Testimonials

Sara Bright

Early Years Advisor - Bright Learning

"Great to see such wonderful child centred provision in the heart of Bristol. The children were making the most of the sunshine and enjoying a walk in the park. Staff are just so wonderful at following up on the children's interests and having such fun. Great to be with you."

Mary & Momo

Karibu parents

“We don't know where to start or how really to sum up in words our love of our daughter Lila being at Karibu. Lila gets such hands on experiences through lots of free and purposeful play opportunities. We feel 100% certain that Lila is listened to, valued, educated and cared for by a host of highly qualified, experienced, warm, respectful and responsive adults who nurture her and bring out her best. She loves going and we feel her self care skills, her knowledge about the world around her, her independence, her ability to express herself especially through art has been growing over her time there, we simply couldn't be happier. We know what she eats everyday, what she enjoys doing and where she went and whom she played with by the photographic evidence we receive daily and by the feedback we get at the end of the day, as well as term meetings which we look forward to. We know the staff are happy because we feel the vibe. This sense of value extends to us, we the child's parents always feel welcome and that our child is in the very best of hands. We will be sad to see her leave to transfer onto school. A part of us wishes Karibu would become a home schoolers hub too.  Thank you to the whole team! Mary and Momo”

Jess

Karibu parent

"Karibu provides a wonderful home from home learning environment centred on play and exploration. I love that each day is so varied and so much thought goes into the planning of activities - from home cooking, through to gardening, arts and crafts and structured play and activities. The children have a wonderful time indoors and outdoors are able to engage in so many different and wonderful activites. 

Our son has such a great relationships with each of the individual members of staff and feels so secure in approaching them for comfort when needed. Staff know and recognise the needs of our son and this kind of nurturing environment is exactly what we wanted to seek for our son when he is in childcare."

Kate H

Karibu parent

“I have only the highest praise for all of the staff at Karibu and the amazing child centred care they provide. My child has attended since she was 12 months old and she is really happy and settled there. 

They provide regular feedback to us and their general communication with parents goes above and beyond what I've experienced from other childcare settings.”

Lucy

Karibu Parent

Nieve loves it so much! I can’t tell you how much it meant to me going back to work having peace of mind that Nieve was content and in a home away from home.

She’s thrived at Karibu and we’ve been really happy with the high quality care there. All the staff who have looked after her - Matt, Jo, Missy, Kat and Jenny - have been amazing, and made us feel that she’s in excellent hands. We loved the pictures and updates on WhatsApp, and the doorstep chats about her day. It’s such a special environment you’ve created, and we feel so lucky Nieve could experience it for her first few months of nursery life. I’m sure she’s learned loads from the other children there too - they seem like a close knit little group. It’s wonderful that she’s been able to mix with children at different ages and stages too.

I really felt that everyone listened to us and was keen to help encourage Nieve in whatever stage she was at - helping her practice new skills, and adjusting her routine. She’s really had the best start and we can’t thank you enough.

Sue

Karibu Parent

"We love that Gabriel is learning lots of new things at Karibu. There's a big focus on baking, outdoor play and socialising and we really see this at home. Our son's confidence with others and in his own abilities is brilliantly nurtured by the team.

The children go out to explore the lovely green spaces everyday. There's plenty of fun to be had in the garden too with balancing beams, a stage, sandpit and vegetable growing.

There's a clear rhythm to the day of which food / meal times play an important part. The food is all freshly prepared and sometimes the children help cook too.

The nurturing environment is wonderful. We feel as though the Karibu team takes so much pleasure in having our son with them and watching him develop. This combination of commitment, energy, enthusiasm and a genuine delight in the children they look after is hard to find."

Helen

Karibu Parent

"I guess, like many mothers, I feel torn going to work some days, but to know that my daughter has such a happy time at Karibu makes a world of difference to me. She beams when she knows it is a 'Karibu day' and she has grown so much in confidence through the individual attention she receives. I love the fact that I know she is in a happy, warm environment, and taking part in so many fun activities; lots of outdoor play; cooking and adventures. The staff have been very attentive of her needs, and also of our needs, as working parents, with sometimes crazy schedules! And it was probably the highlight of my daughter's 3rd birthday, when Simon made an appearance, on a Sunday afternoon!"

