As well as their professional qualifications, every member of our nursery team is qualified in safeguarding, paediatric first aid, as well as food hygiene and allergy awareness. These are our mandatory courses that staff undertake regularly, alongside this staff also undertake other training courses that are not only beneficial to the nursery and the children we care for but also for their professional development. As you would expect, all staff are DBS checked prior to employment commencing.
Molly returns as our temporary Manager at York before moving across to Boroughbridge in 2025.
* ElkLan Trained
Vicky joined the Tiddlywinks team as a nursery practitioner in February 2005, straight from college after completing her Level 3 CACHE Diploma in Childcare and Education.
Vicky has worked in all rooms in the nursery and is now the nursery SENCo (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) as well as a room leader and assistant manager.
Vicky is a mum of two and this, along with her 18 years’ experience in childcare, has made her passionate about special educational needs and ensuring every child gets the same experience from early years education. Vicky brings laughter, enthusiasm and dedication to the setting, as well as supporting both parents and staff.
Lucy joined Tiddlywinks in August 2006 after qualifying as a teacher, she has a vast knowledge of all areas of the EYFS curriculum. and ensures that all of our provision is of the highest standard.
Lucy ensures that all of our provision is of the highest standard, relevant and pertinent to each age group and child. Lucy works across all ages as the educational lead. She ensures all the Tiddlywinks team are knowledgeable and proficient at delivering child led learning. Lucy also supports the management team in the day to day running of the nursery. In her spare time, Lucy enjoys spending time with her two children, reading and dog walks.
Sue joined the team in October 2007, and oversees the creation of the exciting, varied and nutritious meals and menus for the children.
Sue’s delicious food encourages the children to try a variety of tastes and textures, Our menus include foods from many different cultures which ensures that the breadth and variety of whats on offer is not compromised. Sue is responsible for the catering staff in our nurseries and ensures quality and consistency is maintained as well as ensuring that our seasonal menus are nutritionally balanced and have variety. On the days that Sue doesn’t have her catering managers hat on she will be found in the nursery kitchen preparing fresh produce for lunch, tea and snacks for the children to enjoy, Sue also likes to get involved in baking and food preparation activities with the children helping them to understand food and where it comes from. Sues kitchen has also continuously received a 5 star hygiene rating . She has an excellent relationship with the children, families and staff, who are always keen to try her new recipes. In her spare time, Sue continues to enjoy baking and trying out new recipes, as well as country walks, holidays in the sunshine and spending time with her grandchildren.
Lauren has many years of childcare experience. Before she joined the Tiddlywinks team in 2016, she worked as a nanny in London for two years.
Lauren is passionate about her role as our baby room supervisor. She oversees the daily running of the room, ensuring we provide exciting and stimulating activities for the children. She also supports and trains the team of four staff with positivity and enthusiasm.
In her spare time Lauren enjoys baking, and is renowned for making the best cheesecakes and truffles. She also enjoys exploring new places and spending time with family and friends.
Georgina started her Tiddlywinks Journey in April 2021. Georgiana is an excellent Educator who leads by example when it comes to caring for the children and helping them find solutions to issues and challenges.
The Early Explorers are fully secure in the knowledge that Georgiana is always there support and cuddle them as well as providing a nurturing environment full of exciting activities and learning opportunities, Georgiana’s room is always full of smiles and messy activities!. In her free time, Georgina enjoys nature walks, being creative and spending time with her two children.
Cat joined Tiddlywinks in 2020 and immediately demonstrated her passion for the care and behaviour of children within early years.
Cat worked hard to complete her Level 2 in behaviour that challenges children, and now works alongside Vicky in the helping to deliver certain elements of SENCo. As a mum of one, Cat’s caring and nurturing approach really shines through in the baby room. She also enjoys leading Makaton and teaching younger children the importance of pre-speech communication. In her spare time, she enjoys family holidays, baking, teaching Makaton and going to concerts.
Lily became part of the team in September 2023. After finishing school Lily decided to follow a career path in childcare in the Nursery she attended as a child!.
