Yanka's 5 Star Reviews
Childminder
5 out of 5
Parents say
This childminder is highly praised for creating a nurturing, organised environment where children thrive. Parents appreciate the daily updates, nutritious meals, and varied activities including outings. The childminder and her team are described as kind, patient, and dependable, fostering children's confidence and social skills. Many reviewers express gratitude for the exceptional care provided.
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Below are the 5 star reviews for Yanka. Please note that reviews represent the subjective opinions of other Childcare.co.uk members and not of Childcare.co.uk. Parents must carry out their own checks and references on childcare providers to ensure that they are completely happy before enaging in the use of their services.
We were incredibly lucky to have Yanka as our childminder for our two boys over the past five years. She is kind, loving, and exceptionally organised — everything you could hope for in someone caring for your children. Yanka created a warm, nurturing environment where our boys thrived, and we always felt they were in safe, capable hands. We would wholeheartedly recommend her to any family.
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Gail
on 07/10/2025
If you are looking for a childminder in the area then there’s no better than Yanka! From our first visit we were impressed by her approach with children and how our daughter took to her.
We were so very lucky to have found her and over the 2 years our daughter was there she really thrived in her care. She created a fantastic space for children to create, explore and learn.
Yanka has a very calm and patient demeanour and which helped our daughter settle in quickly. She treats each child as an individual and builds a mutual bond with them.
We received daily updates with details and photos of the children’s activities something that we will miss a lot and always looked forward to.
The home-cooked meals are nutritious and varied, and our child often eats things for her that they wouldn't at home.
Our child does something new and exciting every day, from sensory play and messy crafts to trips to the local park, library, and toddler play groups.
I would not hesitate to recommend Yanka and her team!
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JessF
on 03/10/2025
Our son absolutely loved his time with Yanka and her wonderful team. From the very beginning, they were always so friendly, loving, and nurturing. We couldn’t have asked for a better environment for him to grow, learn, and feel cared for.
Now that he has moved on to “big school,” he still talks about Yanka and the team with so much joy and affection — which really says it all. We feel unbelievably lucky to have had these precious years with them, giving our son the best possible start in life. We will always be grateful for the warmth, kindness, and dedication they gave every single day. Highly recommended!
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Irina
on 27/09/2025
We feel so incredibly lucky to have found Yanka and her team. Our daughter spent three wonderful years with them, starting as a baby and staying right up until she left for “big school.” From the very first day (when we were sooo nervous to hand her over as new parents) it quickly became clear that Yanka’s was a true home away from home.
The love, care, and attention given to every child is beyond compare. Our daughter was nurtured as an individual, never forced into a one-size-fits-all routine, and instead supported in a way that let her thrive. She ate healthy home-cooked meals, went on countless little adventures to parks, playgroups, and the library, and learned so much — from good manners and tidying up, to toilet training, to building the confidence she carries with her now.
The environment Yanka and her assistants create is warm, reliable, and filled with kindness. They are also incredibly dependable and consistent — something that can be surprisingly hard to find — and we had complete peace of mind every day.
We really valued the daily updates and photos, which gave us such reassurance and a lovely window into her day. It was obvious how much thought and care goes into every detail of the children’s time.
Our daughter has now moved on to “big school,” but she still talks about Yanka and team so much, and often asks to stop by her house for a big hug or a play. That says everything! We couldn’t have asked for a better start in life for her, and we feel unbelievably lucky to have had these years with Yanka and her wonderful team. Without hesitation, we will entrust them with our second baby too.
Please feel free to reach out to me directly with any questions. If you are lucky enough to get a space at Yanka’s, your child will be in the absolute best hands!!
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Lauren25
on 26/09/2025
I'm not sure I can put into words how lucky we were to find Yanka and her two lovely assistants! As soon as I met her, I knew I could trust her with my little one who was 11 months at the time. 2 and a half years later, we had to say goodbye and it honestly felt like we were saying bye to family members.
The care they give is exceptional - yanka provides a true home from home and our daughter absolutely loved her "yanka days" as she called them. There's enough children to make friends with and socialise with without it being overwhelming and we loved that they made use of the local area - parks, library visits, play groups and fountains in the summer.
I cannot recommend this setting enough and will always be grateful for yankas care.
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Maz1987
on 14/10/2024
Yanka’s house (as my son would call it) was a warm and stable part of our lives for 2 years. After a false start at another setting, Yanka was such a find as her calm confidence and kind manner helped my son to settle and us to feel confident he was in safe hands. The home is clean and well-organised, with loads of resources on rotation and a child-friendly garden. Yanka and her assistants caring and quite sweet to do things like decorating the front door for various holidays and celebrating the children’s birthdays. They make good use of the local amenities like library, playgroups and park, going out every day except when really bad weather. The children are encouraged to dress themselves to go out and eat well at the table. Yanka’s encouragement in toilet training was also invaluable! Now my son has moved on up to pre-school and has taken to it with such confidence, thanks in large part to the fact experience at Yanka’s house. Very much recommended
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SophieK
on 12/10/2024
I feel I could write a book as to why Yanka is so fantastic. She is a lovely, fun, caring & warm person who is very passionate about her career. Her home is very clean & organised, there is an enormous amount of resources on rotation so the kids are always learning new things. She takes them to playgroups, parks & library so kids build their confidence in being in new surroundings. They also learn how to get themselves ready to leave the house to go out for the morning. She plays games and activities where they properly interact with each other and learn to respect each other. We always got daily photos and a log book of what she ate, which was always delicious healthy home cooked meals. As she has two lovely assistants, they can care for more children which allows more interaction but its not as overwhelming as nursery. My daughters confidence, manners and great eating habits are all thanks to Yanka and her team.
