Meet the Manager and Owner of Kirkgate Childcare

My name is Dawn, I am married with two children Harry and Ruby. I love to walk with my Labrador, play and coach netball and enjoy spending time with family and friends.

I decided at a very young age that I wanted to pursue a career in Early Years. I studied my Nursery Nursing Education Diploma after leaving school and then moved onto working in a Private Day Nursery. I then chose to work in a Primary School and in 2001 I was successful in gaining an Early Years Practitioners Post within a Local Authority Centre of Excellence, it was there I realised the importance of working with the whole family to ensure better outcomes for the child. During the 16 years working for the LA I progressed into management and achieved my BA Honours Degree in Childhood Studies at Leeds University.

I have lived in Sherburn in Elmet for many years and always felt there was not enough choice for families requiring childcare. In 2017 I left the Local Authority and the journey of Kirkgate Childcare began.

I believe one of my most important investments is my team, it is important that they are nurtured, supported and challenged to grow. If they are happy and share my vision of creating foundations for life for our next generation then we will continue to achieve our mission, which is to provide a happy, safe and stimulating environment to enable all children to become confident, independent and respectful learners whilst working in partnership with parents.

“The dedicated and ambitious manager works closely with staff to monitor children’s progress and review and evaluate practice. She uses information obtained from group tracking systems to plan interventions and successfully close any gaps in children’s learning”

Ofsted, November 2019

My name is Kate Johnson, I have been married to Les for 38 years and we have 3 grown up daughters – Jessica, Amy and Lucy, we also have 7 beautiful grandchildren.

I have been working with children for over 30 years, I completed my B-Tec National Diploma in Childcare and initially worked as a nursery practitioner within several local authority nurseries. Prior to working here at Kirkgate Childcare, I worked for 17 years at one of Leeds Sure Start Children’s Centres, initially as Senior Nursery Officer, later becoming the Deputy Manager between 2003 and 2011 and then Day Care Manager between 2011 and 2017. During this time, I attended The University of Leeds where I gained a Foundation Degree in Family Support. In 2017 I was able to take early retirement and was lucky enough to be able to take a part time position at Kirkgate Childcare and return to one of my favourite roles as a Key Person.

Safeguarding children has been a very important aspect within my previous management roles and will be something I continue to prioritise and embed at Kirkgate Childcare.

I strongly value Play as a very important part of children’s development and I thoroughly believe that following children’s interests fully promotes their learning and development. I strive to always create a caring and stimulating environment where children’s well-being and involvement are at the heart of everything we do which will enable children to reach their full potential.

As the Assistant Manager of Kirkgate Childcare, I am thrilled to be in a position to continue the vision that Dawn along with the rest of the team have worked so passionately and tirelessly to achieve.

I joined Kirkgate Childcare in September 2018 as a Childcare Practitioner and I was promoted to the role of Assistant Manager in September 2019, which has given me so much insight into the operations of the nursery and I have enjoyed seeing it flourish into the outstanding magical childcare setting that it is today

I have 17 years experience within the childcare sector and my previous roles include private nanny, room leader, out of school club manager and deputy manager for a chain of nurseries.

I am passionate about ensuring that children receive high-quality learning experiences in their early years to prepare them for their future education but delivered in a fun way. I am forward-thinking and like to ensure that practice keeps evolving and have travelled to different settings across the uk to see the benefit of different approaches to play for myself.

My approach is very much child led and teaching children to find the answers together through questions rather than being told why or how something works.

I am an advocate for outdoor play, loose parts play and providing educationally stimulating environments for children.

In June 2019 I completed my level 4 in advanced childcare practice and management and I am always looking to enhance my skills, knowledge and learning.

As a trained Childcare Assessor I am able to help support, inspire and guide our Early Years Apprentices and team to realise their full potential.

I am also highly trained in looking after children with severe and life threatening allergies.

