Hi, I'm Chantelle and I run the Watch Me Grow childminding service.

Since 2001 I have been a registered childminder, providing high quality care for children of all ages in the Thetford area.

I love working with children and being a part of their development.

I'm registered with Ofsted - the office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills - and have been rated Outstanding by them for the overall effectiveness of the care, learning and development of children that I provide.

This involves complying with Ofsted requirements such as the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework that ensures children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe.

Previously I work in partnership with the Norfolk County Council Early Years Team, to ensure that my training and qualifications are always up to date and that the highest standards of child care are being maintained.

I'm also a member of PACEY (previously known as NCMA).

I believe that children come first and find the best way to learn is to interact with the interests of your child and most of all learn through play.

I am accredited to offer 15 hours free early years funding and, in some cases up to 30 hours. I have completed a food and hygiene course and have been rated as 5 from the food standards agency and I try to be as organic/eco-friendly as possible.

We have a great amount of space available for the children to play and relax in throughout the home's ground floor and garden area.

Our lounge provides a quiet room where the children can watch TV or DVD's and have a rest. In the afternoon this area is used by the younger children for sleeping.

We have a conservatory which the children use for a variety of games and activities including; 'role playing' - which helps them develop their confidence and social skills, and 'music time' - where they get to play with musical instruments and make music together. There is also a collection of, both educational and entertaining, computer games on the PC and gaming console.

We have a dedicated craft room, with tables, chairs, books, toys, puzzles and plenty of arts and craft materials, where the children can develop their creative skills and learn while having fun.

We also use this room to help the children gain a better understanding of the world, through the use of educational books, materials and equipment. We aim to help children with their transition into full time schooling.

The dining room is where we all gather for breakfast, lunch and dinner as one big family. Meals are prepared with as fresh and nutritional ingredients as possible to help children stay healthy. We have a downstairs toilet room where children can access the toilet and wash their hands.

Outside we have a fully enclosed garden area, which keeps the children safe and secure at all times. The garden is split into several separate spaces for different activities.

The eco-area is a decked and semi-roofed enclosure that allows the children to be out in the fresh air while still remaining covered. It's a nice area for relaxing and is one of the places we use for Montessori learning.

Then we have our fully enclosed trampoline which provides fantastic exercise for the children.

In the middle of the garden is our wooden climbing frame which has a slide attached as well as a sand pit with assorted accessories. We also have plenty of outside toys and equipment for the children to use, such as bouncy balls, hoops,  scooters, ride on bicycles and hoppers.

Towards the end of the garden we have a wildlife and herb area with lots of sensory features for the children to experience.