Hui An

A place like no other. Exceptional

We have been with Little Panda Montessori House, run by Hui An, from 2017 until 2025, and in that time all three of my children have grown up there. It has truly been an extraordinary experience and an extension of our family.

As a new parent with my eldest, Selim, I was guided and supported beyond childcare — the care and understanding I received helped me as much as it helped him. Selim loved it so much he would cry after holidays asking to go back. My second, Amir, full of curiosity, was given daily challenges and responsibilities that gave him purpose and joy. I still remember his first day at school, when he proudly came back to show Hui his uniform. And my youngest, Noora, our family’s princess, was always cherished with tea parties, fancy dresses, and endless encouragement — growing into a confident young girl shaped by Hui’s love and Montessori approach.

Two of my children overlapped there at a time — first Selim and Amir, then Amir and Noora — and the individual care, professionalism, and warmth shown to each of them was remarkable. They have all left happy, confident, and beautifully prepared for their next steps.

What makes Little Panda Montessori House stand out is not only the love and care but the extraordinary standards maintained every single day. The meals were always freshly home-cooked and nutritious, giving the children such a healthy start. The level of cleanliness was consistently spotless, which gave us so much peace of mind as parents. Activities were always carefully planned, with each week mapped out in advance, ensuring variety and balance. New toys and resources were constantly introduced, keeping the children engaged, inspired, and excited to come back each day. Every detail was thought through with professionalism and dedication, creating an environment that was safe, stimulating, and full of joy.

And while Hui herself has always been the consistent, steady heart of the setting, over the years there have been some changes in assistants. Yet every single time, Hui has carefully chosen the right people — those who fit the atmosphere, embraced the Montessori ethos, and genuinely shared her deep love and respect for children. She has never failed to surround the children with staff who were not just capable, but truly passionate and aligned with her values.

This is far more than childcare — it is a place where children are genuinely loved, respected, and supported to flourish. I could not recommend it more highly.

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by Shaimaa on 25/08/2025

Exceptional childminder

Little Panda has been a truly exceptional environment for our children over the years. My eldest son graduated from the setting a few years ago, and now our daughter is thriving in the same nurturing setting. The setting has provided the perfect environment for their growth and development. The home-cooked nutritious meals and personalised staff attention, have been instrumental in shaping their young minds positively. Their activities are very wide ranging and always fun! My daughter is always happy when she comes home from Little Panda and can’t wait to tell us about her day and what she did. We are so pleased to find out about our daughter’s developmental progress in her two year report. We're deeply grateful for the care and education our children have received, and we couldn't imagine a more suitable place for them to flourish. A real hidden gem!

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by Rosa on 24/08/2025

Response by Hui An on 25/08/2025:

Thank you so much for your wonderful review. We still remember when your daughter first started and wasn’t too keen on getting her hands messy — it’s been such a joy watching her grow in confidence, from those first steps to diving into painting, handprints, and messy play. With our home-cooked meals made from scratch and plenty of fun activities, it makes us so happy to see her thriving and coming home with a big smile each day. We’re truly grateful for your trust and for letting us be part of both your children’s journeys.

10/10!

Hui is now looking after our 2nd son and I made sure I was on the waiting list when I was pregnant. We moved 15 miles away since our 1st son but no other childminder or nursery setting even came close to what she offers. We are committed to the travel simply because her setting truly is a unicorn. I am gutted I am not having any more children as it means my journey with Panda will come to an end next year. Hui’s planning on weekly activities and learning is beyond comprehension. My son literally followed the journey of a caterpillar forming into a butterfly when they were learning about his favourite book; The Hungry Caterpillar. My 3 year old is such a happy and confident boy and it’s all thanks to the fun and learning he receives at the setting. The food is incredible too. No sign of bog standard jacket potatoes and beige food. Fantastic exposure to Asian food and different cultures with plenty of fruit and vegetables.

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by Hshire on 24/08/2025

Response by Hui An on 24/08/2025:

Thank you so much for your beautiful words — they truly touched me. It means more than I can say that you’ve stayed with Little Panda, even with the long journey, and I feel so lucky to have cared for both of your boys. Watching them grow into such happy, confident little people has been the greatest joy. I’m so grateful for the trust you’ve placed in me, and I feel truly blessed to be part of your family’s journey. 💛

Without a doubt!

Without a doubt - my second child also joined Huis setting. She started at just before turning 1 and she has thrived so much since starting at Huis. Hui is an amazing caregiver, nurturing and giving my children the best life experiences in her beautiful, clean and adventurous setting.

They are taught invaluable life skills such as following the birds hatching and learn about caring for the chicks, also not to mention the amazing harvest of larvae and watching them turn into butterflies, setting them free in the nature!

My children look forward to their days at Huis as she provide a home away from home. She teaches them manners and good behaviors and for this my children often gets complimented and I know a big part is contributed by her. I feel so fortunate to have found this setting and so glad they both got to experience Hui’s wonderful setting.

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by Lululime on 23/08/2025

Response by Hui An on 24/08/2025:

Thank you so much for your kind words. It’s been such a joy to watch your little ones grow, explore, and thrive here at Little Panda. I’m delighted they feel at home and enjoy the experiences we share together. Creating a nurturing, safe, and inspiring environment for children to learn and flourish is truly a privilege, and I feel very fortunate to be part of their journey. 💛

Beyond all expectations - Fantastic

We have been fortunate to have our two daughters attend Little Panda's for the past 4 years, and I can’t express enough how fantastic our experience has been. From the moment we first attended an open session we just got a sense of what was being offered here compared to other settings.

