Some feedback from parents
My son settled in very quickly with Emma and is always extremely happy to see Emma when I drop him off in the morning! I am more than happy with the care that is provided and feel happy knowing that he is in a safe and loving environment. He participates in lots of activities and I enjoy looking at his worksheet at the end of his day! Highly recommended.
Over recent months our daughters aged 5 and 2 have been regularly visiting Emma Durrant in her capacity as child minder. During this time my 2 year old (who has spent the greater time with Emma) has benefitted greatly from the environment promoted by Emma. Her communication has improved (and we trust will continue to) and she has gained greatly in independence. My 5 year old daughter (who tends to spend shorter times with Emma either before or after school) always comes away with stories of what things she has done etc. It is always interesting to compare these stories with the detailed and informative daily sheets provided by Emma detailing each child's activities during the session. For us a great measure of their trust and enjoyment of the sessions is the ease with which they can be left at Emma's and their regular reluctance to leave afterwards. Given that one never goes into entrusting your children with others lightly - we can say without hesitation that Emma has clearly established a excellent relationship with both our daughters meaning we have absolute trust in Emma's practice.
My son has been in Emma's care 2.5 days while I go to work for a few months now. He always has a lovely time there. They do lots of trips to play centres etc... and do lots of creative things in her home such as painting. I love seeing what things he will bring home with him when I pick him up at the end of the day. His confidence has grown over the past few months too. I am very happy with the care that Emma provides and it makes leaving him a little easier for me.
My daughter has been cared for by Emma for nearly four months now. From the very beginning I have felt secure in Emma caring for her. In the early days whilst she was settling in, Emma kept me continuously informed with how she was getting on. This in turn made my return to work a great deal easier. The daily record sheets are a joy to receive every time I pick her up. It reassures me that my daughter is happy and enjoys spending time with Emma and the other children. I have no hesitation in recommending Emma to care for your child(ren).
Emma ticks all the right boxes for us. Her communication and organisation skills are fantastic and my daughter (14 months) always comes home with a smile on her face and a full record of what she has done all day. Emma makes it so easy to us to leave our daughter with her and is very trustworthy. Emma is highly recommended.
My daughter of 7 years and my son of 4 years have only been in Emma’s care for a short while but in that time the children have been welcomed into Emma’s family and have thoroughly enjoyed their time with Emma. My daughter and son are always excited to be going to Emma’s and the standard of care has been excellent.
I’d like to say a big thank you to Emma and her family for being so friendly and caring and would highly recommend this form of childcare to anyone in the area. We will all be sorry to leave. My daughter and son have enjoyed fun days out in the holidays and lots of simulated play within Emma’s home.
My daughter really enjoyed the time she spent with you during the summer holidays. There are always a wide variety of fun/learning activities on offer, she most enjoyed keeping her scrapbook updated and also learning how to make pottery on the potters wheel. She loved the day trips, swimming, farms and parks and the archeological dig!
As with my son who you currently care for it is so nice to see what they have been achieving whilst I am not there and to feel assured that they are having fun but in a safe and controlled environment, and reading all about it on the day sheets makes you feel that your not left out!
I cannot recommend Emma highly enough. My son is in infant school and I run my own business. Flexibility in care hours was key in my childcare decision making process and Emma provided this for us. She covers our school run two days a week and all of our school holidays and understands that being a working mum means you can’t always guarantee to be home on the dot of 6pm.
My son is exceptionally happy with Emma. He is stimulated and educated every day by the organised activities, he is fairly and appropriately disciplined when necessary and I would happily send him to Emma every day of the year for his meals, all daily prepared with fresh ingredients – more healthy and balanced than anything I could manage to dish up.
Emma’s organisational skills are excellent. We are provided with a monthly calendar of planned activities and menus and a daily summary of everything that my son has done during the day. I am completely confident in Emma’s skills as a childminder and know that she will continue to update and add to her qualifications and that my son will continue to benefit hugely from her professionalism.
We moved to Essex from Southampton and a great Nursery for my son (aged 4). I originally wanted to find another Nursery and was dubious of using a childminder. How wrong was I! We feel we have really struck gold with Emma.
My son is excited to go there every day. All his needs, physical, emotional, mental and educational are met and our expectations are far exceeded.
Emma is extremely well organised with monthly menus and activities. Each week has a theme, a letter and a shape or colour to concentrate on. The theme is explored extensively with cooking, arts & crafts and outings. We are given these in advance and I have them on my wall so I know what my son is up to every single day as well as what he will be eating, which always incorporates healthy eating! At the end of the day, he comes home with a detailed description (including photos) of his day. We often have pictures to put on the wall or home made cooking to try!