My daughter was just 8 months old when i had to leave her with someone for the first time, and we don't have family near so she had mostly been with me. Yanka's confidence, assertiveness & reassurance made every drop off easy, I never worried about my daughter when she was in Yanka's care. Now my daughter has moved to a big nursery and is absolutely thriving due to Yanka providing such a fun experience & helping my daughter to grow & feel confident in herself.
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nicola
on 18/01/2024
I can’t recommend Yanka highly enough. She’s been a wonderful childminder to our lovely little lad since he turned 10 months.
She has far exceeded our expectations as a childminder. He has thrived in her care, he gets the best experiences with her whether at playgroups, park or fountains or at mrs h's band. She is hot on manners, tidying up and most importantly dancing! She provides wonderful food and has him trying a wide range of foods and snacks.
We received daily photo dumps that brighten up our days in work. Something that we weren't expecting but it has been priceless.
We have only left Yanka as we moved out of Walthamstow but we know we won't find another childminder as good as her.
Yanka is truly amazing and she does go above and beyond to help parents as well as providing great care for all her children.
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stephs
on 29/08/2023
Yanka has been in our lives for the last 6 years, first looking after my son when he was 6 months old until he was 4, then looking after my daughter when she was 7 months old until she was 3.5 yo.
Her home is very well-organised, comfortable and clean. She has lots of toys and activities for children of all ages. When my children were getting ready for pre-school, she started giving them resources to learn to write, recognise letters and numbers, etc. She organises a lot of craft activities, motor skills activities, etc. She takes them to local playgroups and to different parks when the weather allows it. They have learned so much from her.
The food she’s providing is healthy and varied. I think my children eat more healthily at her house than mine!
Her communication with us has always been really good: taking the time at the end of the day to tell us how it went, giving us advice, but also sending pictures almost every day so that we could see what they were doing.
The children have developed a strong relationship with her: she is very caring, yet firm when their behaviour is not acceptable. She works with 2 assistants with little turnover, so that the children can also develop strong relationships with them. She has quite a busy setting, with children of all ages, which is great to develop their social skills. They grow with older children to show them the way and then can play with the younger ones too. My children have built really nice friendships with other children in her setting.
As we’re coming to the end of our time with her, sadly, I can only recommend her to parents who are looking for an amazing childminder!
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Cat
on 17/07/2023
Yanka has been an absolutely wonderful child minder for my daughter who joined aged 1. From the outset she has been so kind, warm and welcoming. It has been delightful, a positive experience - not the stressful thing you hear from many people sending their child off for the first time.
The settling in process was short and effective. Our daughter had no trouble losing herself in play with the other children who all welcomed her with unreserved positivity and generosity. Nearly every single day our daughter has been really happy and excited to go to Yanka's, and is always in a good mood and chirpy at the end of the day.
Yanka creates a wonderful experience for the children, taking them out and about to parks and playgroups almost every single day. In the recent cold snap where this was not possible she has done great creative activities at home - doing drawings, paintings, collage and even baking a cake. She cooks fresh food every day and is sensitive to my child's egg allergy.
My daughter only seems to come home with good habits, learning phrases such as 'tidy up' aged 16 months! Yanka has also been really great with sleep, something my daughter has struggled with, settling her into a nap routing really well. She now sleeps more happily on her mattress at home, putting herself down for bedtime. She has learned sharing and other social skills at Yanka's, and the other children seem similarly equally helped by the positive and caring environment.
Yanka's flexibility and communication are great, updating during the day and with a summary report the end of each day. Yanka has always been able to observe and encourage positive progress in learning and development, and adapted her activities to encourage our daughter and the other children. She has kept us informed when children have been ill and what symptoms to look out for, with a clear and fair policy for sickness.
Overall we are incredibly grateful to Yanka and her team for the impeccable work they have done and for the invaluable role they have played in supporting our daughter. We think any parent who is considering leaving their child in her care can do so with total confidence that they will get the same terrific experience that we have had.
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R Mutt
on 28/12/2022
After an extensive childminder search I was so fortunate to find yanka who was recommended to me by another childminder. After visiting her home and meeting yanka I felt at ease and knew she was the right choice.
My daughter adores yanka and her assistants and loves going there. Highlights are daily outings to parks, play centres libraries etc, home cooked food, arts & crafts, cooking and daily photos at lunchtime to see what they have been up to.
