Emily moved to China when she graduated university and immediately began working in Early Years. She is about to start working towards her Level 3 qualification in Childcare and hopes to continue her education by working towards a SENCo or management qualification in the future.

In her spare time Emily loves to read and enjoys visiting the library to borrow books and browse the shelves! She also loves travelling – after spending a long time travelling around Southeast Asia, she is very excited to visit new places now she’s back in Europe! The best meal Emily has ever had was the most amazing, authentic, homemade food from a small Buddhist temple restaurant in Chengdu, China. The monks made all the food themselves and all the proceeds went to a local charity that helped people in the area living under the poverty line. She says the food was delicious and flavoursome and that it was lovely to be able to support the local people.

Emily’s favourite activity to do with the children is anything messy or creative. She loves to set out a variety of materials and watch the children use their imaginations to create freely – it’s incredible to see all the different ideas they have! The thing she loves most about her job is watching the children change and grow over time. She says the children never cease to amaze her with what they are capable of when given time, space and patience to explore and learn and it makes her incredibly proud to work in early years and be part of their journey.

The craziest thing Emily has ever done is moving to China when she was just 21! She had just graduated university and wanted to continue learning Chinese, so she decided to move there to be an English teacher. Looking back now, she says she doesn’t know how she was so brave and courageous to move there without knowing anyone or much about the country, but it is the best thing she has ever done and she doesn’t regret a moment of her time there. Emily’s favourite place in the world would have to be Koh Pha Ngan, in Thailand. It’s a little island off the east coast of the country and it really is just a little piece of paradise! She says she will never forget how beautiful the sunsets were on the beach. It’s definitely her happy place!

Leah has a passion for office work, she finds it rewarding to help people and she enjoys being the first point of call for staff and parents and to help them with their enquiries.

In her spare time Leah loves to craft, she has a never-ending stock of craft supplies and enjoys making gifts and cards. She also likes football and enjoys watching Sheffield Wednesday with her brother. At the weekends she enjoys going on walks and visiting the local parks with her family.

Leah says her best quality is her friendliness, she always tries her best to be positive and friendly.

Her favourite place in the world is Italy, she travelled around the Mediterranean on a cruise a few years ago and visited Rome, Pisa & Florence. She enjoyed the delicious food and drinks and found the locals are very friendly.

Becky has been working at Elmore for over 4 years and is Level 3 qualified. She says that the best part about her job is seeing the children grow as individuals and reach new milestones.

In her spare time she likes to go for walks in the Peak District. Her favourite place in the world is Disney World in Florida as this is the last holiday she went on with her nan.

Her favourite activity to do with the children is messy play, she loves to get involved and get messy with the children.

Becky says that her best quality is being positive and if she could be an animal she would be a sloth as they live a very calm and chilled life most of the time but can be fierce if necessary. She says the craziest thing she has ever done is jumped off a boat into the sea while being on holiday in Turkey, certainly something that takes a lot of courage!