Sandy Higgins Childminding

I live in a semi-detached house in the Charlestown area of Baildon with my Husband, Sean and my oldest daughter, Kirsty. I have two other children, Karl and a Rebekah who have left home. The whole of the ground floor of my house is used for my business as is the first floor bathroom, toilet and toy room. I have a large, fully enclosed, outdoor play space to three sides of my house. The front garden is multi-sensory with a variety of floor coverings such as grass, slate, pebbles, decking and paving stones, there are also a variety of small trees and shrubs and wooden furniture and colourful ornaments, which provide the children I care for with a safe, stimulating outdoor play experience.
I have lots of toys and resources for both indoor and outdoor use, which are used to promote all the areas of learning through play, including role play, small world and problem solving. I provide the children with plenty of outings and experiences, including a different playgroup each morning as well as trips to local parks, play centres, sensory room, library etc. I also provide lots of messy play and craft activities, which include heuistic play using materials such as rice, pasta, corn flour, jelly etc, and the usual paint, glue and baking. We also acknowledge many festivals and traditions through craft.
As animal lovers, pets play a big part of our family life. We currently have two dogs, Mildred, a Border Terrier and Olive, a Whippet, 2 cats, Douglas and Nigel and a tortoise called George. I believe children can only benefit from interacting with animals especially as many don’t have any pets at home. Two boys I have minded have been helped greatly with their phobia of dogs through interaction with Olive and Mildred at my setting. My pets are loving and well behaved, if a little giddy at times and my minded children love them.
I was first registered in 1999; therefore I have plenty of experience in meeting the individual needs of the children that I care for. I have attended many courses over the years (certificates can be seen upon a visit to my setting), including first aid, which is renewed every three years as required by Ofsted regulations. I have also passed the NVQ level 3 in childcare, learning and development. My last Ofsted inspection took place in October 2014 when I received an overall grade of good. My Ofsted report can be seen online via Ofsted’s website or a copy is kept at my home.