Little Explorers Day Nursery

🍂🕯️ Calling All Early Years Practitioners 🕯️🍂

Are you the kind of practitioner who believes a rainy day is perfect for blanket dens and story time? 📚

Do you get excited about loose parts, muddy puddles and creating magical moments from cardboard boxes? 🍁✨

Can you sing "What's the Weather?" for the 147th time and still bring Oscar-worthy enthusiasm? 🎭😂

If so, we might have the perfect spot for you!

We're looking for someone who can:
🤎 Create calm, nurturing spaces where children feel safe and loved
🕯️ Embrace all things hygge, cosy corners, twinkly lights and meaningful moments
🍂 Value curiosity over perfection
🎨 Turn everyday experiences into unforgettable adventures

In return you'll get:
✨ to work with the most wonderful children and families
✨ A supportive team
✨ Plenty of laughter
✨ The chance to make a real difference every single day
✨ Salary: £25,620 - £25,989 pro rata
✨ 27.5 hours per week, permanent contract

Because in Early Years, the best days aren't always the busiest. Sometimes they're spent wrapped in blankets, sharing stories, watching children's imaginations light up brighter than the fairy lights. 💫

Warning: Side effects of this role may include finding pinecones in your pockets, singing nursery rhymes in the supermarket and becoming strangely obsessed with fairy lights. 😂🍂🕯️✨

📩 Apply now and join us in creating a little bit of hygge magic every day.

https://nycjobs.engageats.co.uk/Vacancies/W/2544/0/472579/23460/early-years-practitioner

Early Years Practitioner Little Explorers Day Nursery is seeking a caring, enthusiastic Early Years Practitioner to join our friendly and dedicated team. We are an Ofsted‑registered setting providing high‑quality early years education and childcare for children from birth to preschool age.

✨ Come and take a peek at some of our most treasured moments throughout the day. ✨

From our tiniest babies to our energetic toddlers and curious preschoolers, our Little Explorers love gathering for story time and circle time.

These special moments are filled with laughter, imagination, friendship, and a wonderful sense of belonging. As we share stories, songs, and conversations, children build confidence, develop their communication skills, and create meaningful connections with their friends and practitioners.

At Little Explorers we understand that every child is unique, which is why participation is always encouraged but never forced. Some children love to jump right in, while others prefer to watch, listen, and join when they feel ready. We celebrate and support every child's individual journey, helping them feel safe, valued, and confident in their own way.

It's amazing how much learning happens when we simply share a story, sing a song, or sit together as a group. ❤️📚✨

🌟 Little Explorers: Where Magic, Maths… and a Bit of DIY Genius Happens! 🌟

We’ve had a very busy time at Little Explorers lately and honestly, we couldn’t be prouder of our amazing team (and extended team! 😉).
First and foremost, we want to say a huge, heartfelt THANK YOU to Helena and her wonderful Grandad Fred 🪵💚
What started as needing to cut back the willow tree turned into something truly special. With creativity, patience, and a real commitment to sustainability, Helena and Grandad Fred have worked incredibly hard to transform the leftover wood into the most beautiful natural maths resources for our children.
The time, care, and love that has gone into these resources is just amazing and it really shows. They’ve not just made learning materials… they’ve created something meaningful for our Little Explorers to use, enjoy, and learn from every day. 🌿✨
We are so grateful for everything you’ve done your kindness, effort, and resourcefulness have made a real difference. Thank you both so much you are absolute superstars! 💫
(And yes… Carol Vorderman, you might want to watch this space… our Little Explorers are coming for you! ➕➖😂)
Of course, no great project is complete without teamwork… and Liz our cleaner certainly didn’t stay on the sidelines! She got stuck in chopping wood like a pro 💪—proving she’s not just amazing at keeping everything spotless, but also a total team player (and possibly our new resident lumberjack! 😂).
Team work really does make the dream work!

And we’re not done celebrating yet…
🎉 Nicky – Passed her Level 3 Early Years qualification with a DISTINCTION!
Working full time AND caring for her family… we are in awe. Incredible achievement! 🙌
🎓 Millie – Achieved a First Class Honours degree in Early Childhood Studies!
An amazing accomplishment, and we love that she still comes back to Little Explorers to support us in the holidays. 🌟
📚 Carley – Has secured a place on the highly competitive DfE SENCo course!
A huge achievement and a big commitment—especially alongside a busy family life. We’re so proud! 💚

So much happens behind the scenes at Little Explorers—whether it’s creating resources, learning new skills, or pushing ourselves to be even better every day.
To Helena and Grandad Fred especially—thank you again. Your hard work and generosity mean so much to us and to all of our Little Explorers. 💚

💚Parents, we’ve got NEW resources… and they’re absolute game‑changers!

We know parenting comes with many questions like “Why won’t my child use the potty?”, “Is three hours of Peppa Pig too much?”, and “What even IS school readiness?”

Good news… we’ve got you.

🚽 Potty Training Guide – Starting Reception
https://startingreception.co.uk/potty-training/

Because nothing says “I’m ready for big school” like finally retiring the nappies.

📱 Screen Time Guidance for Under‑5s (GOV.UK)
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-screen-time-guidance-for-parents-of-under-5s

Helpful advice for when you’re wondering if CBeebies counts as a co‑parent.

🌱 Best Start in Life
https://beststartinlife.gov.uk/

A brilliant one‑stop shop for everything from funding and healthy eating to school readiness. Basically, it’s the website we all wish existed when we first became parents.

At Little Explorers, we’re all about giving you the best support possible and making the early years feel a little less like guesswork and a little more like “Okay, I’ve got this.”

