About Us
Meet our team
Hazel Bridle - Ofsted Registered Childminder, Level 3 Childcare Practitioner, Owner and Manager of Smiley Happy Monkeys
Charlotte Sullivan - Level 3 Childcare Practitioner, Childminding Assistant
Izzy MacKinnon - Childminding Assistant, finishing level 3 apprenticeship
Lucy Smith - Level 3 Childcare Practitioner, Childminding Assistant
Hazel - I am a lucky mummy to 4 children and have been working as a childminder since 2012. Previous to childminding I worked at the John Radcliffe Hospital as a registered Nurse. I left this career due to my beautiful expanding family. I attended a childminding setting when I was growing up and seemed natural to become one myself. Over the years Smiley Happy Monkeys has strived, building up quite a portfolio of mindees I have had the pleasure and honour of looking after. With the support of my husband we have built up my business and now have a beautiful log cabin in the garden especially for the children with their own little garden to play in. Our little team of 4 work incredibly well together and are able to plan amazing opportunities for the children here at Smiley Happy Monkeys.
Charlotte - I have been working and volunteering in nurseries and childcare placements since 2015 where I completed my Level 3 Childcare qualification in Banbury College. After my maternity leave, I decided that I wanted to work in a smaller setting that had more of a family feel to it, I then found myself as part of the Smiley Happy Monkeys, Hazel has created the perfect family setting with flexibility for both staff and families that attend the setting, she has allowed me the perfect environment to further myself, my family and my career.
I am currently in the process of registering for a degree in childhood and youth studies that i will be able to complete alongside working with Smiley Happy Monkeys
Izzy - After completing my GCSE's in 2020 (I received four 8's, three 7's and one 5) , I was so excited to able to start doing something I loved. I've always had an avid interest in childcare and have spent 4 years volunteering at my local Brownie group (ages 7-10 years), Rainbow group (ages 5-7 years) and at The Story Museum (an interactive museum for children all about books!). When I first met Hazel and saw the setting, I knew that Smiley Happy Monkeys was the place I wanted to work. The home-from-home feel, the varied play opportunities and the strong focus on outdoors perfectly aligned with what I thought childcare should be all about. Since I joined in September 2020, I've been working hard towards my Level 3 childcare qualification. I feel so lucky to have worked with so many amazing children already, and I hope to work with many more. My favorite things to do with the children are messy play, reading stories and trips out and about.
Lucy - I have been working in childcare since 2011 when I completed my Level 3 Childcare qualification at Banbury College. Since then I have mainly worked in private nurseries but I have spent the past few years working as a teaching assistant in an Early Years setting in primary school. I have experience in a number of roles such as room leader and nursery deputy manager and look forward to bringing all of the skills I have gained from these roles to Smiley Happy Monkeys. I am currently in my second year of completing an Early Years degree with the Open University and am thoroughly enjoying it. I am excited to join Smiley Happy Monkeys and be part of the team!
All of our team are up to date with the following certificates and qualifications:
Paediatric first aid
Safeguarding
DBS checks
We are also all working towards maintaining and taking on new courses and professional development to make sure our setting is a good as it possibly can be.