Action for Children
Early Years Practitioner
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Early Years Practitioner
Salary
£25,949 per annum pro rata.
Contract/Hours
Permanent, Part Time Annualised Hours (working 32.5 hours a week).
Annualised Hours Contract – Consistent Pay All Year
- You work 48 weeks of the year.
- Your salary is paid evenly over 52 weeks, giving you consistent, predictable monthly pay.
- You receive a 4-week block of paid leave in the summer, in addition to annual leave entitlement.
Benefits
- 29 days annual leave PLUS bank holidays pro rata, with up to 5 additional days for continuous service and option to buy or sell leave.
- Gain professional qualifications and excellent training/development opportunities.
- Flexible maternity, adoption, and paternity packages.
- Pension with up to 7% employer contribution with included life assurance cover.
- Staff discounts and Blue Light Card eligibility with 15,000 national retailer's discounts.
Location
Ballymena, Northern Ireland.
Specialist Training & Professional Growth
- Ongoing CPD opportunities to develop your skills and confidence.
- Supportive environment focused on reflective and high-quality early years practice.
About the role
Ballymena and Little Steps SureStart are seeking to recruit a dedicated and enthusiastic Early Years Practitioner to join our Play and Learning (Crèche) Team.
The successful candidate will work as part of a committed team to provide high-quality, child-centred care and play-based learning experiences for children from birth to 4 years. You will contribute to creating a safe, nurturing, inclusive, and stimulating environment that supports children's learning, development, wellbeing, and emotional needs, while promoting positive outcomes for children and families across the Ballymena and Antrim areas.
This is an exciting opportunity for an Early Years Practitioner who is passionate about supporting young children's development and committed to delivering high standards of early years practice.
You will work closely with Family Support Practitioners, Health Visitor and Speech and Language Therapist. This offers a unique opportunity to learn from other disciplines and deepen your understanding of children’s development.
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Requirements
Applicants must hold a Level 3 in Childcare (or equivalent), have relevant voluntary or paid experience within an Early Years setting and demonstrate strong knowledge and understanding of child development, safeguarding, health and safety, and equality practices. The role requires excellent communication skills, the ability to work both independently and as part of a team, and flexibility to meet service needs.
How you'll help to create brighter futures
As an Early Years Practitioner, you'll be:
- Help create a safe, welcoming, and stimulating play environment.
- Plan and deliver age-appropriate play opportunities as part of a team.
- Encourage positive parental engagement.
- Prepare and maintain indoor and outdoor play areas.
- Act as a key worker, completing observations, developmental records, and home visits.
Let's talk about you
Our job description for the Early Years Practitioner outlines the requirements of the role but the ‘must-haves' are:
- Hold Level 3 in Childcare (or equivalent).
- Have relevant paid or voluntary experience in an early years setting.
- Demonstrate knowledge of child development, safeguarding, health & safety, and equality and inclusion.
- Communicate effectively, work as part of a team, and show flexibility to meet service needs.
Contact
Email us at recruitmentservice@actionforchildren.org.uk quoting reference 13390.
Closing Date
Wednesday 29th July 2026.
Please note: Interviews are planned to be held week commencing 3rd August 2026 in Ballymena.
Please note we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.
Talent Pool
We know talent when we see it. But sometimes we find the right person but not for the right job. We'd love to keep your details for when the right job comes up. Let us know if you'd rather we didn't.
To be eligible for this position you must complete an Access Ni Enhanced Disclosure
Having a criminal record will not necessarily be a bar to obtaining a position.
A copy of the Access Ni Code of Practice can be found here.
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Diversity, equality and inclusion
At Action for Children, we're dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. We actively encourage applications from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic and disabled candidates as they are under-represented within Action for Children. We want to take deliberate and purposeful action to ensure equal opportunity to all groups in society and for Action for Children.
Male staff are under-represented within our Children Service roles. We would like to encourage more male applicants for our Children Service roles.
Don't meet every single requirement?
If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with the job description, we'd love you to apply anyway. You might just be the perfect person for this role, or another role within the Action for Children family.
Want to know more about Action for Children?
Find us on Linkedin, Facebook or YouTube to get to know us better.
Job Description [https://actnforchildren.sharepoint.com/:b:/s/Employee_Recruitment_Information/ETKp6GbdfdRHnTCukjCeEnwB8YsVCkkX_icOdXlbfOxMGQ?e=45pcAs]
See below for further information about working with us:
- Action for Children Employee Benefits [https://fa-evrg-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/cs/idcplg?IdcService=GET_FILE&fldFile=fFileGUID:1C4B42CBF404E1D732B45E2934BFA235&fldBrowsingMode=contribution]
- AfC Commitment Statement [https://fa-evrg-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/cs/idcplg?IdcService=GET_FILE&fldFile=fFileGUID:DE3442BDED111C3501F5DA7BBAB815B8&fldBrowsingMode=contribution]
- Action for Children Northern Ireland Booklet [https://fa-evrg-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/cs/idcplg?IdcService=GET_FILE&fldFile=fFileGUID:5867C8658DA84E960460CC5DE8EDF3A8&fldBrowsingMode=contribution]
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