Little Earthlings Childcare

It’s happening 🥰 … … I’m officially an Ofsted registered childminder in the NN4 area 🥰. A special thank you to Open Stage (Rachel and her amazing team) for helping me to spread the word about my childminding business. I can’t wait to start my childminding journey, and have lots of adventures with my Little Earthlings. I have spaces starting from September for under 5’s and school aged children. I will be providing school pick ups and drop offs to and from Wootton Primary and Caroline Chisholm secondary school. Please get in touch if you are interested in a space 😀.

Happy Father’s Day to all the special Daddies 🥰 Xx

Why choose me as your child's childminder?

Little Earthlings Childcare is a home from home based childcare setting. My vision is ‘to provide a happy, homely environment, enabling the children to discover the magic in the world around them, through discovery and play’. First and foremost, my aim is to ensure that children in my care are happy. Happy children learn and thrive in settings where they feel safe, secure and listened to. I would like to create an environment where parents and I work collaboratively, in providing the best care possible for the children, sharing experiences about what the children have been up to at home and on the weekends. This then can be used in my setting to encourage children to talk about their experiences and incorporated into their play when appropriate.

Play opportunities will be appropriate to the learning and development stage and interest of the child. When play is directed to a child’s interests this promotes deeper learning and engagement. Open-ended toys such as small world play, building blocks and books will be available for the children to play with on a daily basis. This creates a sense of familiarity for the children. To spark curiosity, I will offer a play opportunity that has been set up by myself (age appropriate). This type of play provides children with learning opportunities that without the careful input of an adult, would not occur. However, children will not be forced to participate in any activity they do not wish to take part in.

Little Earthlings home from home childcare setting. Log cabin is a work in progress. This will be filled with lots of different toys and books for the children to enjoy 😍.

Hello. My name is Charlotte aka Little Earthlings Childcare. I am currently awaiting an Ofsted inspection to provide early years education. I am hoping to open in September 2022 and will have space for two under-fives and two school aged children. I will generally be open from 07:30am until 18:00pm, Tuesday to Friday, but I am flexible to the needs of parents and alternative times can be discussed. I can provide school drop offs and pick-ups to and from Wootton Primary School. I will be attending a local university one day a week on a Monday, studying a one-year Top-Up degree in Early Childhood studies.

I have three beautiful children of my own who are aged 1, 7 & 11. As well as having my own Little Earthlings (nickname I call my babies), I have a range of experience, mostly working with people who find themselves vulnerable for a number of different reasons. I have worked within a bereavement service, a drug and alcohol rehab unit, social services to a homelessness assessment team. I recently completed a Higher National Diploma in Social Work where I learnt about child development. At my time at university, I worked face-to-face with teenagers who found themselves within the criminal justice system.

I have made the decision to become a childminder, first and foremost because I love children. I feel there is something special about how they see the world around them. It is a privilege to be able to make such a significant impact on children's precious early stages of life. I love nature and the outdoors and there are several lovely parks and outdoor spaces very close to my setting. One park is within a couple of minutes walking distance from my home. I love music and have started to play the Ukulele whilst I have been off on maternity leave with my Son. I love gardening and the sound of nature. I have a keen interest in sensory play, giving the children opportunities to explore their natural environment.

I will be providing learning experiences through play, following the Early Years Foundation Stage. I will provide as many enriching experiences as I can, including spending lots of time outdoors and going to local attractions. Messy play will most definitely feature often in my setting.

I just want to say a massive thank you to my beautiful friend Sarah, Hanson Creatives Limited, for designing my logo, and to my family for making my dreams possible, including becoming a childminder within our family home 😍