My daughter has been coming to Mali's since she was a baby and is now about to graduate to Kindergarten. My son also started here when he was 4 months and his big sister was very proud to be able to show him around. We've had a wonderful experience here. Mali loves the kids, and they love her back. The location is outstanding - a quiet residential street and with a large shaded yard for the kids to play in and ride tricycles around. Parking is easy for drop offs and pickups. All meals are provided, and they are freshly cooked, delicious and nutritious. My kids have been introduced to a diverse range of foods and flavors.

I have had two sons at Thumbling and our family has had a total of 6 years with Mali's care. Our boys love Mali's peaceful, spacious backyard as a focal point for so much imagination and creative play (our eldest, now entering first grade, asks frequently to return for visits). Mali makes a point of cooking diverse and fresh food, which has helped expand the tastes of both of our children. Mali has built a close knit community in the neighborhood and among the families, and we feel lucky to have become close with friends and neighbors through our time at Thumbling.

Our son, who is almost 4, has been at Thumbling Childcare for two and a half years and last year, our younger son (now 15 months) joined too. Every day, both our boys eagerly looks forward to seeing their friends and the amazing activities planned. Mali has created a wonderful environment where children of all ages support and learn from one another. The atmosphere is always filled with laughter and joy, a testament to the nurturing community Mali has built. The care and dedication Mali shows the kids and their families is above and beyond. Mali provides healthy home-cooked meals for the children every day, which are absolutely delicious. This saves us a lot of effort and time in our weekly routine and has helped introduce our kids to diverse and nutritious foods. Mali has also been very accomodating of our kids vegetarian diet and allergies and has gone out of her way to cook them separate, but equally tasty meals. She has also helped us navigate many early-year milestones, such as transitioning from breast- to bottlefeeding, changing nap schedules, and potty training. These are all things that can feel very stressful. Thanks to Mali, however, it has all been a breeze! As expats with no family in the Bay Area, it has been incredibly important to us to have our boys in such a personal, safe and loving environment. Mali’s house with the beautiful garden and play area and fun-filled play room has really become like a second home to our children. We wholeheartedly recommend Thumbling Child Care to any parent seeking a nurturing, reliable, and enriching daycare experience!

My 20 month old son has been at Thumbling Child Care since he was four months old, and we feel so lucky to have found such an incredible daycare. He is always so excited when I drop him off to see his friends. Mali fosters the most incredible community among the children in her care. The older children look out for the younger children, and the younger children are so excited to learn from the older children. Every time I drop off or pick up my son, all of the children are happy and playful. They are truly a sweet and mature group, which is something Mali has mastered. As a busy surgeon, I truly appreciate that I do not need to send my son with meals and snacks to daycare. Every morning when I drop him off Mali has her kitchen full of fresh vegetables and fruits staged for the day as she makes fresh home cooked meals for the children every day. My son LOVES her cooking and it is all so healthy - kale, eggplant, okra, chickpea, etc. which gives me such peace of mind knowing he is being exposed to a wide variety of healthy foods. Mali is also highly dependable and provides ample notification prior to any closures, which minimizes how often we need to find alternate care for our son. Lastly, I know that Mali truly loves my son. When my son was sick and home from daycare, she dropped by during the weekend to check on him, and brought him several home cooked dishes of his favorite foods. My son was elated to see her when she came to visit. It gives me such joy knowing he is in a loving and nurturing environment while my husband and I are working. I would highly recommend Thumbling Child Care!!

Our daughter (almost 4) has been at Thumbling Childcare center for three years and LOVES it! A couple of kids are graduating to kindergarten this year so there is space available which rarely happens. Mali is a wonderful and loving caregiver with a spotless home, a lush and secure park-like back and front garden, and decades of experience caring for children from infant to 5 years old. Thumbling is located on Stanford Ave, which is incredibly convenient if you live/work on campus or in Palo Alto. All of the food is homemade and delicious. She has space and activities for babies and big kids. She works on numbers and letters with the big kids, reads, sings, sets up art projects, goes on outings to nearby Peers Park, and truly feels like an extension of our family. Mali creates the conditions for child-led play to occur naturally. The kids are never bored and develop their own strong bonds with one another as they practice and learn autonomy and community in a safe and loving space. Mali even hosts a graduation party with a home cooked feast for the whole childcare community in August that is really special. If you're looking for childcare in the Stanford area we highly recommend Thumbling and Mali Chekeni!

We are so thankful we found Thumbling last year. Our daughter has been attending for six months (since she was 13 months old), and she has thrived under Mali's care. She loves going to school in the morning and is bubbling with excitement when we pick her up. Mali provides a wonderful mix of activities including outdoor play in the lovely garden, reading, singing, building, crafts, games, and other opportunities for learning and discovery. She is an excellent cook and involves the children in many aspects of the food preparation. We also love that our daughter is able to socialize with and learn from a small group of kids of different ages. And the community at Thumbling is very welcoming. Mali brings us true joy every day in the way she cares for our daughter and supports our family.

