Little Bears Nursery Manager

My name is Nina Farzaneh and I am the nursery manager for Little Bears Nursery at Whiteley Village. I havebuilt up considerable experience in the day to day operations and management of both new and established nurseries, having worked with children for 15 years and my role over the last ten years as a key decision maker and member of the senior management. I am also a parent and so fully understand the importance of choosing the right nursery with the right staff team. We also recognize the importance of our partnership with the parents and children in achieving the best results.

My qualifications include the level 5 diploma in Early Years and Childcare as well as a degree in English studies. I have been fortunate to have spent the last 15 years working in a variety of settings with different Early years philosophies and teaching approaches, different people, cultures and management styles. This invaluable knowledge and experience has helped to shape the Little Bears methodology:

- At Little Bears, me and my team will create a loving, nurturing and safe environment.

- At Little Bears, we create experiences and memories for your children;

- At Little Bears, children will be encouraged to develop so that they flourish and achieve their potential.

We are extremely passionate about Little Bears and therefore have invested in a staff team that is fully qualified. This ensures that our setting meets all the Early Years requirements at all times and provide high-quality care to children and their families.

We hope that we can demonstrate our vision and approach to childcare by welcoming you to our nursery.

Little Bears Directors

My name is Katie King and I am the Human Resources Manager and Director of Little Bears. My background has most recently been in the care industry which has given me the knowledge and experience to understand what constitutes quality care. The vison and values of Little Bears emanates from the perspective of us as parent ensuring we would be comfortable and happy knowing the children in our care where being well cared for in a loving and homely environment.

Our aspiration is to consistently exceed your expectations by providing truly outstanding care for your child with continuous improvement is at the heart of the Little Bears ethos.

To achieve this, we aim to recruit well – qualified practitioners who have a wealth of different skills and experience and who most importantly display a genuine passion for children and an absolute dedication to providing the highest standards in quality care.

My name is Ami Collman and I am the Operations Manager and Director for Little Bears. I am a registered nurse, with a passion for all areas of care, and am fuelled by a passion to deliver truly outstanding childcare. We established Little Bears with the aim to provide everything we, as mothers ourselves, feel like-minded parents would want for their children.

As part of the Operations Team at Little Bears, we pride ourselves on truly knowing the children in our care as individuals and understanding their specific family circumstances and emotional needs. We respect the fact that all children think, feel, behave and develop in different ways and at different rates and therefore we aim to enable children to express their individuality and to set their own pace.

Little Bears Staff Profiles

Karen Cooper

Job Title: Deputy Manager and Hedgehog Room Leader

Joined: 2018

My name is Karen. I joined little bear in 2018 as deputy manager and Hedgehogs room leader. I  hold a degree in early years education and development. I have worked in early education for over 10 years and have a passion for children’s learning and development.  I love to create learning opportunities for children indoors and outdoors. I especially enjoy using open ended resources for outdoor play. Outside nursery I enjoy spending time with family, socialising and outdoor activities. 

Katrina Hadaway

Job Title: Early Years Practitioner

Joined: 2016

I recently attended a training with the title of ‘confident communicators’. I really enjoyed this training and learnt a lot about the importance of communication skills in children. I learnt it is so important to have the ability to communicate competently since it underpins child’s emotional, social and educational achievement and development.  I learnt that we should challenge children on what we believe they can achieve. We talked about the brain development and factors that could affect the learning. We learnt what children need to develop language such as confidence, independence, attention, experience, knowledge, understanding and reflection. And who we would need to speak to if we felt a child is behind and may need extra help and support.

In every setting/room there should be cosy spaces, right contents, visuals and toys to facilitate talking amongst children.

Kate Clarke

Job Title: Early Years Practitioner

Joined: 2017

My name is Kate. I'm working towards a level 2 qualification. As a parent of two with life experiences I understand how important it is to adapt learning needs to the individual. I've supported a dyslexic child to overcome challenges of life and grow into a capable, independent and fun-loving adult.  I love storytelling, creating games, crafts and exploring imaginations.

Tabitha Gibbon

Job Title: Early Years Practitioner

Joined: 2018

My name is Tabitha and I am a new member of squirrel’s team. I have worked with children in nursery for 4 years working my way up from nursery assistant to completing my level 3 qualification and becoming part of the management team. I mostly enjoy working with 2-5 year olds, helping them progress in different areas of learning. I feel passionate about children’s learning and development. I am a creative person and love to help children explore their creativity indoors and outdoors.

Outside of nursery life I enjoy socialising with my family and friends and love traveling.

Gloria Jimenez

Job Title: Nursery Practitioner

Joined: 2019

My name is Gloria Jimenez. I am from Spain and hold a degree from the University of Navarra Pamplona in primary education specialising in special needs education. I have worked as a primary school teacher and have extensive experience in working with children of different ages. I am very hard working and have a passion for teaching. My other interests in life are arts and history which is persue in my spare time. I also spend my free time with friends and family and love socialising.

Paula Williams

Job Title: Nursery Chef

Joined: 2019

My name is Paula Williams. I have been working in different early years settings gaining extensive experience in creating menus, promote organic kitchens and cooking food that children enjoy. i have completed various catering qualifications at the same time. I am also a qualified nursery nurse and greatly enjoy spending time with the children and leading cooking and baking activites. I am an animal lover and spend a lot of my spare time walking dogs. I enjoy spending time with my friends and family.