I was very anxious about leaving my son with a child minder as I did not trust anyone enough to leave my child with them in such a private setting. As I have two children now (my daughter has just turned 5), due to financial circumstances I was unable to place him in a nursery so I had no choice but to opt for a child minder. When I came across the childcare website it became quite clear very quickly, who was in this profession for a bit of extra cash and who was in this profession because of their passion and love for children. I came across Sufia’s page and saw page upon page of positive reviews and thought “I have to meet this lady”- surely all these people would not have taken the time out to write such positive and lengthy feedback if she wasn’t indeed outstanding.

When I arranged to meet Sufia we were greeted by all her family which I was very impressed with. They were all friendly and showed a keen interest in Yusuf and my family as well as our needs and background. It was clear to me that this was not just a “child care business”; it was a loving family home where all members share a genuine interest in the children and work together to provide a safe, fun, happy learning environment. Sufia’s home is warm, inviting, clean and very cosy, well equipped with educational toys, books etc. I asked Sufia a long list of questions which she answered happily and with confidence. I could sense that she takes her work very seriously. When she said “all I know is my children come here and they are happy-some even want to come at the weekend”. This is what made me think, there is something about this lady that is special. Why would all these kids want to come and spend time with her at the weekend? On the drive home it was clear to us that we would leave Yusuf In the care of Sufia.

Yusuf has been with Sufia since the age of 11 months. He is now about to turn two and I have never been so at ease. He is always well fed (fresh home cooked food); content and I can see he is well cared for. He too screams “aunty aunty” even at the weekends which makes me laugh and when he does this it reminds me of when I first met Sufia. He recognises aunty’s house and runs in with enthusiasm which is such a joy to see. As soon as he realises we are outside aunty’s house he seems excited and his eyes light up when he sees Sufia come to the door. It is clear they have a loving bond. Yusuf plays confidently with children of all ages and has developed very well verbally. I have noticed that he enjoys drawing which is a skill he has picked up with Sufia and has started sharing toys with his sister and cousins. Yusuf settled in straight away with Sufia and I think this was because of her caring and motherly nature. She is always there to provide good advice and is genuinely a very generous and loving person. Come 6pm I pick Yusuf up and the house is smelling of fresh cooked food for the children-many times Sufia has packed me a little box :)

Aside from taking care of Yusuf, Sufia has also become more of a friend to me rather than my son’s child minder. I had only known Sufia for 4 weeks when Yusuf first started in June 2014. My childhood friend passed away in July 2014 and Sufia took care of Yusuf at extremely short notice. I was a bit nervous about leaving him as I had literally told her that morning and had not known her that long so I hoped she would not mind, but Sufia did not complain. I would never forget her big hug that morning when I was so upset. She has always been so helpful and caring towards me and my family. I remember when I picked up Yusuf at 6.30pm that day; she refused to take payment from me and said “I did it for your friend”. Sufia has a wonderful character and is a kind hearted individual. There have been other occasions where I have had to work late and Sufia has always helped me out and looked after Yusuf- even at short notice. Aside from being Yusuf’s childminder Sufia is one of those people who is just happy to help. This is someone who genuinely loves working with children and treats them like they are her own. If you have stumbled across this page on the child care website- you’re lucky. Your search stops here!

I was never enthusiastic about putting my children with a child minder but I am so lucky and blessed to have found Sufia. I wish we would have found her earlier, and then I would certainly not have placed my daughter in nursery! When my son has his 15 free hours at nursery I plan to continue to put him in Sufia’s care for half a day as he loves her so much and we do not want to lose touch with her or her lovely family. Truly blessed to have found someone who i trust as a member of my own family. Thank you Sufia.