All about us

      Donna & Graeme Cartmell

Little Gigglers Childminding 

All about us 

Hello, my name is Donna and my husband Graeme and I are fully registered Accrediated & rated'Outstanding' in all area's Ofsted Childminders. Last inspected in march 2009 we believe our grading reflects the commitment and care we put into our setting. We work  together to offer a reliable, flexible childcare service. 

 We have 3 children of our own aged 6, 9 & 13 and live in a quiet cul de sac in the  Roundhill area of Ingleby Barwick, offering  birth to 10 year olds full-time, part-time care, before and after school drop off and collection from Ingleby mill and St Terese schools and nurseries..

We have offered a childcare service since 2005 and so have 7 years experience in which there has been many 'legal' changes in the UK to which we have worked hard and are committed to keeping our policies and procedures up to date.  We regularly reflect within the setting and our ethos is to to provide a flexible, caring and stimulating environments where children are happy and parents are confident in our abilities, over the years have built up  an excellent  reputation with other professionals and parents and we strive to keep this. .  

The children who attend our setting are cared for in an inclusive environment   we  welcome all cultures and needs and  put the enphasis on builing  positive relationships with parents to give your child a home from home environment.  We consider the needs of you as a parent and the uniqueness of your child in planning routines and activities throughout the day and hope We can offer flexibility to suit your needs.

Our playroom is light, spacious  and airy, full of various age appropriate toys & resources to facilitate the childrens imaginations and play this leads an averaged sized garden, partly decked and grassed area catering for young and older children, we premote daily sessions of outdoor play whenever possible.

Members of the Formal Network

We are very fortunate to have  become members of the very first formal Stockton Borough Network and have taken further training and welfare audits to become accrediated childminders this means we are able to offer the  free child care entitlement to 3 year olds (15hrs).   We're also members of the informal Thornaby and Ingleby childminders network.

Our Setting

We have a dedicated play room which is spacious and child friendly to play and learn in.  All the toys are at an accessible level so the children are free to make their own choices independantly.  We operate within an inclusive environment and ensure every child recieves equal opportunities.  Activities are adapted to meet the needs of all ages and development and/or specail needs.

Babysdays  sharing the day online with the parents

We have recently adapted our information sharing so that we can work online with parents rather than having paper diaries and masses of paperwork.  This offers parents 24/7 access to their childs progression information, daily diaries, photo's, weekly menu's, policies & procedures information and general comments.  The parents are given individual login details to access their childs profile and all the information they wish to see can be viewed and comments can be left for us to feed back to.

This has proved very popular with our parents as it means they can log in from work to see what we have been doing thoughout the day and view photo's of their child enjoying activities and learning through play.

Activities and Themes

Monthly themes are planned covering various everyday topics and annual/religous celebrations eg. Transport, ourselves, seasons, colours, numbers, christmas, easter, divali, olympics etc to help children understand the world around them and learn in a fun, friendly environment.. These themes are used loosely to stimulate the children to learn throughout the day but more importantly we use the childrens interests and have a have a flexible routine to individual needs and interests.

E.Y.F.S

We work to Government directives  for the Early Years Foundation Stage (all childminders have to do this from September 2008)..All children in our care will have a Learning Journal which will contain information about thie things they have done whilst in our care and a record of their development, these are shared frequently with parents to catchup on everything their child has been doing and to share their comments and feedback, also complimentary to this we complete daily diaries.  We develop the childrens skills and plan routines/activities to meet their needs in an informal way so that the emphasis is still on learning through play and in an environment that is laidback and relaxed as at their own home. 

We like to give  children opportunities to socailise and have new learning experiences at local toddler/stay and play sessions 2 - 3 times per week.

We look after children from 3 months to 11 years and pick up and drop off at Ingleby Mill Primary School and most nurseries. 

Our rates are competitive for the area and aim to cater for all situations. I.e Holiday cover/temporary care also welcome.

01642 760404 / 07831 445555

or email us at

littlegigglers@mail.com


 

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