Our team.

The catalyst for Grace’s came when we were looking for a day nursery for our eldest daughter and saw exactly what was in the local area and therefore felt that there was an opportunity to create the sort of environment that we would like as parents. It has been fantastic to start something from scratch and to watch it grow into the business that it has become. Covid has obviously brought plenty of challenges, however, I genuinely look forward to the future, as we continue to challenge what we do, improve the service that we provide to all of our families and to further grow the business.

I am married to Jo and we have 3 daughters and therefore I am completely outnumbered! I also co-run the garden centre with my cousin Andrew and Jo, Andrew, Michelle and I started Grace’s Day Nursery back in January 2011. No two days are ever the same when running two such varied businesses but that is part of the enjoyment and I feel very fortunate to be in a business where we represent the 5^th generation to be involved.

In my spare time I obviously enjoy spending time with the family, watching rugby (certainly no longer playing!), keeping fit and going on long family dog walks and yes, all 3 girls have me wrapped around their little fingers!

I have worked with children for over 20 years but initially in a very different environment as a doctor! When James and I had our first daughter the opportunity arose to start our own nursery with Andrew and Michelle and together we embarked on the most incredible journey of setting up Grace’s. The last few years have zoomed by and have involved a very steep learning curve but have also been enormous fun.

I continue to work as a paediatrician in London as well as working at Grace’s and of course looking after our own children. What I love most about working with children, no matter which environment I am in, is that children continually amaze, amuse and generally enchant me! I truly count myself lucky to work with fantastic people at Grace’s – not only the team but the parents and most importantly the children – no two days are ever the same!

In my spare time I love to bake exceptionally unhealthy food and then attempt to keep fit by running and going to the gym!

When we started Grace’s we decided to name the business after our Grandma for two reasons, firstly she was a real believer in education and standards and secondly, family was the most important thing to her. We have developed Grace’s with her values always in mind and at the core of everything we do. As the Nursery bears her name, we hope and believe that she would be proud of what we strive to do and she would have loved to see all the children thriving and learning in her old home.

My other job is running the Garden Centre with James, we feel incredibly lucky to be able to work in two great industries with two fantastic teams behind us. In between the business’ I spend my spare time with my wife and my son and I am incredibly proud to see Leo thriving in Grace’s Nursery House, it is great to be able to see the Nursery from the other side!

I have been working in nurseries for 25 years and in a leadership role for the past 19 years. My husband is a secondary school teacher and together we have three sons, so there is a shared interest in children and definitely a lot of talk and debate about childcare and education in our house…often with us disagreeing!

I came to Grace’s to assist James, Jo and Andrew in the set up in 2010 and love the fact that it has such a family feel for both the team and families. I am fortunate to work somewhere where every day is different and alongside excellent colleagues who all share the passion I have for making such a difference to the lives of young children and their families. I think we have created a culture where our team are valued and supported to grow and develop and this is key in order for us not to become complacent as Practitioners.

I have been working in childcare since 1998, which has mainly been in day nurseries as well as a Nanny to a local family.

I always knew I wanted to work with children from the day I left school and I began my career as a practitioner allowing me to develop my knowledge along the way. This then enabled me to progress into Management making me the Nursery Manager I am today. I am extremely passionate about making a difference to the families and children coming to our nursery and watching them develop into strong, confident individuals we encourage them to be.

My days are varied, rewarding and there is never a dull moment at Little Grace’s. I believe Grace’s is a nursery in which both the children and team are encouraged to reach their full potential.

I have always known from a very young age that working with children was where I belong and 25 years later I am still as passionate and enthusiastic about children as I was when I walked into my first nursery placement when I was 16 years old. Growing up, my mum worked in schools, afterschool clubs and I was around children every day and loved it.

I left school at 16 and took myself off to college to study my NNEB and loved every minute of it! Unfortunately my mum fell ill and passed away my second year into this so I did not complete the whole course and soon after I became a mum to my beautiful daughter so my life became very busy. A few years passed and I knew I wanted to continue with my childcare journey so I did my NVQ Level 3.

I  started my career at a private nursery in 2006 and worked my way up to gain more experience. I stayed there for 14 years, watching so many children learn and grow before going off to school, each time feeling so proud that I have been a part of their journey that equipped them with the tools they needed to be independent little people.

My vision, ethos and beliefs fit in so well with Graces and I can see across all sites how passionate and valued the team are and how happy and confident the children are. I cannot wait for my new journey to continue with this beautiful place and people.

My childcare experience began at 17 years old. I started by working a few hours a week in the same nursery as my Mum; my love for the job then grew and I quickly joined the team as a full time member. I gained my Level 2 and Level 3 qualification in Children and Young People’s Workforce whilst working. In 2013 I joined the Grace’s family and have loved every moment since.

I have been fortunate enough to progress from a practitioner to a deputy manager during my time. I love working with a team who are like a family; we are just as fortunate as the children, to have the setting that we have available, from visiting our forest school to seeing the reindeer at Christmas time. To be a part of such an important milestone in a family’s life is so rewarding; seeing the children grow and building trust with the parents and carers is by far the best part of my job. I love how Grace’s go above and beyond to make the difficult transition of leaving your child as easy as it can possibly be.

