Helaina's Happy Hedgehogs Childminding

Passionate about high-quality care & education, outdoor adventures, & giving every child the best start in life. Helaina lives in Guisborough with her husband. Her home is detached with a front and enclosed back garden, which is situated in a quiet cul-de-sac. Helaina has had the pleasure of supporting many families through childminding over the past several years. Prior to becoming a Childminder, she thoroughly enjoyed working as an Early Years Teacher for 11 years. Helaina has had a positive effect on the lives of many children and their families whom she has worked with. Although Helaina felt that her job as an experienced Early Years Teacher was extremely rewarding, she decided to start childminding because she wished to work with children in a calm home environment with a lower ratio of children. Doing so enables Helaina to provide children with an outstanding quality of care and education, which is Helaina's desire. Helaina feels her strengths are demonstrated best by caring for young children who demonstrate emotional difficulties. She also considers herself to be a valuable asset to families who have decided to defer school attendance and support children leading up to the start of school. Helaina has a wealth of experience caring for newborns up to teenagers and she loves working with children. Her enthusiasm and excitement are apparent to the children she is in contact with, which encourages children to feel happy to 'have a go' and thus learn and develop. Helaina caters for the needs and interests of all the children she cares for. She does so by providing the best possible learning experiences, both indoor and out. Based on children's interests, Helaina plans activities for children to learn through play, since she believes that play is essential to all aspects of children's development and learning. She cooks healthy organic meals with the children and enjoys baking with them too, as she sees how much enjoyment and learning the children gain from such activities. Helaina also has much experience working along with parents and other professionals. She is keen to offer any help that she can to such ones, in order to support the children and their families. Helaina holds a Paediatric First Aid and a food hygiene certificate. She keeps her Continued Professional Development up to date including the renewal of 'Safeguarding Children' training. Helaina is also qualified as an Advanced Swimming Instructor, enabling her to teach the fundamentals of swimming to all ages and abilities. With parental permission, she teaches her childminded children to swim whenever the opportunity arises. Helaina was thrilled to have been appointed as an Area Lead and Mentor for the Department for Education Early Years COVID-19 Recovery Programme. The training she has received prior to starting in this role and the knowledge and experience she gains through working with other childminders, enhances her outstanding practice as an Early Years Professional.