I am looking forward to continuing working alongside Dawn and the team to ensure that the nursery continues to maintain the high standards achieved to date.

I am a mum to a little boy Jack age 7 who is my absolute world so I’m kept pretty busy out of work enjoying days out, playing and taking him to various sports clubs and classes, having a young son means that I understand the struggles families can face juggling work and childcare.

In my spare time I love to cook, visit coffee shops, make lists, spend quality time with my family and friends, go camping and enjoy long walks with my miniature poodle Boris!

My name is Maizie Kelly and I am a Level 3 Early Years Practitioner at Kirkgate Childcare.

I completed an apprenticeship to gain my level 3 in Early Years Educator.

Since school I have always loved learning about how children learn and develop and always been interested in working with children so when an apprenticeship came up for childcare I took it and loved every minute of learning about children and how they develop.

I have a little cockapoo called Ruby who is just like my little fur baby.

In my spare time and outside of work, I enjoy going for nice walks, especially at the beach. I am also into my fitness and love going to the gym.

My favourite go to food is definitely Italian, which is made better with family and friends.

I am very excited to start working at Kirkgate Childcare and further my knowledge in childcare.

I am a keen learner and willing to take time out and learn new skills.

My name is Katelyn Powell, and I am the Apprentice Early Years Practitioner starting my role in September 2021. All my life I have been around children of all ages and have always wanted a career working with children.

I was a young leader at my local Rainbows group, and I loved seeing the girls develop and advance to Brownies with new skills.

I love working as a team, I believe it is a key aspect in this area of work, bringing new ideas and making sure the children receive the best care and support whilst at nursery.

I think the best bit about working in a nursery is how rewarding it is to see the children’s skills grow and their personalities blossom.

For the past year, I have had the pleasure of being a PA for an autistic boy, I love seeing him become more independent and watching his confidence  grow. In my own time, I love spending time with my family and friends, and teaching my dog new tricks as well as reading and walking.

Pre-covid times going to concerts and visiting new places in the UK and abroad!

I am very excited to be apart of the Kirkgate team and to be working with such lovely people, as well as guiding the children to a happy childhood and a successful time at nursery.

My name is Lucy Bingham, I’m the Level 3 Early Years Practitioner at Kirkgate childcare after completing my Advanced Level Apprenticeship in Children and Young Peoples Workforce

I am the eldest of four,so I’ve spent my life around children.

Since a young age I always wanted to work with children and I began volunteering at the local Brownie group.

I started at Kirkgate in September 2018, before that I was in another setting for a year. Since coming to Kirkgate Childcare I have learnt so much from the rest of the team.

The children are the centre of my work and I always aim to give them the best. Every one of them is unique and have a lot of potential which we as a team aim to get out of them. At Kirkgate Childcare, we treat ever child as an individual and adapt any planning to their individual needs. We follow our children’s interests to allow the most learning to be done to allow our children to reach their full potentially

I will be commencing my Foundation Degree in Early Childhood Studies at university from September 2019 which I am very much looking forward to.

I have a 10 year old son called Jake and being a mum is the best job in the world. We have just welcomed a puppy into our family called Buddy.

My passion has always been to work with children. Throughout my childhood and early education, I always chose childcare to support my learning and development for my future career, from work experience to going on to college to complete my Btec National Diploma in Early Years. I have worked in many roles throughout my career, becoming a room leader at a young age, I knew I was capable of more challenges. I pursued this and went on to work for a local authority for 11 years.

During my time there I accessed an extensive amount of training and my knowledge and experience flourished. I found myself wanting to learn more about special educational needs and disabilities and had a passion and a belief that every child has the right to succeed and thrive.

I have funded many online courses to support my understanding of children with various needs and to date I continue to do lots of research and attend relevant training to further my knowledge and understanding in my present role.