I am the proud mother of twin boys and have been working at Grace’s since it opened. Prior to working here, I worked in a pre-school. I began working in child-care when my children went to school. I spent a good deal of time settling them into pre-school and realised that I enjoyed my time there and seemed to get on well with the children. I was offered a position there when my children went to school and then took the relevant qualifications.

I began at Grace’s as an assistant practitioner and worked my way up to my current position of Deputy Manager. I am very proud to work at Grace’s as it has a warm, friendly atmosphere in which the team work together to ensure the children feel welcomed, valued and treated as individuals. It is very obvious that the team genuinely enjoy working with the children. It is also a wonderful environment to work in and we are spoilt in that our surroundings are always looking beautiful.

I always knew I wanted to work with children and was always the first in line for a cuddle and play with the newest baby of the family and spent most of my childhood lining up my teddy bears to teach them in my ‘school’.

After studying Early Childhood studies at Canterbury University, I knew I wanted to go straight into working with children.

I have been part of the Grace’s team for nearly 10 years now, starting off as a Practitioner in Little Graces, then working up to a Room leader, Third in charge and now Deputy Manager. I have worked with some amazing members of team, who have really helped to shape and guide me in my journey. I love being part of the management team, whilst also still getting to spend time with the children and hearing stories about their day. Working closely with my new team at Nursery House has been amazing, we really are like a family.  Working at Nursery House is so rewarding, I love seeing the children develop and how hard the team work to really instil positivity, curiosity and creativity onto the children. The amazing outdoor spaces we have and having Reindeer as neighbours isn’t too bad either!

When I had my little boy, I knew that there was no other place in the running for childcare, seeing the nursery from a parent’s perspective has been really rewarding as has seeing how rapidly he is developing. I feel having that shared experience with the parents, especially new parents that may be a little anxious, has been really beneficial and helpful in making that transition as smooth as possible

I have been working at Grace’s since it opened in 2011 and progressed from Practitioner to Deputy Manager. I love nothing more than a good musical and can often be heard singing the songs to my favourite musical ‘Joseph!’

As a child, I spent many happy holidays camping where we mainly spent time outside and taking long hikes. I was also a brownie and girl guide and so when the opportunity came up for me to train to become a qualified Forest School Leader for Grace’s, I jumped at the chance!

I think it is fantastic having a plastic-free, natural environment where the children can explore nature. I am always amazed at how imaginative and creative children can be with what they have around them. I think we are incredibly lucky to have a Forest School of our own at Grace’s.

There is never a dull day in the nursery and always something or someone to make you smile. It is really special to me that I work with such a fantastic team who all share the same ethos.

I always knew that I wanted to work with children from a young age and aspired to be like my reception teacher. My aim was to always have an impact on children and their learning like my reception teacher did for me, providing them with the foundations needed for when they are older.

After leaving sixth form I completed my NVQ level 2 and 3 apprenticeship in childcare and development which gave me experience of working in a primary school and this also opened me up to Forest School which I found really interesting and the children really enjoyed exploring their area.

I then decided I wanted to further my experience and went to Greenwich University and did my BA HONS in Early Years Education. After doing this I started working in Private Day Nurseries and later got the opportunity to do my Forest School training in 2021.

I started at Grace’s in 2022 as part of the Forest School team. In my time at Grace’s so far I have helped to develop the nature gardens for our younger children and been working to develop the Forest School, offering new opportunities and experiences for the children. I am also a member of various committees;  the garden gang the Green team.

In 2024 I took over as the Lead for Social Media for the nursery and have enjoyed exploring this and learning new things.

I joined Grace’s in 2024 after a short career break following the arrival of my twin girls in 2022. I have always worked with children and young people and have known that this was the route I wanted to develop and continue.

I have been developing my experience working with children, young people and adults with various abilities, as well as their families and carers, since 2008 when I began supporting young people on the autism spectrum in the community. Following this, I began teaching in an autism specific provision in a mainstream school and then moved into managing children’s homes for children living in the care system.

When I was given the opportunity to work at Grace’s I felt very lucky and proud to be joining such a wonderful family feel environment as well as the opportunity to continue with my passion for supporting all children and families with a focus on special educational needs, as the nursery SENCo.

In my spare time I love to spend time with my girls baking, getting outside and watching them develop and grow, as time really does fly when they are little!

I have always wanted to work with children and been fascinated by child development. At university, I studied psychology with a focus on special educational needs. After graduating, I worked in a specialist school supporting children on the Autism Spectrum encompassing children aged between 4 and 19 with various abilities. This inspired me to complete my PGCE, and I then returned to the school as a teacher for several years.

Following the birth of my wonderful son, I was fortunate to join Grace’s working in the pre-school room. When the opportunity to work as the special educational needs coordinator arose, I jumped at the chance! It has been brilliant working across sites and learning what works best for our families and children. I am now based at Nursery House after having my lovely daughter. I feel very blessed to support our children on their journeys and truly believe that every child is unique and should be afforded the opportunity to achieve their full potential.

In my spare time, I enjoy going to the theatre, reading and of course spending time with my family.