The Early Years Academy Loughborough

🌟 STAFF SPOTLIGHT: KATIE 🌟

We’re shining the spotlight on Katie because we simply couldn’t let her dedication go unnoticed! 💛

The dedication Katie shows to her role is second to none. She consistently goes above and beyond, bringing passion, care and commitment to everything she does.

Whether it’s creating wonderful experiences for the children, supporting her team, thoughtfully developing her practice or simply making sure every child feels valued and supported, Katie always gives that little bit extra.

What makes this so special is that Katie doesn’t do it for recognition — she genuinely cares about making a difference. Her commitment to the children, her colleagues and the EYA ethos is clear in everything she does. 🌱

Katie, thank you for always giving your best, for your continued commitment and for being such a valued part of our team.

We appreciate you more than you know! 💛👏

🌟 STAFF SPOTLIGHT: KATIE 🌟

Today, we’re celebrating Katie and her fantastic commitment to her own professional development. 💛

Katie has shown such dedication to her CPD training, and what really stands out is the way she takes what she learns and brings it straight back into her practice.

Following our recent 3B Festival CPD training, Katie returned to nursery ready to put her learning into action. We’ve seen this shine through in her environments, as well as in the way she communicates and interacts with the children.

From creating thoughtful, engaging spaces to using language that supports curiosity, communication and learning, Katie is demonstrating what continuous professional development should look like in practice — learning, reflecting and making a difference for the children every day. 🌱

We are so proud of the passion and ambition Katie shows in her role and the way she continually looks for ways to improve her practice.

Well done, Katie! 💛👏

🌟 Kiki’s Potty Adventure! 🩲🚽

Potty training is a big little milestone, and we know it can bring a mixture of excitement, pride, questions… and the occasional accident! 💛

Some of our toddlers at The Early Years Academy have recently started their potty-training journey, so we’ve created Kiki’s Potty Adventure to help make this new stage feel familiar, positive and fun.

📖 We’re sharing Kiki’s story with our EYA families so you can enjoy it together at home too. Reading the story with your child can help them talk about using the toilet, recognise the steps involved and begin to feel more confident about this new part of becoming independent.

At EYA, we know that every child develops at their own pace. We’ll continue to offer plenty of encouragement, reassurance and opportunities for independence, working closely with you so that the experience feels consistent between nursery and home.

💡 A little tip for home:
Try reading Kiki’s story at a relaxed time rather than only when your child needs the toilet. Talk about what Kiki is doing, let your child ask questions and celebrate their attempts — there’s no need to put pressure on getting it perfect.

Most importantly, remember that accidents are part of learning. A calm, positive response can help your little one feel secure as they build this new skill.

Take a few moments tonight to read the story together. You can access the full story on our website https://theearlyyearsacademy.co.uk/kikis-potty-adventure/

We hope you enjoy Kiki’s Potty Adventure together! 💕
Happy potty training, little ones — one step at a time! 🌈

✨ Celebrating Our Incredible EYA Teams ✨

The evening of our 3B Festival was dedicated to celebrating the people who make The Early Years Academy so special 💗🧡💛💚

During our 3B Awards, we celebrated our teams, recognised individual achievements, honoured long service and reflected on everything we have accomplished together over the past 12 months.

What made these awards even more meaningful was that every nomination and vote came directly from our teams. Colleagues, co-workers and friends took the time to recognise the people who inspire them, support them and make a difference every single day.

Each nomination told a story of dedication, kindness, teamwork and someone going above and beyond. Our winners were decided entirely by the nominations and votes received from their fellow team members, making each award a truly special recognition from their peers.

We are so proud to introduce our 2026 3B Award winners! 🏆✨

Congratulations to every winner, every nominee and every member of our wonderful EYA team. Thank you for everything you bring to our children, families, nurseries and one another.

This was your evening, your celebration and your moment to shine! 🥂🎉

Car Wash Fun! 🚗🫧

The 2-3's enjoyed a fun-filled car wash experience in the garden this week! They used scrubbing brushes to wash the cars, exploring the different movements needed to scrub, brush and clean.

We also introduced a little problem-solving challenge by using the slide as a ramp for the cars. The toddlers watched with curiosity as the cars travelled down the slide, exploring movement, cause and effect and developing their coordination.

Alongside all the fun, this experience supported their gross and fine motor development, hand-eye coordination, curiosity and early problem-solving skills.

A simple garden invitation turned into lots of opportunities for little minds and hands to explore. 💦

The babies have been exploring a new mark-making experience this week – painting on bubble wrap! 🫧🎨

As they explored the unusual texture beneath their hands, the babies showed wonderful focus and concentration as they experimented with making different marks. The experience provided opportunities to develop both their fine and gross motor skills through reaching, grasping, pressing and moving their arms across the bubble wrap.

We also introduced new vocabulary throughout the experience, including “bumpy”, “bubble wrap” and “colourful”, helping the babies begin to connect words with what they could see, feel and explore.

It was a simple sensory experience, but one full of opportunities for discovery, communication and developing little hands. 💛

This reflects EYA’s approach of using sensory-rich, play-based experiences to support children’s exploration and development.

✨ Our Wellbeing Academy at the 3B Festival ✨

Today, we wanted to share some of the beautiful wellbeing highlights from our very first 3B Festival 💗🧡💛💚

At The Early Years Academy, we know that our educators give so much of themselves every day. Through our EYA Wellbeing Academy, we’re committed to creating meaningful opportunities for our teams to pause, reconnect and prioritise their own wellbeing.

We were delighted to welcome Asha and the wonderful team from Gong Space Holistics, who supported our vision of creating meaningful moments of calm and refocus throughout the day.

Our teams experienced deeply relaxing sound baths, guided relaxation and Reiki taster sessions, giving them the opportunity to step away from the busyness, be present in the moment and recharge. 🌿✨

The peaceful sounds of the gongs, bowls, drums and chimes created such a calming atmosphere and became a truly special part of the festival.

Our Wellbeing Academy is about more than one day. It represents our ongoing commitment to ensuring our teams feel valued, supported and cared for—because when our educators feel well, they’re better able to bring their very best selves to the children and families they care for.

A huge thank you to Gong Space Holistics for helping us bring this vision to life and for making the day so memorable for our teams. 🧘‍♀️💫

📸 Thank you to .struck.studio for capturing these beautiful moments.

✨ Investing in Our Teams, Inspiring Young Minds ✨

On 8th August, our EYA teams came together for an incredible day dedicated to developing their knowledge, deepening their understanding and inspiring their practice.

We were honoured to welcome three incredible guest speakers, each bringing something unique and thought-provoking to the day.

🌟 Our keynote speaker, Alice Sharp, inspired us to explore the power of awe and wonder and reminded us how curiosity, imagination and possibility can transform children’s learning experiences.

🧠 Ben Kingston-Hughes challenged us to think differently about children’s behaviour through neuroscience, neurodiversity and SEND. He encouraged us to become curious and compassionate “behaviour detectives”, looking beyond behaviour to understand what children are truly communicating.

🎶 Nicola Burke led a wonderfully interactive session exploring the power of music in the early years, sharing practical ways to support children’s movement, creativity, communication and connections with others.

Our teams gained so much from each session and left feeling inspired, challenged and excited to take new ideas back into their nurseries.

Investing in our educators means investing in the experiences, care and opportunities we provide for every child across The Early Years Academy. 💗🧡💛💚

A huge thank you to Alice , Ben and Nicola for being such an inspirational part of our very first 3B Festival! Also to Star Struck Studio for capturing our incredible day so beautifully! 📸✨ These wonderful moments and memories will stay with us forever. 💗