Laura Silverwood - Deputy Manager
Hi, my name is Laura Silverwood and I am the Deputy Manager and Big Bears Key Worker at Sandy Bears.
I love working at Sandy Bears because I work alongside a fabulous team of practitioners who each show their love for their job and each support one another to ensure that the children are having the best possible early years experiences. I LOVE my job because it is so rewarding to be a part of supporting the beginning of your child’s life.
In the Big Bears room there is never a dull moment, it is a honour to be working with this age group because it is the stage where they are beginning to communicate more, and start to develop their confidence and own independence.
I enjoy being a ‘special grownup’ to the children as I want to make there early years as memorable as possible. I find it very important to develop a good bond with your child and I try my best to ensure they feel happy and secure and enjoy coming to Sandy Bears. Being a Key person means I can support a group of children to learn and develop according to their needs and current interests.
I want to make sure that your child wants to come to Sandy Bears knowing that they are going to have a great fun filled day. To ensure they have a smooth transition into the big bear room I will make sure that I am aware of current interests of your child, I will spend time with them to help them feel comfortable in their surroundings.
BECKIE WHITLEY – BIG BEARS ROOM LEADER
My name is Beckie and I live in Runcorn with my husband Mike and Princess the cat! I have a step daughter called Amber who comes to visit every weekend. I have been working at Sandy Bears since 2012 and am now leader in the Big Bears room.
I love my role as room leader as I get to see children’s development as they progress in their next stages of development. Every day is different, and all the staff have great ideas and new activities to make the day fun and exciting! I really enjoy getting to know the children and their families and feel that I have a good relationship with not just my key children but to all the children in Big Bears.
One of my interests is speech development which is vital at this age as this is where they develop their means of communication. I have undertaken a Makaton course which is a method of signing alongside learning speech. Makaton is to aid speech to allow the child to communicate whilst learning how to say new words. The children in Big Bears are exposed to Makaton at meal times, song time and throughout the day. I have found this, alongside speech to be a very beneficial way of communicating and releases some frustration some children may have if they are not able to express their needs and wants verbally.
Another passion I have is introducing children the natural world instead of using plastic resources I think it is really important for children to use natural objects for their learning and development encouraging children to gain experiences of real-life. We often take advantage of using the nearby woodland area to enhance our knowledge of the world and to collect different items for our play. It is important when your child starts in the Big Bears room that we understand your child’s likes and dislikes and know their routine to make their transition as smooth as possible.
I love meeting new families and I look forward to welcoming your child to the Big Bears family.
Beckie x
Molly Payne – Early Years Educator Level 3
Hello! My name is Molly and I am your new Key Worker. I started my time at Sandy Bears in November 2016 and in July 2017 I achieved my Level 3 diploma in Early Years Workforce! So far, I've had a brilliant time working here and I already know I will continue to enjoy it for many years to come.
You will mainly see me in Big Bears. I love being in this room because it gives me the opportunity to watch the children grow in independence, confidence and knowledge before they go to school. I love being a key worker because it allows me to create a special bond between your child and myself and watch them develop and learn over their time at Sandy Bears. It's also just as important to get to know you, the parents, and the rest of the family I cannot wait to meet you all!
Here's a little about me, so you can get to know me a little better. I currently live at home with my Mum and 2 brothers. In my spare time, I enjoy to spend quality time with my family and friends. Whether this is baking with my brother or going shopping with friends. I am so excited to become your child's "special grown-up" and get to know you all!
Emily Timms – Early Years Educator Level 2
Hello, my name is Emily and I have been working at Sandy Bears since 2017 in our lovely Big Bears room. I am really looking forward to being your child’s keyworker. As their Keyworker I am delighted to be able to welcome them into our lovely setting each day and get to know them and their personal needs as well as getting to know their family, where we can work together to provide the best care possible for your child, ensuring that both child and family are happy. I have always wanted to work in childcare ever since I was little, I even used to plan activities for my younger cousins when they visited and had a real sense of pride when taking care of them. I have completed my Level 2 and have moved on to studying my Level 3. Before coming to work at Sandy Bears, I used to assist with learning in a reception class, which allowed me to build strong bonds with all the children in the class as well as, being able to provide extra support for the children.
Every child is unique, the way that each child explores the world is different and I am looking forward to learning how your child explores the world and how I as their keyworker, I can support them by providing activities and opportunities for them to learn in their own way, that is suited to their individual needs and stage of development according to the Early Years Foundation Stage framework.
I am also the Big Bears Eco Officer, I love this role as along with helping our children to learn to care for one another, I encourage the children to learn to care for our environment. The children love being eco-warriors and take part in many exciting activities that teach them all about our environment. The children enjoy caring for our plants outside, the children have played a huge part in this. They helped to plant them, water them and they like to check on them and see them grow day by day. We are passionate about using natural resources to encourage the children’s imagination and creativity instead of using plastic. We frequently go out on walks to the woodland areas close to us and like to collect items to use in play.
Robyn Johns – Early Years Educator & SENCo
Hi my name is Robyn, and I am so excited to be your child’s Key Worker! I can’t wait to help them get the most out of their fun days at Sandy Bears. I live in Wrexham, with my fiancé Matthew and our dog Dizzy. I love to go with them on adventures and, of course, play fetch. In my spare time I like to read books, watch movies and meet up with my friends with a games night and a catch up. I love bright colours, singing and everything glittery and magical! I have worked in many different areas over the years but without a doubt working with children is my absolute passion. I really enjoy hearing the amazing stories that they can make up and watching them grow and learn.
I have worked with children for over 6 years now and hope that it will turn out to be many more. I have a background working with children with Special Educational Needs, where I have had training delivering Speech and Language programmes, Physio and Hydrotherapy sessions and using Makaton to aid communication. I am a firm believer that every child learns in their own way no matter who they are, and we must do all we can as practitioners to help them find their way.
I am currently training towards my Level 3 in Childcare. I find that I am learning so many interesting things to help me in my day-to-day work. I am also really excited to have taken on the role of setting SENDCo. I am working really closely with Astone and attending training to learn how to best support Special Educational needs within our nursery. I love encouraging the children to use their imaginations, and I am so often amazed by the things they come up with! Learning through play is such an important part of their development, and I feel so happy when they achieve their goals.
I am really looking forward to getting to know you and your child, and helping them to grow!
Love, Robyn x
CARA CIESIELSKI – EARLY YEARS EDUCATOR LEVEL 3
Hi, my name is Cara. I started work at Sandy Bears in November 2018 and I am currently working in the Bear Cubs room. I am a Level 3 Child Care Practitioner and First Aid trained too. As a key worker I work closely with my key children and the child’s parents, especially new children to the nursery or room. It’s extremely important that we find out the child’s likes and dislikes whilst working with the parents, as this creates a better atmosphere in the nursery, for the child to settle in nicely. I’m really enjoying working at Sandy Bears, I enjoy helping towards their learning and development, which ensures the best care and support for the children. I also enjoy working with the team of practitioners. I find it very rewarding developing a strong bond with my key children and watching them develop as an individual.
A little bit more about me; A horse is my favourite animal. Purple is my favourite colour. My interests and hobbies are horse riding, going to the gym and running. I love going on holidays and spending quality time with my family and friends.
Cara x