Our daughter has been coming here for about a year and a half. She's been super happy. Mali really loves all the kids. It feels more like dropping her off with grandma and the cousins rather than a school. The comparison holds up at meals times too, with lots of delicious and healthy home made meals. And 'cooking lessons' everyday. Mali also teaches lots of good habits like tidying up and saying please and thank you younger than I would have thought possible. The daycare also stayed open during lockdown which was amazing and the kids have been really healthy. I think my daughter had one mild cold in the last 18 months - impressive for a toddler!

Our older son has been attending Thumbling for three years (since he was 13 weeks old), and every day he comes home happy and excited to tell us about his daily adventures. Our younger son (one year old) will be joining him there soon, and we are so grateful that the boys will be able to spend their days together. Born and raised in Palo Alto, it was important to me to find a care situation that felt like home for my boys, and Mali and Ahmad have become like family to us. We feel extremely lucky that Thumbling was able to stay open during the pandemic year: to have such a wonderful play space with a small group of children of various ages to play with -- incredibly the kids haven't even had so much as the sniffles in the last year. Our eldest son consistently tells us he "misses Mali's food" on weekends. She encourages the children to interact and play, so every experience is a chance to learn -- from cooking "classes" helping prepare diverse cuisines and dishes for lunch, to exploring the plants in the backyard, to song time and arts/crafts. My son comes home excited to share new knowledge about eggplant, okra, new songs he's learned and so much more. Thumbling is a neighborhood gem. Mali is a natural teacher and leader, and truly loves what she does. She gives children the space to learn for themselves, and finds so much joy in their energy and explorations that they naturally bask in and grow under her affection and care.

We felt lucky when we were able to enroll our son in Thumbling Child Care last year and we feel even more lucky that Mail and Ahmad have been able to stay open during this time. Our son loves attending and he is so excited to be there, he doesn't even bother to wave goodbye when he's dropped off in the morning. We can tell he is learning so much and we love the fact that he is able to socialize with a small group of children in a diverse age range. We are blessed to have him with Mali and Ahmad.

Finding Mali and Ahmad to care for and guide my children through early development has been a true blessing! My oldest son, now 5 years old and in kindergarten, was there for 3 years and my younger son, now 3 years old, has been there since 6 months of age. Mali and Ahmad have effectively helped my children develop the skills they need to succeed. For example, my son Raymond was high-energy and often exhausting for me when he was a toddler; through Mali and Ahmad’s teaching, he learned how to utilize healthy outlets, such as drawing and building, to release some of his “steam.” Mali spent countless hours redirecting his behavior and never gave up on helping him become his best self. I really think he couldn’t have been better prepared for kindergarten than through the deep nurturing he had at Thumbling. In fact, now other parents and teachers regularly tell me how mature and helpful my 5 year old is! Another distinction is how impressive my boys’ diet is (they enjoy vegetables!), how familiar they are with all kinds of produce and their appreciation of homemade foods, and how well they play with other kids of all ages. I attribute so much of these positive behaviors in my children to the thoughtful and wholesome environment of Thumbling Childcare. Mali also potty-trained both of my boys! It is clear that Mali and Ahmad find working with kids rewarding, and and that they appreciate and look forward to the love that comes back to them; my kids included, I have never seen a child that doesn’t love mali and Ahmad right back! The kids here are always so happy and feel so at ease like it’s a second home - all while getting the attention and support they need to grow and learn. This is truly no ordinary childcare service, yet one that I am more than proud to be a part of.

Our son was 8 months old when he started attending Thumbling full time, and he was there for 5 years before starting kindergarten at Ohlone. Our daughter was 5 months old when she joined her brother at Thumbling. So Mali and Ahmad have been part of our family for 7 years now. We have had complete peace of mind with our kids in their care. They have thrived in the loving and nurturing environment at Thumbling, where they are happy to play with their friends and express their creativity. The nutrition is excellent and they have stayed very healthy. Our son was well prepared socially and emotionally for kindergarten, and we see that our daughter is learning her numbers and letters and getting ready for school too.

We are the parents of a two-year old boy, Liam, who started attending Thumbling Child Care since he was only two months old. We were referred to this childcare by Winnie, and we would like you to know that we are thankful for this referral. Mali informed us right away of the biting incident that caused the childcare to be placed under probation. We could not be happier to see our son growing up with self-confidence, learning a lot through planned and unplanned activities, and socializing with the other children in the group. We witness many happy faces on a daily basis at Thumbling Child Care and strongly recommend this place.