All of our staff are either NNEB (National Nursery Examination Board) or equivalent, or participating in the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in Early Years and Childcare.
We have a very high qualified staff ratio which far exceeds that of OFSTED requirements. All of our staff are trained in First Aid.
Management
Gaitri Sharma
Nursery Owner
My name is Gaitri and I am the proud owner of Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Stafford. Being a mother to four young children, I am aware how the first years of a child’s life lay the foundation for their future. Children need to read and write, but they also need to learn through play. A well-rounded education helps children make the most out of their physical abilities and develops important social skills.
Coming from a teaching background, I appreciate the commitment and dedication required to deliver a positive and enriching learning experience. This shall be the essence of all that we do and is emphasised in our mission statement.
Qualifications, Skills & Experience:
- PGCE in Post Compulsory Education
- Masters Graduate in Tourism Management and Marketing
- Mother to four children
- Safeguarding: Level 4 Designated Lead Multi- Agency
- Safer Recruitment trained
- Paediatric First Aid Qualified
- First Aider at Work
- Level 2 in Food Hygiene
Amit Sharma
Business Operations Director
My name is Amit and I am the proud husband to Gaitri and father to our four young children. I assist Gaitri in the operation of the nursery in my capacity as the Business Operations Director.
As a qualified Optometrist, I provide a complimentary vision screening service to our Monkey Puzzle Pre-School Room. Being able to see clearly is important to a child’s overall development. Some children may have vision screening done at school however, the earlier any potential problems are picked up the better.
Qualifications, skills & experience:
- Qualified Optometrist
- Professional Certificate in Glaucoma
- Currently undertaking a clinical placement towards an Independent Prescribing Qualification
- Joint Venture Partner with The Hakim Group
- Devised a Customer Service Training manual which was used by Gaitri in her role as a Customer Service Training Consultant
- Father to four young children
Barbara Homer
Nursery Manager
My name is Barb and I am the Nursery Manager at Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Stafford. My passion is to ensure all children get the best start in life and I have been doing this for over 20 years.
I enjoy working alongside parents to ensure we gain the best outcomes for their child. I have extensive knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework. I find a strong, happy team is the structure for a unique learning environment. Here at Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Stafford we see ourselves as being that first unique step in your child’s learning journey.
Qualifications, skills & experience:
- Foundation Degree in Arts – Early Years
- Level 3 NVQ in Early Years, Care and Education
- Mother to three children
- Safeguarding: Level 4 Designated Lead Multi- Agency
- Safer Recruitment trained
- Paediatric First Aid Qualified
- First Aider at Work
- Level 2 in Food Hygiene
Baby Room
Megan Killian – Room Leader
My name is Megan and I am the room leader for the baby room.
I have been working in childcare for five years now, with immense knowledge and experience of caring for under 5’s. I am very creative and love creating artwork with babies and I also love reading stories with them. In my spare time I enjoy hiking, exploring new places, painting, and drawing.
Qualifications, Skills & Experience:
- BA (Honours) in Early Childhood Studies
- Paediatric First Aid Qualified
- Early Years Child Protection Awareness
Jennifer Lankester
Nursery Practitioner
My name is Jennifer and I am a nursery practitioner based in the baby room.
I have a wealth of nursery experience, especially working with babies. I am creative and love a good messy activity. In my spare time I enjoy reading, knitting, and going on walks.
Qualifications, Skills & Experience:
- Level 3 Diploma in Child Care and Education
- Paediatric First Aid Qualified
- Emergency First Aider at Work
- Early Years Child Protection Awareness
- Level 2 in Food Hygiene
Amy Finney
Nursery Assistant
My name is Amy and I am a nursery assistant based in the baby room.
I have been working in the early years sector for three years. I love working alongside babies and toddlers and watching them grow into their own characters. I love messy play and creating things out of junk model, allowing the children to explore their imagination. In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my nephews’ and taking my dogs for walks.
Qualifications, Skills & Experience:
- Level 2 Certificate for Children and Young People’s Workforce
- Currently completing Level 3 Diploma in Early Years Educator
- Paediatric First Aid Qualified
- Basic Child Protection Awareness
Toddlers Room
Amy Jenkins
Room Leader
My name is Amy and I am the room leader for the toddler room.
I have been a practitioner for over five years. I have experience of working with SEN children and believe that I am able to understand their needs and reflect this in my planning and teaching. I am a mum to a beautiful girl, and we enjoy spending quality time together cooking, walking and going out on day trips.
Qualifications, Skills & Experience:
- Level 3 Diploma in Child Care and Education
- Paediatric First Aid Qualified
- Early Years Child Protection Awareness
- L2 Food Hygiene
Martha Lees
Nursery Practitioner
My name is Martha and I am a nursery practitioner based in the toddler room.
I have been working in the Early Years sector for three years now, with responsibility of children from 6 months to 4 years. I enjoy providing high quality care for these children and ensuring their safety throughout the day. In my spare time I enjoy backpacking, walking my dogs and playing the guitar.
Qualifications, Skills & Experience:
- Level 3 Extended Diploma in Children’s Play, Learning and Development
- Paediatric First Aid Qualified
- Basic Child Protection Awareness
- Safeguarding Children
- L2 Food Hygiene
Elise Hutchings
Nursery Practitioner
My name is Elise and I am a nursery practitioner based in the toddler room.