Kate D

Karibu parent

“Our experience of Karibu has been fantastic. We have always felt that Poppy is cared for to a high level. All of the staff have been excellent and we feel that the Karibu environment is a safe and nurturing one. Poppy has always loved going and enjoys her time there. She has made some lovely relationships with the other children and the staff. The mix of different ages has been beneficial as Poppy has learnt how to care for the younger children. We have been impressed with the things she has learnt there, for example recently telling us how she is learning about saving the planet! She has learnt a lot about nature and she loves the regular trips to the cemetery and gardens. It is home from home type environment and we have felt that we have full trust in everything that Karibu provides.”

Jessica

Karibu Parent

"The staff at Karibu are so warm, welcoming and friendly. Highly knowledgeable and skilled in early years and so caring and gentle in their nature and approach that is tailored to the unique needs of every child. 

Our son's progress is documented formally but also on a day to day basis through verbal conversations - time is always made for this, which we really appreciate. Activities and play is structured to the progress and developmental needs of each child. 

Food and snacks are clearly communicated so we know what the children are having week by week which we love. Snacks are healthy and Karibu staff have made great efforts to listen to our preferences. I love the shared breakfast time that the children get together when they plan their day - just a wonderful environment where they all eat together - an extension from what we do at home. We really love and value this. 

Jenny

Karibu Parent

“Flynn joined Karibu in September 2022 after a year at a childminders where he really struggled to settle. Our experience at Karibu has been amazing from the start. Having the staff visit our home in advance and the settling in session were so reassuring and meant that Flynn settled in so quickly and was happy walking in from the first week.

All the staff at Karibu are incredible and all know so much about Flynn and his wants/needs and development. Flynn has developed such a close bond with so many of them and is always talking about them at home and is very excited to see them all again after a holiday! I completely trust everyone who works there and it’s been so refreshing to go to work everyday and know that he is so well cared for.

One of the reasons we were drawn to Karibu was because of the variety of activities they do with the children everyday and Flynn loves going to the woods and vegetable garden regularly. We also really appreciate the communication from Karibu from the daily photo updates to the regular newsletters from Simon. Simon himself has always been so easy to talk to and clearly loved by all the children and staff. He has managed to create a really special, unique environment where the children’s best interests are always front of mind. I can’t express enough the contrast between Karibu and our previous childcare set-up, we couldn’t be happier!”

Cath

Karibu Parent

"Sam has absolutely loved every minute and I get asked most days by him if he is going to Karibu today! Staff have a lovely way with the children and makes them feel very relaxed. I would highlight recommend anyone to use Karibu who wants something slightly different to nursery but still very educational and great experiences at the same time."

Anna

Future Karibu parents

“Thank you so much for showing myself, Fred and E around today - we absolutely loved the attitude and energy of you and your team and we know E would be so lucky and so happy to spend her days at Karibu. It's an incredibly special place that you have created and we were so amazed by the calm and happy atmosphere and it was clear that all the children felt so at home.

Thanks so much again for the tour this morning - we left feeling really excited about E’s potential future, growing and learning in such a happy place!

Hannah

Karibu Parent

“As I know we've mentioned, Mylo has absolutely LOVED everything about Karibu and his time with you has been so so good for his development, so we can't thank you enough for having him. I'm sure you realise, but you really have created a special little place and we'll happily testify to that far and wide.”

Kate R

Karibu Parent

“We have two children at Karibu - our eldest is nearly four and started when he was 14mths, and our youngest is 19mths and started when she was 10mths. Both attend three days a week.

Karibu is wonderful! No other word for it, it is like a family and very much their second home.  Both children are so happy, settled and secure there. The staff are reliable, helpful, kind and knowledgeable.  We have absolute confidence in how our children are cared for and would recommend Karibu to anyone.

Communication with staff is excellent - lots of daily photos which we are able to look at and talk about as a family so we know what the children have been doing as well as the record sheets. The Whatsapp group works really well - we are able to update staff about any changes and this is always read and responded to straight away.  There is also always a handover with staff at drop-off and pick-up and parents are given all the time they need depending on what is going on for their child.

Both children love their frequent trips to 'the forest' as well as the park and the community garden.  Our eldest particularly enjoys the gardening and is proud to tell us what he has planted and how the plants are being cared for.  He has learnt and developed so much over his time at Karibu, he is encouraged to follow his interests, but also gently encouraged with other activities. I feel he is really well prepared for school (although will also be devastated to leave!). We have always liked how the age ranges are mixed - both children have benefitted from this as the 'older' ones and the 'younger' both socially and in terms of language development.  

Simon's management and communication has always been excellent; he is in touch regularly, is very approachable and sends a termly newsletter which is useful.  I would have no hesitation getting in touch with him if ever I needed to. I suspect the low turnover of staff is also a testament to his leadership.”