I and more importantly my son are completely happy and would recommend Emma with 100% conviction.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you very much for minding me son. I found your structured routine well planned and thought about. The timetable you produced helped us have interactions/conversations at home again this would help his recall/memory/vocal skills. I am completely satisfied with the level of care he received whilst being in your home. The diary idea brilliant another talking point to focus at home, it also sets out meals/times and behaviour so we can work together if there were problems. My son thoroughly enjoys getting ready to come to you and there have been several times he hasn’t wanted to leave. I would recommend you to anyone looking for a childminder. You are very professional, polite and friendly and welcoming. So, once again thank you very much for the last 2 months.
I have known Emma for the past 5 years as a neighbour and a friend. We had our children within a few months of each other so my daughter has grown up with Emma and her family. Emma has proven herself to be a wonderful mother to her children and my daughter thoroughly enjoys spending time with them.
Emma’s house is always clean and very well organised, a real home from home environment. Emma is excellent at entertaining the children, whether it be creative play, arts and crafts, puzzles, face painting – your children will never be bored!
I would definitely recommend Emma to anyone thinking of employing a childminder and can honestly say that she would be an asset to any child’s care and education.
Our children love going to Emma’s and were not surprised the atmosphere is warm and homely and there are lots of different toys to play with. Emma provides a professional service which includes a structured day whilst adapting to the children’s age and needs. Emma also has a good balance with the food she provides, its healthy but there are also some treats. Most importantly the children respond to Emma and we strongly feel Emma is giving our children a good start before they start school. Were very very happy and so are the children.
“A day at Emma’s”- I’m 11 years old and I go to Emma’s after school. I also have a little brother who goes there too. At her house we do lots of fun things like gluing, making, playing etc. We also do quite a lot of learning there too, she helps the little ones with their numbers and letters, she helps me with my homework. Last week we made our very own puppet theatre, painted and decorated it. Sometimes we go out for the day, places like The Natural History Museum. First of all we went to look at the dinosaurs, at the end there was a big moving T-Rex. And another day we went to the park. We played there for a while and Emma took photos of us so we could put them in our scrapbooks. On our way home we picked blackberries! Then when we got home we washed them and ate them. The scrapbook is where we put all our photos to remind us of that day. I really do like it at Emma’s and I’m sure you will too!
My daughter has been happy and contented with Emma since day one. Emma has a huge variety of resources that she uses to plan fun packed activities for the children. The feedback I get on a daily basis regarding the days activities and meals is excellent. I particularly feel reassured when I see the pictures of my daughter enjoying the activity. Emma has been very supportive with my daughter while she has been toilet training. She has rewarded her and informed me of her progress. Overall, my daughter gets excited when she knows she’s going to Emma’s so I feel happy that she is happy and being well looked after.
I have been very happy and impressed by the way Emma Durrant runs her childminding business. It’s a refreshing change to collect your child and actually know exactly what they have been up to whilst you have been away, with a complete list of food eaten, sleep and activities participated in along with pictures to prove it!
Its nice to know that your child has actually participated in learning a few things through play rather than being left to get on with it!
Emma has a really good knowledge of what key stage your child is at in development and puts them through their paces accordingly in a fun and friendly environment. I haven’t come across this before even with some of the bigger nurseries I have used, which always seem to be unorganised and unaware of what your child has actually been doing whilst you are away, and because of this my son has settled in very easily.
It’s a home from home environment, and my son enjoys playing with the mountains of toys that are available to him inside and outside in the garden!!
My 3 year old daughter has always enjoyed going to Emma’s. The children are supplied with a huge range of resources and activities, all of them are interactive and most importantly fun. Emma takes the children on regular visits and outings. My daughter’s favourite being Marsh Farm
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- like the song bag, which the children love and we enjoy sharing with them and being involved with. At first I was unsure about returning to work but I now believe it’s the best thing for everyone. The children are so happy with Emma. They get on really well with the other children and I know that they are receiving lots of care and attention as well as being stimulated/ entertained every day, while learning. Education from an early age is very important to me and I know that are constantly learning new things but in a fun way. I cannot rate Emma highly enough.
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 - especially the cakes!! When he starts school in September he has to change childminders, because we live too far away from Emma to be able to drop and collect him at school, and I know that he is really going to miss her and her children. He has been extremely happy for the last year in her care, and seeing him happy makes me happy and able to continue working, secure in the knowledge that he is being cared for, educated and entertained to a very high standard.