About the founder
Hello, I am Yasmin A Darling. I founded and directed Maisie Poppins, an inner city nursery and preschool built on the Early Years Ecosystem model.
It grew from a provider graded Outstanding by Ofsted twice into a four room setting, with around 30 staff and up to 72 children, over more than a decade of direct practice. We stayed open through the pandemic as a keyworker setting.
I am the person you will work with. See how settings join and what it costs, or book a free 15 minute call.
Academic
BA Hons English and Theatre Studies. PGDip with Merit, Psychoanalytic Observational Studies, Tavistock and Portman. PGCert Autism, Distinction, Sheffield Hallam University. Now in further postgraduate training at the Tavistock and Portman: I am in training, not qualified, and not a therapist, counsellor, psychologist or social worker.
Recognised
Ofsted Outstanding, twice. Nursery World Awards, Newcomer of the Year, joint winner, 2014. Outstanding Contribution to Childminding, local authority certificates, 2015 and 2016. Food for Life Early Years, Soil Association, 2016. Winner, Purple Pioneer, Scope Disability Equality Awards 2026. Accredited Living Wage Employer, 2016.
Proven in practice
Every staff member paid the London Living Wage with sick and holiday pay, verified by payroll records. A written, dated ethos in continuous use and development since January 2013. Featured on Channel 4 and BBC News, and commissioned by Famly to deliver a full webinar, "Holistic Approach in the Early Years," with an accompanying top tips handout. Commissioned in 2023 to audit and redesign neuroinclusion across a national family programme for The Forward Trust, proof the underlying method holds beyond one setting.
Platform
Royal College of General Practitioners and Addiction Professionals conference speaker, 2023. Westminster Briefing seminar, 2016. Featured with PACEY. This model has been tested in front of clinical and policy audiences, not only parents and staff.