Lily is making great progress towards her Level 3 Early Years Practitioner qualification. Lily is enthusiastic, creative and dedicated to ensuring every child is happy and thriving and enjoying their time at Tiddlywinks. In her free time, Lily loves cooking, socialising and spending time with her family.
Kayleigh joined the team in 2021, keen to pursue a career in childcare. While working with us she has successfully completed her Level 3 Early Years Practitioner qualification.
Kayleigh brings organisation, enthusiasm, positivity, good energy and stimulating planning ideas with her every day. She has a huge passion for child-led play, helping the children to learn and develop while having fun, she leads by example and consistently provides high quality provision in her room . In her spare time, Kayleigh enjoys exploring nature and going on walks, especially around Whitby.
Ella joined us as a supply member of staff, but enjoyed her time here so much that she decided to stay.
Ella joined us full time after passing her A levels she then completed her apprenticeship with us in record time to gain her Level 3 Early Years Practitioner qualification. Ella brings kindness, calmness and creativity to her work and loves to display her passion for arts and craft around the nursery, she is highly organised and loves nothing more than setting up activities to allow the children to express themselves through art and messy play. When she is not at work, Ella also enjoys reading and making Lego models as well as taking her miniature Dachshund Frank for a walk.
Amber is our newest member of the Tiddlywinks family and started with us in September 2024 following a career in hospitality.
Amber enjoys the most is planning different and exciting activities around the children’s interests and then watching and assessing how she can enhance them so the children get the absolute most out of them. Amber can also speak Japanese after studying there for a year, so she will be utilising those language skills with the children! Out of work Amber enjoys the Gym and spending time with friends.
Rachel is an experienced Educator who joined the Tiddlywinks team in October 2022
Rachel enjoys planning and preparing stimulating and exciting activities for the Daring discoverers, she ensures the babies are happy, settled and thriving throughout their day. Rachel is able to use the knowledge from her degree in Early Childhood Studies to enhance the provision for our littlest Tiddlywink children by applying the theory and knowledge from the EYFS curriculum into all aspects of your child’s day. In her spare time, Rachel enjoys socialising with friends, attending concerts and music events, relaxing at home or going to the cinema.
Laura became part of the Tiddlywinks team in May 2023 following a career change to enable her to follow her passion for working with children.
Laura is always smiling and eager to learn all she can. She is working hard on her apprenticeship to gain a Level 3 Nursery Practitioner qualification. With her experience in special needs education, her calm, loving personality and her belief that children are the most important thing, Laura is a real asset to our nursery. She loves developing new ideas for the children and watching them learn and have fun.
In her spare time, Laura enjoys socialising with family and friends, listening to music, watching movies and drawing.
Prior to joining us in 2019, Sarah gained lots of experience from teaching Reception and Year 1 pupils in primary schools.
At Tiddlywinks, Sarah has worked in both the toddler and pre-school rooms, and has now settled into pre-school where she can share her love of working with older children on literacy and phonics, Sarah is also the educational lead for the Nursery, she ensures that all elements of the EYFS are covered in our curriculum and that the children’s learning flourishes through knowledge, praise, support and is delivered through our bespoke curriculum. Sarah’s activities are always amazing and stimulating and the children love them. Sarah’s hobbies include tap dancing, walking with her dog, reading and going to the cinema.
Sue joined the Tiddlywinks team in 2006 and has many years of childcare experience.
Sue is a huge favourite with all of our children she enjoys delivering child-led activities that stimulate and enthuse the pre school children to learn and grow. Sue implements lovely art and craft ideas that everyone can enjoy. The children love to embrace the warm and caring attitude she spreads throughout the pre-school room. Outside of work, Sue enjoys spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren.
Rob has been a member of the Tiddlywinks family since September 2020 and has a lot of experience from working in other settings to being a dad!.
Rob brings a wonderful calming, caring nurturing nature to the Tiddlywinks family, he is a huge team player and is always willing to help. The children love playing outside with Rob and he provides lovely activities for them to enjoy and learn from, Rob is also very good at delivering one to one activities to help children’s confidence in gaining their next steps. Having a male role model with a kind and calming nature in the setting has also had a positive impact on the children. In his spare time, Rob enjoys spending time with his family, including his wife and two children.