I am passionate about furthering my career and personal development and hope in the not too distant future to go to university and complete a BA Honours in child and family studies

I am currently a key person, I feel meeting new children and families is a wonderful experience and when families choose Kirkgate childcare it fills me with pride. To share that journey of their children’s very first steps in to nursery life and being that safe, consistent and caring person for their child who they can turn to for reassurance, a cuddle or to just ‘check in’ is the best feeling of all. Sharing all milestones however big or small with parents/carers is such a joy to be a part of.

Early Years is my passion as these are the most important times of a child’s life. Sparking that initial developmental curiosity, awe, wonder and excitement in children that will lead them to a positive and successful attitude towards learning for the rest of their lives. I have pride in knowing that I have the opportunity to be part of something like that every day with Kirkgate Childcare.

My name is Holly and I am a Level 3 Early Years Practitioner. I began my role with Kirkgate Childcare as an apprentice in 2019. Since then, I have spent time working alongside a passionate, caring and experienced team, where I have been able to develop my skills in a professional manner, leading to the completion of my qualification in June 2020.

I have always enjoyed interacting with children. In 2018, I volunteered as an English Teacher in rural areas in Sri Lanka and Cambodia for 6 months, where I planned and taught a variety of lessons from grammar practice to volcano experiments! I found the whole experience both extremely rewarding and enjoyable and it became clear to me that I wanted to pursue a career in childcare.

I am fascinated by the development of children’s minds and how childhood experiences can go on to shape children for the rest of their lives. This is one of the reasons I feel so strongly that children should have access to quality early years care. I have decided to pursue my interests academically and have begun studying a degree in Psychology and Child Development Bsc at York St John University in September 2020.

At nursery, I enjoy getting to know each child’s unique personality and feel privileged to be able to help guide their development through the early years foundation stage.

My name is Milly Brook and I am the Early Years Apprentice. I joined Kirkgate Childcare in September 2020 and I am really excited to spend my time here working with all our lovely children and learn as much as I can from the very experienced team.

I have a niece and two nephews who I love spending my time with and many cousins so I am very family orientated and spend a lot of my time around children.

Outside of work I like to spend time with my family and friends and enjoy dancing which I have done since I was 3 years old. I also volunteered to help teach the younger children in their dance classes alongside my dance teacher. I found it amazing to watch the children grow in confidence and also be a part of their learning.

I am keen to learn all aspects of childcare as I feel it is very rewarding. I am passionate that every child deserves to have a happy childhood and I look forward to being apart of their development and guiding them.

I find it hard to believe but I have taught in Foundation Stage for nearly 20 years now. As each day in Foundation Stage is unique and playful it doesn’t feel nearly that long though! I recently retired from my teacher post in an outstanding school and became a supply practitioner as I miss the play, interaction and magic that young children bring us and the reward of enabling and observing their learning and progress.

I have taught across the Foundation Stage in schools and led on PSHE, recognising the value of managing children’s feelings and behaviour creatively throughout their school lives. A career high was working closely with Dawn, Kate and Sarah while working together in a Leeds Children’s Centre and sharing their passion for nurture and learning through play and interaction. At the bookend of my career it is good to have an opportunity to be reunited with them again at Kirkgate Childcare!

My name is Katie Tordoff-Brown and I am joining Kirkgate Childcare as part of my college work placement. I am currently in my first year of studying Level 3 T-Level Childcare & Education at York College, so in the future I can hopefully become an early years practitioner!

For years now, I have been interested in working with children, as I love the fun they bring to work and I like knowing that you can make a positive difference in their life. I began wanting to work with children when I volunteered as a Junior Coach at my cheerleading club.

My favourite things to do outside of school are spending time with my very energetic dog, Leah, going to concerts, or cheerleading. I began cheer when I was 11 and I still love it – it’s taken me places such as Chicago and Germany!

I am very excited to begin my placement at Kirkgate Childcare and spend my time with the lovely children and the experienced staff who I know will help me learn everything I do not know yet. I cannot wait to see all of the children’s development and I can’t wait to be a part of it.