When my daughter turned one I needed to find a childminder to look after her just one day a week. Samiya was the only childminder I contacted who recognised that sometimes parents have childcare needs that do not fit in with the norm of two-five days. Her flexibility was much appreciated. Similarly, when my daughter proved a challenge to 'settle in', Samiya was both patient and unfazed which in turn made me a bit calmer about the whole process of leaving her. And as it turns out, Samiya was absolutely right to be confident that my daughter would settle in just fine given a bit of time - it only took a few weeks before she wasn't even turning back to say goodbye to my partner in the mornings.

Samiya creates a fun learning environment, full of noise, chatter and stimulation and as such my daughter is excited to return to see her every week. In addition Samiya appears to be terribly perceptive when it comes to each child's separate needs and quirks and doesn't treat the children she looks after as an homogenous mass.

Nina, Samiya's assistant, is an added bonus - she has a lovely gentle way with children and my daughter adores her too. We spend much of the week talking about Samiya and Nina with my daughter counting down the days until her next visit!

I can't recommend them both highly enough.