To put things into context we left Barnet in 2021 but despite a 30 minute commune we have continued to take our children to this setting until they left in the autumn to attend school. Both our girls still speak fondly of Hui An and Little Panda and only this past week we took them to visit because they had been asking. Little did we know but Hui An had arranged for the children to make a birthday cake for one of our daughters who had a recent birthday and they celebrated together. It is little things like this that occurred frequently throughout the years with such regularity that really made us realise how special the setting was.

We did have our children in another nursery setting for two days a week closer to our home and the contrast between the two was enormous. What I have noticed is that it is the people that make a setting. The thing you can guarantee with Little Pandas is that what makes it special is Hui An and she is always going to be there.

I believe the setting has prepared our daughters for school very well. Both are doing really well in their schools and have adopted the change in settings without any problems. Our daughters have thrived under their care, developing both academically and socially.

The curriculum is well-rounded and thoughtfully designed, incorporating play-based learning that keeps the children excited and engaged. We’ve seen our daughters grow in creativity, critical thinking, and confidence. The variety of activities, from art and music to outdoor play, ensures that they are stimulated and happy every day. The inclusion of growing plants in the garden, playing with the animals and regular cooking is just a step above what I have seen elsewhere. The summer garden play just seems remarkable with water play, splash pools, slides and sprinklers. I don't know where else you can find this level of enjoyment for the children in a nursery setting.

Communication has also been a highlight of our experience. The nursery provides daily updates on our daughters’ progress, and the open-door policy made it easy for us to connect with the staff whenever we had questions.

In summary, we couldn’t have asked for a better environment for our daughters during these formative years. We are incredibly grateful for everything they’ve done for our family! I am so happy with what Hui An has done for us i'd be happy to speak to anyone considering sending their children here.

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by Maheen on 02/11/2024

We are so lucky to find her!!

Our son has been going to Hui since he was less than one year old and now he is going to school. Hui is so organised and has prepared my son very well for school. My son has learned so much from her setting such as phonics, numbers and even simple maths. Apart from teaching, she also pays lots of attention on establishing the basic skills for kids (my son is our little helper when we cook dinner now!). My son also loves to go to her. We feel it’s a very positive and friendly environment for kids to grow and flourish. The communication is very good, we receive lots of photos and updates everyday, which make us feel that we are not missing too much of all those little moments of my son. Thank you so much Hui for all the help that you provide us along the journey. We will certainly be back as we are not ready to say goodbye yet!!

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by Fen on 05/08/2024

Exceed my expectation of childminding

My DD has been with Hui for more than a year and no words can tell how happy I am with the choice of childcare for my child. I agree with all the reviews said about Hui. She exceeded my expectation of childminding with very brilliant planned early years education week for week in a clean setting with childfriendly pets! Her setting is just amazing to encourage independence (montessori practice), safe and plenty of stuff to keep the children occupied. My DD has thrived aboved expectation as well as enforcing good manners thanks to this place! Hui is very experienced and helpful, providing very useful guidance on how to support good behaviours and other useful parenting tips. She keeps you well informed of your child throughout the day with messages and photos.
I love that this setting celebrates all special holidays such as ramadan/easter/christmas/chinese new year etc teaching the children everything about those special days. They also bake/cook together from time to time!
I would strongly recommend Hui to anyone looking for an amazing childminder!

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by Lululime on 26/03/2024

Excellent

My son has been going to Hui's setting for about 2 months now and already I can see how well he is developing. He learns so much each day he goes and I'm so happy I chose Hui An for my son. There are so many things for the children to do and I love that each week has a specific focus. Greatly appreciate the hard work that Hui An and her lovely assistant do. Thank you!

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by Mojgan on 02/03/2023

Could not ask for more.

Little Panda Childminder is the most caring and loving environment I could ever imagine. My DD is thriving since joining in. Her language and interpersonal skills has blossomed. She is always super excited about going in. She learns so much every day. Hui and team are kind, gentle, professional and positive. Just the best!! I would recommend to any parent that is worried about their little ones settling in. Lovely, colourful, warm setting and super accommodating Childminders. Feels like second home. I could not recommend enough.

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by Danuta on 01/11/2022

Excellent little panda 🐼

My son Austin started to come to little panda from September this year. From the first day until now he has never cried not to come to little panda which is a great signal for us. Both my husband and I are so happy to make this right decision. We speak Chinese at home, and hoped that he can grow up in a bilingual language environment which made Little Panda perfect for us.

Hui and Debbie are very thoughtful teachers who put a lot of thought into how they present the material. Everyday activities were engaging, useful, they’re very patient with everyone in the group, always encouraging them to try.

Actually Hui is the most experienced child minder I’ve ever met. She is also very happy to help and guide us with any parenting problems. Hui also recommends some very practical and useful information and training lesson that is very helpful.

Despite having to drive two hours a day to Little Panda, we thought it was very much worth it. I would highly recommend Little Panda to anyone interested.

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by Jade on 30/10/2022