You’ve got this. And we’ve got you. 💚

The Potty Training Guide - Starting Reception Potty training is an important milestone in your child’s development. We understand that all children develop at their own pace, but research shows it’s best for your child’s bowel and bladder health to stop using nappies, including reusable nappies, pull ups and training pants, between 18 and...

🌿 We’re Hiring: Level 3 Early Years Practitioner 🌿

Are you a warm, reflective and child‑centred practitioner who believes in slowing down, connecting with nature and creating truly meaningful moments for children?
We are looking for a Level 3 Early Years Practitioner to join our hygge‑inspired nursery, where calm spaces, outdoor adventures and nurturing relationships are at the heart of everything we do.
What we offer
💚A cosy, home‑from‑home environment rooted in hygge principles
💚A strong focus on wellbeing, connection and child‑led exploration
💚Beautiful natural resources and outdoor learning every day
💚A supportive, values‑driven team who care deeply about early childhood

Benefits

⭐️ All bank holidays off
⭐️ One week off at Christmas
⭐️ Hourly rate starting at £12.85 rising to £13.47
⭐️ Local Government Pension Scheme with employer contribution
⭐️ Free gym and swim membership at the Active North Yorkshire, Harrogate District sites.
⭐️ Generous annual leave entitlement
⭐️ High street discounts
To apply please click on the link below

https://nycjobs.engageats.co.uk/Vacancies/I/4626/0/465616/23460/nursery-practitioner

We are ABSOLUTELY BUZZING (picture us squealing, flapping, and possibly scaring the postman) to announce that Little Explorers has been shortlisted for a Sustainability Award! 💚🌍

For eight whole years, we’ve been on a mission to save the planet one tiny pair of muddy wellies at a time. And honestly? We’ve become experts at making eco‑friendly chaos look good. Some of our proudest planet‑saving antics include:

💚Swapping disposable wipes for reusable wipes — because nothing says “we care about Earth” like washing 4,000 tiny cloths a week.

💚Using reusable wet bags for soggy clothes (we see your puddles, children, and we accept the challenge)

💚Breaking up with single‑use plastics — it’s not us, it’s definitely them.

💚Replacing paper towels with reusable cheeky wipes, because trees deserve better than being turned into soggy hand‑drying casualties.

💚Installing an air source heat pump, which makes us feel like we’re living in the future.

💚Choosing wooden resources because plastic toys crack under pressure (literally)

💚Making play dough with natural colouring, even if our hands sometimes look like we’ve been tie‑dye wrestling.

💚Recycling, upcycling, and occasionally turning random objects into educational masterpieces.

👍And that’s just the tip of our eco‑friendly iceberg. Sustainability isn’t a hobby for us — it’s part of our ethos, because there is NO Plan B for the planet. (If there was, toddlers would have found it and hidden it by now.😂)

➡️We are SO grateful to whoever nominated us — we owe you a reusable coffee cup and possibly a hug — and to Your Harrogate, Harrogate AFC, O'Connor Chiropractic and Envirovent for supporting these awards.

🙏🏻The ceremony is at Rudding Park, which means some of our team will be swapping aprons and paint‑splattered clothes for actual grown‑up outfits. Pray for us. ✨

https://www.facebook.com/share/18Z1n1P1te/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Congratulations and best of luck to our shortlisted finalists! 🏆

Happy Mothers Day to all our wonderful mums 🫶💚

🌿 We’re Hiring: Level 3 Early Years Practitioner 🌿

Are you a warm, reflective and child‑centred practitioner who believes in slowing down, connecting with nature and creating truly meaningful moments for children?

We are looking for a Level 3 Early Years Practitioner to join our hygge‑inspired nursery, where calm spaces, outdoor adventures and nurturing relationships are at the heart of everything we do.

What we offer

💚A cosy, home‑from‑home environment rooted in hygge principles
💚A strong focus on wellbeing, connection and child‑led exploration
💚Beautiful natural resources and outdoor learning every day
💚A supportive, values‑driven team who care deeply about early childhood

Benefits
⭐️ All bank holidays off
⭐️ One week off at Christmas
⭐️ Hourly rate starting at £12.85 rising to £13.47
⭐️ Local Government Pension Scheme with employer contribution
⭐️ Free gym and swim membership at the Active North Yorkshire, Harrogate District sites.
⭐️ Generous annual leave entitlement
⭐️ High street discounts

To apply please click on the link below

https://nycjobs.engageats.co.uk/Vacancies/W/2193/0/464587/23460/early-years-practitioner

Our Little Explorers have spent the week sharing kindness in the most beautiful, unselfish way. From choosing flowers and creating their own little bouquets to adding thoughtful handmade touches, they poured so much love into every moment.

The highlight was taking their creations out into our local community, offering them to the people they met and brightening someone’s day with a simple act of kindness. Watching their pride, their smiles and their eagerness to give without expecting anything in return was truly heart‑warming.
No need for last‑minute Valentine’s shopping, our little ones have already set the bar for spreading love🥰

Forget the Love Island villa… our children showed how to spread love properly, one bouquet at a time.

Our Little Explorers had the BEST day visiting the York Railway Museum! We hopped on the bus, jumped on the train, and spent the whole day discovering giant engines, shiny carriages, and all things trains. The children were full of excitement, curiosity, and the biggest smiles.

Parents… just a little warning: If you catch them checking your living room for “Platform 9¾,” we take no responsibility and if they now believe they’re the official conductor of your household, we fully support their promotion.

What a brilliant adventure for our Little Explorers….. where will our adventures take us next?