s house always seemed very child friendly, happy and a fun place to be, yet very safe. The other children Emma looked after always looked very happy too. My daughter always seemed very happy and content to go to Emma’s. Not once did she ever say she didn’t want to go. She really enjoyed playing with Emma’s own children, they have become good friends. Emma would also take the children out on day trips in the holidays with your permission. I always felt happy for Emma to do this as I knew she would always be safe. I would highly recommend Emma to anyone looking for a child minder, who likes the home from home environment. I’m having another baby and would be more than happy with Emma to look after him.
Between April 2010 to July 2013 my daughter was looked after by Emma Durrant in her role as a registered Child Minder . My daughter was only 9 months old when I returned to work and is 4 years old at the time of leaving. Before returning to work I assumed I would place my daughter in a Nursery to supervise her care. I had never considered a child minder before. I visited three local nurseries, however, was disappointed with what I saw and felt. Whilst I cannot be specific I just had a mother’s instinct that it was not the right environment for my daughter. I made enquiries with the local council and they provided me with a list of local child minders. Emma was the first and only child minder I visited. As soon as I entered Emma’s house my mind was made up. I knew immediately it was going to be the safe, secure loving environment I was looking for. It was so important for me that I would be leaving my daughter in the care of a capable person so as not to have the constant worry whilst at work. I was impressed with how Emma’s house was laid out with all the different activities for the children, however, it still had the feeling of a home from home. Emma was well organised, informative and qualified. Plus, being a mother herself I knew if there were any accidents or issues she would not panic and would be able to comfort my daughter as a “mum”. The initial settling in period was upsetting at times for my daughter (and me being a first time mum!) Emma remained positive, reassuring me that it was all natural and she would settle in fine when she was ready. Emma would me keep informed via text throughout the early days as to how she was getting on, thereby allowing the transition back into work all the more easier. My daughter has thoroughly enjoyed her time with Emma and classes Emma’s youngest daughter as her “best friend”!! The days I work she always asks if she is going to Emma’s. Every time I pick her up she has a smile on her face and tells me about her “fun” day in the car on the way home. I have no doubt that the nurturing, encouragement and activities provided by Emma have all contributed to my daughter being the bright confident little lady that she now is. The daily record sheets provided by Emma are a wonderful record of her progress. The pictures help me feel that I am not missing out and the list of foods is great as it lets me see that she has been eating a well-
My daughter has been going to Emma's since April 2012 when I returned to work from maternity leave. Naturally being a first time mum and returning to work was daunting but Emma was a key part in helping with that transition. My daughter loves going to Emma's and at times I think she sees it as her second home. She always runs to the door and barely looks back to say goodbye. Going to Emma's has aided my daughter’s development immensely from having the social development to leaving mum and dad for the day, to eating a wide variety of foods, making new words and picking up new skills. My daughter always has so much fun at Emma's and has the opportunity to take part in a wide range of activities from painting, cooking, going to feed the ducks, visiting play centres etc, I love getting her report at the end of day with pictures to show what she has been up to. I also like the fact that Emma provides us with a timetable each month so I know what my daughter is doing on what day. I went to Emma based on recommendation from a friend and the fact she has an outstanding Ofsted report and I am so pleased that I did, my daughter could not be happier!
We chose Emma as she was graded outstanding by Ofsted and she was also on my husbands journey to work making drop off’s and collection easier. We didn’t need to visit anyone else as we knew Emma was perfect. My daughter’s time with Emma has just been fantastic. My daughter has been made so welcome in Emma’s setting and has made lovely friends in Emma’s daughters, especially her youngest who is the same age. Emma is highly organised, extremely kind and caring, considerate of what my daughter likes and how she feels and fits this in with the other children in her care too. We have been extremely happy with the care my daughter has received, and the brilliant progress she has made whilst in Emma’s care. Emma’s home is always welcoming, clean and well organised and my daughter has great fun playing with all the other children and the toys available. I’m sure that being in such a positive and happy environment has helped her confidence too. Emma offers a daily record for us and we have a complete picture of her whole day including what she has eaten, how long she used to sleep and all her activities. This helps us to feel really involved with her care and I can talk to her about her day. I also love the huge scrapbook we now have to keep at home which includes all my daughter’s photos we sent in for her to complete and the homework and activities she completed. She loves looking through this! My daughter is a very bright girl but I have to owe half of her education so far to Emma and the various activities she is involved in in Emma’s care. Emma helped me in the process to enrol my daughter into Pre School which she has attended for the last 3 months along with Emma’s daughter and another friend in Emma’s care. My daughter really embraced this new change to her routine and Emma’s transportation of her to and from pre-
Emma has recently been particularly supportive when my daughter has been potty training. This is a real strength Emma has, the way she works with the parents towards joint goals. She has been positive and encouraging with the potty training rewarding my daughter regularly when she does well. I always feel well informed as to the day’s events when I read and see pictures of my daughter participating in the activities. Communication and feedback from Emma is excellent. Emma has also been flexible to do extra days looking after my daughter with little notice and this is a real benefit.
I would like to take this opportunity to advise you that I have been so impressed by the service you have provided to my two girls, who have enjoyed every visit they have spent with you. Even though the children only come to you during school holidays, its like they see you every day! As a working mum it’s paramount that I feel that when I leave my children I’m confident to be able to get on with my day….. when dropped off to you I do not have any doubt’s that the children even miss me! They are so excited about what their day will involve with you! It is fantastic the way you give parents the weekly planner – so we are able to discuss with the children what they will be doing on a daily basis – also the individual daily sheet you give at the end of the day is also fantastic. Emma you really do provide an outstanding service. Thank you.
Emma cares for my three year old twins while I am at work and I cannot recommend her highly enough. My children love the time that they spend with her and the wide range of activities that they get involved in. Every week has a theme, a letter, a shape/ colour and a number to base the activities around and they learn about them through outings, activities, songs, games etc. My children are always so excited about going to Emma’s house and love telling me about what they have been doing that day when I pick them up. They often have things to bring home that they have made, baked or painted/drawn. I feel totally confident while I am at work that my children are learning and most importantly, having fun. We are given a detailed monthly calendar of what the children will be doing each day and I keep a copy of this on my pin board at work so I know what they are doing that day and also a copy at home so we can tell the children when they are going to bed what they will be doing the next day. I also get a printout each day, with photographs, of what each child has been doing that day, what they have eaten and any other relevant information. When we get home, the children love talking me through their individual sheets and talking about their photos. I keep all of the printouts in a folder and the children enjoy going through them and remembering the things that have done. Emma reinforces what the children have been learning by giving them resources to bring home-
Emma has been looking after my 4 year old son for the past year, and I have been extremely pleased with her care of him. He really looks forward to going to her house, and loves the fact that the days are planned out in advance, so when he asks each night before bed what he is going to be doing in the morning, I can tell him. He also loves the daily report, which has photos of him participating in the activities, so he can tell me about his day. It is also useful for me to know exactly what he has eaten, and what he has been doing.
He has learned so much in the past year, and loves bringing me home things he has made -