Yanka is kind and loving like another mother to the children. She is super organised and completely reliable, she’s never been sick! 2 years on and my daughter’s transition to nursery has been easy because of the nurture she received. We will still be using yanka for ad hoc babysitting as my daughter always asks for her 😊
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Sarah
on 16/09/2022
Our daughter has been always with Yanka for 2 years and she has provided her with exceptional care and took away any worries that I had about leaving her. This has been proved by our daughter's excitement about going to Yanka's each morning and the hugs she gives her every day.
Yanka takes the children out each morning to visit a local park, the fountains in the summer, the library or a playgroup which has been great and means the children get to run around each day and explore Walthamstow. Yanka offer a range of food options and can accommodate dietary requirements. We get photos each day around lunchtime and because of the smaller setting we can speak for as long as we need each morning or evening about how the day has gone.
But the most important thing is the love and care that she really feels for our and all the children she's looking after. Yanka always goes the extra miles thinking of new activities for the children and always throws the children a little party on their birthday with a cake and a present.
As a parent you're looking for someone who will care for your child as attentively and thoughtfully as you would, with Yanka we got that and more - I cannot recommend her enough.
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Alastair
on 16/09/2022
I cannot recommend Yanka and her team highly enough. Our daughter started going to her 2 years ago, and as a nervous mother, Yanka has provided not only the best care to my daughter, but also huge reassurance to me that she was being looked after in the best possible environment.
Yanka has fantastic communication skills and I receive daily photo updates (during the day) as well as a full breakdown of her day upon collecting her. Yanka always makes time to talk about anything important (any issues or particular highlights), which helped us to talk to our daughter at the end of her day and bridge the gap between both home and childcare settings.
Almost every day, she brings the children outside to a park, playground or other activity. My daughter has seen more of Walthamstow than I have! All the activities are age approporiate and very creative. She also has a huge selection of (fun and educational) toys in her house and we receive lots of arts and crafts projects - which are often related to different seasonal events, which the children learn about too.
Yanka's home is incredibly clean, tidy and well organised. Given the nature of her job and the amount of children being looked after - I am not sure how she does it! She has never lost or misplaced any clothing of my daughters, which I hear is common in other setttings, and if we need to bring in replacement clothes, creams, nappies etc, it is always communicated to us clearly.
Yanka must be a fantastic chef because our daughter eats a very varied diet with her, lots of fish, vegetables, lentils, beans and soups - all homemade. On the rare occasion my daughter refuses something, we are told so. It has been really helpful to us, because we know what she will eat and when she is just being fussy.
Last year, Yanka initiated potty training and gave us huge support to continue it at home. Our daughter became trained very quickly (relatively early) and with few tantrums. This is all due to the environment Yanka provides, which is full of love and encouragment.
Every morning, our daughter (and the other children arriving) will happily greet Yanka, because they know they are going to their second home environment where they are treated with love, care and respect.
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Anna Mon
on 28/02/2022
Our daughter started with Yanka at the age of 10 months and has now been with her for over two years. They have the loveliest bond and we are so happy that Yanka has been such a huge part of our daughter’s early life.
We cannot recommend Yanka more highly – she is caring, kind, gentle, fun and has endless amounts of energy and enthusiasm for the children who clearly love her dearly. We are always so impressed with the varied fun activities she arranges for the children every day which focus on different aspects of their development through play. She also takes the children out every morning whether to a playgroup (before COVID) or to the local parks and playgrounds. The children all play so well together and have made lovely friendships which is a testament to the happy and caring environment they are in.
Yanka is also a wonderful chef, making delicious and really healthy home-cooked meals. There is so much variety and our daughter happily reels off all the vegetables she has eaten at Yanka’s which amazes us as parents!
Yanka is one of the hardest working people we know and incredibly reliable (she has never had a day off sick since we have been with her). She is also supported by excellent assistants who share Yanka’s dedication and pride in nurturing every child in her care. We get excellent, regular communication from Yanka about what our daughter has been up to during the day.
We are very grateful for all the love and care Yanka has given our daughter over the last few years and could not recommend her and her childcare setting more highly.
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MSeberog
on 15/12/2021
Yanka has looked after my since he was about 15 months old, time has now come for my son to start reception and he for one keeps saying i miss Yanka and i want only Yanka to pick me up from school.
Yanka has had a very big hand in shaping our son into the bright, independent young man that he is today.
I can not recommend Yanka enough. Form the moment my partner and I met with Yanka my gut told me she was the one that i could trust to look after son. So we took the plunge. Best decision we made.
Who ever reads this please do not believe what i say, because my partner, my son and I want a spot to be come available so we can continue to ask Yanka to look after our son, safe in the knowledge that he is being looked after and cared for by someone who we can only call family, because calling her anything else will be a lack of respect.
Honestly, Yanka is very good at a her jobs and i would highly recommend her.
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Adamsdad
on 10/09/2019
