Hello, we are a married couple with 2 young daughters. Both of us are OFSTED registered and ICP qualified and both have had relevant first aid training in addition to both holding Diplomas in Home-Based Childcare. We moved to Portishead in August 2012.
We will have some vacancies on the High Down school run (which is a very short walk from our house with no road crossing involved) from September 2018 and we currently have some vacancies for babies and pre-school children.
We are based in our home and offer an individual and 'home from home' style of childminding which combines educational and developmental activities and outings with the individual needs of the children. One of the outings that we do regularly is to "Jungle Tots" at Noah's Ark and in the school holidays we like to go to Clevedon Pier, Slimbridge and Tyntesfield amongst other places.
We have an enclosed and secure garden with a secure gate to open fields behind the house - perfect for kite flying and nature trails - we often have caterpillars that we release as butterflies and the children enjoy harvesting the potatoes! Our garden also has a variety of outdoor toys including ride-in cars, a sandpit and a playhouse.
We use a software system that allows parents to log in from their own computers to view daily diaries and photographs of their children (it is encrypted and password protected). This is an interactive service that allows parents to add comments too which means that we can keep up to date with each other and the parents can have as much input into the day to day care as possible.
Further info from Debbie:
I am working towards becoming a Specialist Childminder (SEND). This is a joint project between North Somerset Council and Springboard Opportunity Group that aims to develop childminder’s skills and confidence in supporting children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
I have attended North Somerset inclusion training, and have a commitment to attending further training to support the needs of children with additional needs. I will have access to the Specialist Childminder coordinator who is available to provide support and guidance around meeting the individual needs of your child. In addition, I will have access to a North Somerset Area SENCO from the Early Years and Childcare service for advice and guidance.