Is Butterflies Childminding for you?

 

 

Butterflies Childminding is run by two highly qualified, experienced childminders.  We are Ofsted Registered and Inspected and are legally bound to follow the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements for care and education.  We hold public liability insurance and have paediatric First Aid Qulaifications.  We are registered with Environmental Health and Data Protection and are subject to their inspections.

 

Our comprehensive policies, contracts and risk assessments have been praised by Ofsted and described as 'exemplary'.

 

We provide parents with a beautifully presented Learning Journey documenting their child's learning throughout their time at Butterflies.  This includes observations, photographs and pieces of work showing their progress.  Each term parents are offered the chance to talk to us about their child's learning and development and are given a written report.

 

A child's day is recorded in their daily diary so that you have information about their eating, sleeping, toileting and the activities they have been involved in.  This is a form of two way communication enabling you to inform us of any important information you feel we should know about.  Daily diaries are particularly important when parents are sharing drop offs and collections and for busy working parents.

 

 

As mothers ourselves we have a wealth of experience in caring for children and dealing with behaviour management, toilet training and issues around sleeping and eating.  We are confident in caring for children of all ages including young babies.

 

We are dedicated to providing the best possible care and education.  We keep up to date with new initiatives and legislation and attend extensive training courses in our own time.

 

Kirstin is a qualified Early Years Teacher and has recently gained the prestigious status of Early Years Professional.  She has also been awarded Specialist Childminder in Early Years Education status by Devon County Council.  These are currently the highest qualifications available to Early Years practitioners and are in recognition of the outstanding education children receive at Butterflies.

 

 

 

As Butterflies Childminding is run by two qualified childminders we can minimise the risk of you being let down due to childminder illness and holiday.  We work together to ensure that we are able to cover each other's holidays providing you with care all year round.

 

 

We are registered to care for children 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Drop offs and pick ups can occur at any time during the day.  We are able to offer hours to meet your individual requirements including full time, part time, term time only, half days, occasional care and shift work contracts.

 

 

Unlike nurseries, at Butterflies Childminding you will only pay for the hours you require.  Contracts can vary from a couple of hours to full days - you will not have to pay a set daily rate!

 

Our fees include everything!  We provide home cooked meals, drinks, snacks, nappies and outings all within our fees - there are no hidden extra charges!

 

 

Your child's safety is our main priority.  We conduct extensive risk assessments of our settings and every place we visit.  We have very secure understanding of child protection issues and both hold safeguarding qualifications.  Our comprehensive policy ensures everyone in the setting is kept safe.  Working together allows us to have two pairs of eyes on the children at all times.

 

 

As childminder ratios are much lower than those of a nursery we can provide our children with lots of individual attention.  Benefits of this include:

Our lower ratios allow us to be flexible within our daily structure so it is easier for us to follow your child's home routine including sleeping and meal time routines.  This is especially important for young babies. 

 

 

 

We believe that a child's social development is of paramount importance.  Good social skills allow children to interact with both children and adults and provide a strong foundation for learning.  Butterflies Childminding supports your child in developing close friendships with children of their own age which they will take with them to Pre-School and School.  During the main part of the day our children play in groups of up to six or seven children.  This allows them to develop important skills such as sharing and turn taking and encourages them to communicate positively with others.

 

 

We are also able to offer before and after school care to older siblings.  This allows children to mix and interact with children of differing ages reflecting family life and offering a 'home from home' atmosphere.

 

We believe that this balance of smaller and larger group interactions provides vital opportunities for social development that nurseries are unable to offer.

 

 

Unlike nurseries, at Butterflies Childminding your child will only be cared for by a maximum of two adults.  This allows them to feel secure and settle more quickly.  We endeavour to develop close professional relationships with you and your family so that we can provide the best possible care for your child. 

 

We are able to provide care for your child from birth, through their toddler years and beyond - offering wrap around care when your child starts Pre-School or School.  Your three and four year old can access their Early Years Entitlement (currently 15 hours per week free childcare) at Butterflies Childminding allowing you the choice of whether or not to send your child to Pre-School.  Should you wish your child to go to The Duchy Pre-School and Playgroup we can help with the transition as we have strong links with the setting and their staff. 

 

 

We regularly take children on outings.  In the past we have visited Paignton Zoo, the Seaside, Plymouth Aquarium, Dartmoor, Exeter Airport, Crealy and Diggerland.  We regularly visit Monsters Mansion soft play and attend sessions at Culm Valley Childrens Centre.

 

We feel one important benefit of a childminding setting is that we are able to take children to activities happening in their home community.  We visit both Bradninch and Scallywags Baby and Toddler Groups on a weekly basis and would be more than happy to visit groups your child may be used to attending as part of our weekly routine.

 

We enjoy taking children to events held within our wider community.  For example, we went to watch the Tour of Britain cycle race which passed through Bradninch and Cullompton, we regularly watch performances held at the school and attend Christmas services at the Church.

 

All costs incurred during outings are included within your fees so you don't get any unexpected bills! 

 

 

 

We foster excellent links with both The Duchy Pre-school and Playgroup and The Duchy School allowing us to help children make smooth transitions to these settings.  We visit regularly and our children are invited to join in with special activities.

 

As children approach Pre-school and School age we plan activities which help them to develop the skills needed to cope in these structured environments.  We encourage even our youngest children to sit and concentrate for short periods on activities such as music, song and story times.  As children get older we help them to concentrate for longer periods.  Through the EYFS all our children are encouraged to develop the skills needed to reading and writing at a level which is appropriate to them.  We encourage independence through supporting children to do things for themselves eg dressing themselves for outings, toileting and overcoming small conflicts with friends.  We strive to raise self esteem and confidence in our children so that they are more able to adapt to change and foster a love of learning for life.