KatieB Kids Nursery

With a passion for imaginative, active and outdoor play Katie understands the importance of investing in a child’s emotional, physical and cognitive development.

With this in mind, Katie launched the project of an independent day nursery in 2014. Katie strongly believes in the values of the nursery and that these are central to the happiness and fulfilment of the children attending.

Quality care is paramount, and understanding that this is an industry you enter to make a difference; Katie takes her responsibility to her staff, the families and the children seriously with a genuine effort to do the right thing by all.

Her own 3 children have all been through the nursery, her youngest from 6 months old. With a strong interest in supporting children in the 21st century, Katie’s particular enthusiasm is for protecting childhood with the increase of electronic devices and pressures from modern society and she regularly attends conferences and seminars on this topic.

Katie’s eldest son was born with a genetic syndrome and a serious complex heart condition. In January 2021 Katie took the chair position for the Noonan syndrome association, after being an active trustee since 2014.

Katie and her husband enjoy travelling, and the family have spent recent summers in America where they are exploring the national parks from Yellowstone to the Smoky Mountains.

Hayley always knew that she wanted a career in care, but it was completing her A-levels in Health & Social Care and Sociology and her interest in Child Psychology that led her to specialise in education. Hayley loved her degree in Child Development and was particularly interested in the early years, understanding what a crucial time this is for building a secure foundation for later childhood and adulthood.

After graduating with a BA Hons degree Hayley specialised further in early years completing a master’s degree and gaining Early Years Professional Status. Hayley was offered her first nursery position as an early year’s manager in 2009 with the responsibility for curriculum planning and assessments in an outstanding independent preschool.

This term time position provided Hayley with an opportunity to also work with older children as a manager for holiday camps gaining valuable experience with children 4 to 8 years old. Hayley joined KTB Kids at the beginning, back in 2014. With a belief in the nursery ethos, Hayley wanted a practical management position where she would have the opportunity to make a positive difference to the children and to be able to support educators to fulfil their potential as early years educators.

In her role at KTB Kids Hayley thrives with the freedom she has to implement a curriculum that puts the children first. Hayley takes the time to really understand every child in the nursery and puts them at the centre of planning. Hayley has respect and passion for the genuine values that the nursery holds and is invested in spending time with every member of the team, listening to their ideas, and discussing ways to extend their teaching to ensure that adults recognise and capture every opportunity that enables a child to progress and be happy.

At home, Hayley loves DIY and craft activities and she enjoys creating handmade gifts for special celebrations.

Hayley and her husband love spending quality time with their daughter and appreciate the importance of ‘experiences’, such as day trips to the seaside or the zoo exploration at the park or woodlands and just being outdoors and active.

An article reporting the 5 first years of a child’s life to be the most important in development was the catalyst for Louise to embark upon a career in her early years.

With a good education- 10 GCSE grades A*/A, 3 A-levels at grade A- Louise chose a vocational route into Early Years Education at KTB Kids, joining as an apprentice preschool educator in April 2017. She then returned to University level study in September 2019 (following 2 years of a Modern Languages degree at the University of Nottingham) and studied Childhood and Youth Studies at the Open University alongside working as bank staff at KTB Kids.

Louise uses the child-centred approach at KTB Kids to ensure that the child is at the heart of their learning opportunities.

She loves her role as the facilitator, taking the thoughts and ideas of the children and creating opportunities from these that keep the children engaged and learning; all through play.

Louise has a passion for languages, is fluent in Spanish and French with conversational Portuguese, and would love to extend her travelling ambition in the future.

She has been working in her new role as Deputy Manager and Curriculum Lead since July 2020.