I pride myself on the high standards of care that I provide to the children under my care. I have over 10 years’ experience of working with children in nurseries. My most favourite part of the job is exploring messy play activities with the children. I have 3 wonderful daughters and love taking them to wildlife centres for walks and being outside and having fun. We also enjoy the occasional duvet day watching Disney and playing games! In my rare spare time, I love to crochet all manner of things from dolls and toys to blankets.
Qualifications, Skills & Experience:
- Level 3 NVQ in Children’s Care, Learning and Development
- Mother to three children
- Safeguarding: Designated Safeguarding Lead
- Paediatric First Aid Qualified
- Level 2 in Food Hygiene
Shannon Kelly
Nursery Assistant
My name is Shannon and I am a nursery assistant based in the toddler room.
I have been working in the Early Years sector for five years now. I love watching children grow and develop, I also enjoy getting creative and making lots of noise while singing and dancing. In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my little brothers and sisters and playing board games.
Qualifications, Skills & Experience:
- Level 2 Certificate for Children and Young People’s Workforce
- Currently completing Level 3 Diploma in Early Years Educator
- Paediatric First Aid Qualified
- Basic Child Protection Awareness
- Safeguarding Children
- L2 Food Hygiene
Pre-School Room
Hannah Kilford – Room Leader for Pre-School & Third in Charge
My name is Hannah and I am the room leader for the pre-school room.
I enjoy being part of children’s learning and preparing them for school through fun activities. I particularly enjoy interacting with children during circle time where they share their knowledge and opinions on various subjects. In my spare time I enjoy trampolining and spending time with friends and family.
Qualifications, Skills & Experience:
- BA Honours in Early Childhood Studies
- Level 3 National Diploma in Children’s Play, Learning and Development (Early Years Educator)
- Paediatric First Aid Qualified
- Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
- First Aider at Work
- Early Years Child Protection Awareness
- L2 Food Hygiene
Lauren Addison – Nursery Practitioner and SENCO Coordinator
My name is Lauren and I am a nursery practitioner based in the pre-school room.
I love planning for and delivering lots of fun and engaging activities that inspire the younger minds at nursery. I love doing anything that is creative and messy and seeing how the children display their knowledge. I love to spend quality time with my husband and our beautiful little boy Harry. I love being outdoors and making memories with our loved ones.
Qualifications, Skills & Experience:
- Bachelor of Education in Primary Education
- Level 3 Diploma in Child Care and Education
- Paediatric First Aid Qualified
- Emergency First Aider at Work
- Early Years Child Protection Awareness
- L2 Food Hygiene
Joanne Mills – Nursery Practitioner
My name is Joanne and I am a nursery practitioner based in the pre-school room.
I have many years of childcare experience and particularly enjoy working with the pre-school children as they are full of high energy and excitement. I am a mum of two children and we love spending family time together taking our dog Chester for long walks.
Qualifications, Skills & Experience:
- Level 3 National Diploma in Childhood Studies- Nursery Nursing
- Paediatric First Aid Qualified
- Early Years Child Protection Awareness
- L2 Food Hygiene
Kitchen Team
Karen Ayre – Nursery Cook
My name is Karen and I am the nursery cook here at Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Stafford.
I bring with me over 20 years catering and supervisory experience. I have worked mostly in busy school and nursey kitchen settings, where I planned, prepared and served a range of hot and cold meals for children of all ages.
In my spare time I like walking, reading and cooking. I also enjoy spending quality time with my husband and grandchildren.
Qualifications, Skills & Experience:
- Level 2 Food Safety and Hygiene
- Early Years Child Protection Awareness
Nursery Assistants
Jennie Lawton – Nursery Practitioner
My name is Jennie and I am bank staff at Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Stafford.
I am currently at Sheffield Hallam University completing a Teaching Degree. I love working at Monkey Puzzle Stafford when I am not at university. I started as a practitioner here when the nursery first opened and love working in the baby and toddler rooms. I love participating in art, craft and messy play activities with the children. In my spare time I enjoy reading and being outside exploring wildlife.
Qualifications, Skills & Experience:
- Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Children’s Play, Learning and Development (Early Years Educator)
- Paediatric First Aid Trained
- Level 2 Food Hygiene
- Early Years Child Protection Awareness
Carren Hall – Nursery Assistant
My name is Carren and I am a nursery assistant based primarily in the toddler room.
I absolutely enjoy working with nursery children, reading to them, singing with them and also participating in some messy activities! I am a mum of two children and have experience of working with SEN children. In my spare time I like reading, walking, weight training and the gym.
Qualifications, Skills & Experience:
- Basic First Aid
- Emergency First Aid at Work
- Level 2 Food Safety and Hygiene
- Early Years Child Protection Awareness
Career opportunities
Monkey Puzzle is committed to providing great career opportunities for its entire staff. We are very keen to ensure that our team of staff participate in training at all levels. Our policy is always to recruit and/or promote internally if at all possible.
Please see our Current Vacancies below:
For more information on the roles and responsibilities, please click below:
If you think you have what it takes and would like to be a part of our exciting new team, please send your CV to info@monkeypuzzledaynurseries.com
