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.
Jake joined Tiddlywinks York as our Deputy Manger and Early Years Educator in our Baby Room before being promoted as Manager
Jake is looking forward to a new challenge at Tiddlywinks, being back in a busy nursery environment and getting to know the children, parents and staff. Jake looks forward to bringing his musical background into the nursery, using guitars, keyboards and percussion with the children, he really enjoy setting up and running activities that involve different textures, sizes, colours and, where possible, sounds, as sensory experiences are so important to development and curiosity.
Childcare has always had a place close to Jake’s heart as he was raised by two strong women who have done childcare in one form or another their whole lives, from private nanny to childminder to nurseries they have done it all and been his inspiration, Jake also finds there is no more rewarding job than helping and watching children learn and grow.
When Jake is not in Nursery he likes to spend time with his cat toothless and spending time at the Gym. Jake loves to read, board games, play music and watch and play American Football.
· Level 3 Early years educator
. DBS checked
· Full Paediatric First Aid
· Food allergy
· Food hygiene
. Safeguarding
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.
Ellie Joined Tiddlywinks in February 2026 and joins Tiddlywinks with lots of experience from her previous settings and enthusiasm for forest schools and outdoor learning.
Ellie loves the hustle and bustle of a busy nursery environment, getting to know all the staff, children and their parents. Bringing her love of the outdoors into her role is something that is a big part of who Ellie is both inside and outside of work. Ellie is motivated by creating awe and wonder in the activities that she plans and loves seeing children’s eyes light up when they see an inspirational activity! Ellie loves planning lots of activities that involves nature and loose parts to allow children to learn about the world around them and is also passionate about offering ‘risky play’ and developing children’s physical skills and capabilities.
Outside of work Ellie also enjoys being outdoors, walking and spending time with friends.
Lucy joined Tiddlywinks in March 2016 and have loved being part of the team ever since. Each day she looks forward to coming to work and being welcomed by familiar, friendly faces.
Lucy has been the baby room lead for the majority of time here at Tiddlywinks and works closely with the toddler room to support children as they become ready to transition onto the next stage of their early years journey. However, whilst in the baby room lucy is passionate about creating a warm, nurturing and stimulating environment for Tiddlywinks youngest children to feel safe, loved and supported. Lucy loves getting to know each individual child who joins Tiddlywinks and recognises that all children are unique and in doing so ensures that her care and that of the baby room team is tailored to meet each child’s individual needs through responsive interactions, play and gentle routines allowing their unique personalities to blossom.
After taking some time away for maternity leave Lucy returned with her little boy, who now also loves it here.
In Lucy’s free time, Lucy loves going on adventures, Cooking for her family and travelling the world. Lucy even became an Au Paired for a Turkish family in Istanbul where she spent her days developing the children’s English as well as embracing the culture of others.
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.
Cleo joined Tiddlywinks in 2025 as our toddler room lead bringing lots of experience and passion from her time in early years.
Cleo has a genuine passion for childcare and has dedicated her education and career to support children’s development and learning. After finishing school Cleo went straight to complete her level 3 qualification in childcare before continuing her studies at university to gain her childcare degree. Cleo loves applying her knowledge of the theories of learning into her daily practice and particularly loves loose parts and curiosity allowing children to lead and shape their own learning through natural resources and providing high quality teachable moments to support child in their early years learning.
In her spare time Cleo enjoys spending time with her friends, shopping and walking her dog Rufus!
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.
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.
Danielle Joined Tiddlywinks in October 2025 from another nursery setting having spent 3 years in the baby room there.
Danielle enjoys nurturing our youngest Tiddlywinks members and watching them grow as the move into the toddler room as confident and outgoing explorers. Danielle loves planning innovative activities each day and developing children’s interests and in the moment planning. Danielle’s positive and bubbly personality is infectious as she brightens up everyone’s day.
Danielle outside of work enjoys shopping, going on walks and spending time with her dog Ruby.
Mireya started Tiddlywinks in our Pre-School room after completing her Teacher Training.
Mireya has always wanted to work in childcare following her lifelong ambition to become an Early Years Teacher. Mireya enjoys working in early years and sees it as incredibly rewarding as she is able to guide and support children’s learning and development. Mireya enjoys building strong relationships with parents , children and staff as well as creating exciting sensory and messy play activities for children to immerse themselves in.
Mireya also enjoys being a key person helping her key children to feel happy, secure and comfortable aware from their parents and in doing so develop their confidence and independence as they transition from pre-school to school.
Outside of nursery Mireya enjoys Ice Skating, running, swimming, watching movies and spending time with friends.
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.
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.
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.
Katy Joined Tiddlywinks after finishing school in 2024
Katie joined us as our youngest apprentice in 2024, she wanted to pursue a career in childcare and preferred the worked based opportunities that an apprenticeship offers. Katie loves to see the children use their imagination and develop their skills ready for school . Katy loves to get creative with the children and seeing the excitement on the children’s faces when they complete a task. Outside of work Katy plays rugby for a local team and enjoys going to the gym.
*Early Years Apprenticeship
*DBS Checked
*Paediatric First Aid
*Safeguarding
*Allergy Awareness
*Food Hygiene
Haley joined Tiddlywinks as an Early Year Apprentice after working in care.
Haley has always had a passion to explore early years and was thrilled to learn she could apply for an apprenticeship to start her early years career. Haley enjoy working across all rooms as she can observe the different stages of development as she finds it rewarding to see the children flourish as they move from one room to another. Haley enjoys planning arts and crafts activities and messy play as she finds it rewarding watching the children use their imagination to be creative. Haley looks forward to developing her early years knowledge on her apprenticeship and applying this to her daily activities and interactions.
Outside of nursery Haley enjoys gaming, spending time with her reptile animals and cross stitching.
Jessica started Tiddlywinks in the summer of 2026 after studying Health and Social care and realising that childcare was for her.
Jessica realised childcare was for her after a childcare placement and experience in schools and nurseries. Jessica finds it rewarding to create a positive and caring environment where children feel comfortable to express themselves and in doing so thrive on their learning journey. Jessica enjoys getting to know children and their families and values the importance of strong parent partnerships.
Jessica is looking forward to developing her knowledge in Early Years and implementing this in her practice.
