CABIN KIDS CHILDCARE
Where every child shines
OUR ETHOS
We strive to provide all the children in our setting with the best possible start to their early years by providing a welcoming and nurturing environment that respects each child as an individual. Our learning environment is centred on this ideal and all activities that are provided are suitable for the children's age and stage of development. We love to see the smile on a child's face that comes from a sense of achievement. We plan, monitor and evaluate each child's learning and development. We regularly assess our methods to ensure we are always doing our best. We want all the children to grow into confident and independent people who care about others and the environment.
We need parents to feel at ease knowing their children are safe and happy in our care. Working in partnership with parents is vital for a child's development and we strive to build positive relationships though good communication and mutual respect.
Staff at Cabin Kids are committed to nurturing children to reach their full potential. To achieve this we have training in paediatric first aid, safeguarding and food nutrition. Our own continued professional development is of upmost importance to ensure that we are always able to deliver the best care possible to your child. We regularly do courses, read articles and attend webinars to ensure our knowledge is up to date. While we all spend time doing activities and monitoring the learning and development of all the children and becoming familiar with your child, we do operate a key person system. The role of the key person is paramount in ensuring that your child feels happy, secure and becomes confident in exploring and trying out new things. A key person helps your baby or child become familiar with the setting and to feel confident within it, by allowing a loving and secure bond to develop and grow. The key person will also be your first point of contact within the setting.
STAFF
Meet The Team
Michelle
I am the owner and manager of Cabin Kids. I am originally from South Africa and I have three lovely daughters. My amazing husband is always indulging my need to make things for the setting, including our amazing new deck and the bigger sandpit he is about to build me. My oldest daughter Jade no longer lives at home but as she is my assistant, I still get to see her everyday. My mom also lives with us and regularly spends time with us and is very involved in the setting. I have been childminding since 1999 when after my move from South Africa I got the opportunity to pursue my passion for working with children. I originally started working my sister and after many years of childminding together she moved away. I needed to make the difficult decision to either stop childminding and pursue a different path or continue and grow the business. I decided on the latter and I am incredibly happy with my choice. My oldest daughter had just finished University and became my first assistant, a direction I had always secretly hoped she would choose. My niece Ashleigh had also just finished university and became a temporary assistant while we looked for a suitable candidate. I was just about to give up hope when I was introduced to Kerryn, a fellow South African, who was new to the country and expecting her first child. She filled in while Ashleigh was on holiday and after she had her lovely daughter and Ashleigh was ready to move on, she became the newest member of our team. The three of us are a great team and work very well together. I currently hold a level 3 Diploma in working with children but would love to further my education so as to continually improve the service I offer to the children and their families. Running the setting and working with the children keeps me busy but it is so rewarding and I could not imagine doing anything else.
Jade
My mom inspired me to pursue a career in childcare. Growing up I would get to watch how she cared for the children and made them feel like a part of her family. She would always strive to find new ways to make every day different and exciting for the children. The older I got the more involved I became in helping my mother to care for the children, in the holidays or after school, and this is where I started to gain knowledge and understanding of what caring for children entails. I realised early on that I would pursue working with children as a career path as I wanted to be able to help a child’s development grow and watch them to become strong and independent. I went to university and gained a 2:1 Batchelors Degree in Child Development and Education. I now use the practical and theoretical knowledge I gained during my studies in the setting that first inspired me. I love that I get to spend my day with the children, watching them grow and helping them reach their early learning milestones. Every day feels like a new challenge working as a childminder because we deal with a broad range of ages and developmental stages. I feel like I am always learning and being inspired by the children and changing my approach to the way I might deal with a situation. I feel like sometimes the children are teaching us just as much as we are teaching them . I also like that I get to use my creative side in setting up role-play and small world activities as well as the displays around the setting. I feel very lucky to be working in a family run business as I get to spend my day working with the person that inspired me to want with to work with children in the first place and we can grow and develop and learn new skills together in order to improve the setting for the best outcome for your children.
Kerryn
Hi! I'm Kerryn Van Niekerk and I was born and raised in South Africa. I am adventurous, outgoing and love all things crafty. When I was a child my mother ran a setting similar to this one. I loved helping out and being a part of it. I took a Gap year before University at a school in the Midlands, where we did lots of different adventure sport activities, such as, sky diving, scuba diving, rock climbing and white water rafting. Apart from that we also worked a lot with the children at the school and took them out on excursions up the mountain and down the river. This is when I made my mind up about what I wanted to do in life. I knew I wanted to work with children and started my studies for just that the following year. Four years later I received my Bachelor of Education Degree in intermediate phase and for the past ten years I have taught many different age groups and worked at a number of different schools. Working with children is hard work, but equally as rewarding. I absolutely love working at Cabin Kids and teaching little ones because, I get to witness children's ''firsts''. These include their first steps, the first time they master an activity, the first time they try something new and the first time they put their trust in you and come to you for comfort, how special is that? I also have a beautiful little girl, that gets to come to work with me every day. I will be forever grateful to have had that opportunity and I cant thank Michelle enough for giving it to me. Both Michelle and Jade have been there for Harper and I from the start and they treat Harper like she is their own (like they do with all the children for that matter). We have all become like family and each and every child that is lucky enough to attend the setting becomes a part of that.