Have nurseries & schools had new rules?

[Shitfuckoh]

Dropped my youngest off at nursery earlier & overheard a member of staff telling another parent that the child would have to go in alone, staff can no longer hold the childrens hand or cuddle them etc.

Is this just our school or is this a whole school/nursery thing now? It wasn't the case on Friday!

[Char2015]

A lot of schools and nurseries have already been doing this. Perhaps the nursery have updated their risk assessment and this is the outcome.

[McCheney73]

Mine son's nursery are not doing this. When he went in the other day he was unusually really upset and they took his hand and gave him a cuddle.

Reading this makes me quite sad... the poor children.

[NewtoHolland]

Our nursery still cuddle the children.

[StellaGib]

Individual settings will have their own risk assessment.

[AlexaShutUp]

I think lots of places are updating their risk assessments due to the rising numbers. It's to be expected, really. Sad for the little children, but they have to do what they can to minimise the spread.

[mynameiscalypso]

Our nursery updated their risk assessment last week - partly because of the various announcements but also because they'd had a couple of babies and members of staff off waiting for tests. We've been doing the handovers outside the building for a while now but they've started checking temperatures when you drop off the children now which makes a lot of sense. I think they're still cuddling etc - it would be hard not to especially with non-mobile babies who need to be picked up etc

[Littlefish]

The nursery I support are not allowing parents to come into the nursery when they drop their child off. However, staff are definitely still hugging the children and holding their hands.

However, a previous poster is right, that each setting does its own risk assessment and there may be specific reasons for their rules.

[yawnsvillex]

What do the babies do that can't walk? Crawl in?

[Char2015]

@yawnsvillex

What do the babies do that can't walk? Crawl in?

They are handed over to one of the staff.

[MRex]

No change here. The change to prevent parents going in has been in place throughout, parents queue outside distanced and in masks, with a one-way route. At DS's place the toddlers can choose to be carried / hold hands / walk by themselves depending on how they feel each morning.

[LindaEllen]

God, I can't imagine how awful this must be for the kids. The little ones won't understand why they're not allowed cuddles anymore.

I honestly think if we're going to allow nurseries to open we should try to make it as normal an experience as possible.

There are lots of cases where the action for prevention will have worse consequences long term than the actual virus - and this is one.

[MRex]

I don't actually see how nurseries can function without giving little ones a cuddle. It's inhumane and studies have proven that lack of affection negatively affects brain development. DS could not have bonded with staff if they hadn't been able to hug him when he first started and was missing his mummy and daddy.

[Marisishidinginmyattic]

I think that’s awful. If they are in the same room with the children, they’ll catch it anyway. Denying them physical contact is so cruel.

[AhGoGo]

We’ve had to start wearing masks at drop off/pick up (fair enough) but no changes otherwise.

[RepeatSwan]

There are lots of cases where the action for prevention will have worse consequences long term than the actual virus - and this is one.

Trouble is we can't ask a staff member who is ecv to risk serious ill health at work, and close contact with lots of children who may have the virus is a serious risk factor.

I agree the children will be confused and potentially upset.

I don't know what the answer is, but there are two important problems here - how do children get the right care and how do staff get the right protection.

Government has spent months trying to avoid the tough issues this virus raises.

[missyB1]

We aren’t allowing parents in, but we spend most of the day holding kids hands and cuddling them! Our room are all two year olds but I still seem to end up with one permanently attached to my hip every day.

What is annoying me though are the parents who block the doorway, refuse to socially distance and ignore the signs.

[Shitfuckoh]

Thank you all.

We haven't been allowed in the building throughout all this. Markings on the pavement outside that all parents are sticking to (around the other side of the building for the school side of things is a different story!)
They were holding hands to walk the children in last week and cuddles/sitting on knee were aplenty.

Today my youngest was sent from the member of staff at the gate to the one at the door & no holding hands at all. Where as last week they held hands / carried children in.
It will be due to latest risk assessment, just makes me sad. They did say that they won't leave a child in distress but my DC for example likes cuddles if he's missing me/his siblings. As he won't be in any 'distress' then he won't be getting that.

I understand why, I really do, I just can't help feel sorry for the DC.

[MRex]

I don't understand why and think it's a very extreme position to take that does not consider the welfare of the children. The emotional damage for young children can be very severe and it's actually worse to have cuddles withheld when they used to be given, in other situations that would be deemed abusive behaviour. They still have nappies to change, still need to cuddle a child in extreme distress (amazing berate to give kids - throw a fit if you want a hug) and are still in the same room all day. There are other options to shield ECV e.g. only do outside duties, carrying meals between rooms, dedicating certain other staff for cuddling etc. This balanced against all evidence to date of the much lower risk of spread from little ones, including in nurseries that have been open since June/July!! To be honest, I'd remove my child and find somewhere else if his place did this, it makes me feel sick to think of upset little ones not being given a hug and I can't believe people inventing those policies have children's welfare in mind.

[MRex]

*lesson not berate

[MaxinesTaxi]

I wonder OP whether the staff were talking about certain members of staff not being able to do that where it was across bubbles. At my son’s nursery he waits for one of the staff members from his own bubble to come - it can’t be just anyone - but the staff in his bubble cuddle and hold him. If someone else did it I imagine they might have to do it without contact. I think it’s overkill myself but they have to adhere to the rules to be able to operate

[Shitfuckoh]

@MRex
It's a pre-school nursery attached to a school. So 2 years + but most are 3 years.
There is at least 1 member of staff that was shielding previously. We're in an area with 'Local restrictions too'.
So when I say I understand why, it's coming from that angle. I don't understand the need to deny a child even a hand to hold on a morning, when they really don't want to go in to nursery (for example).
I was torn about sending him but decided to give it a try. I have been & will continue to take it 1 day at a time but if I'd heard there was no hand holding etc before sending him, I don't think I actually would have.

[Shitfuckoh]

@MaxinesTaxi

I wonder OP whether the staff were talking about certain members of staff not being able to do that where it was across bubbles. At my son’s nursery he waits for one of the staff members from his own bubble to come - it can’t be just anyone - but the staff in his bubble cuddle and hold him. If someone else did it I imagine they might have to do it without contact. I think it’s overkill myself but they have to adhere to the rules to be able to operate

There's a 2 year old room & a 3 year old room.
There's no distancing between the rooms at all. The full pre-school / nursery is 1 bubble.
On the day of his visit, there were 24 children in the 3 year old room, 5 or 6 in the 2 year old room (but they go between the rooms after all children arrive for the day). I think there's something like 6 members of staff too.

So basically, there's only 1 bubble so that's not the reason

[Spacemonkey2016]

We've not been allowed in throughout, but they have still been hand holding/cuddling. Not that my near 4 year old needs cuddling much from nursery staff, but my little girl will only be 11 months when she starts in Jan. If they implemented a rule like this, I just wouldn't send them in. I wouldn't be able to work worrying about them, so may as well have them at home if it came to that.

[whatswithtodaytoday]

That seems utterly mad when they'll catch it from being in the same room anyway. Is it just at handover? I would assume unless told otherwise that careworkers in their bubble can cuddle them.

Our nursery (private so babies as well) is doing all handovers outside, parents stay 2m apart, no parents inside the building, but handovers are done by whoever is around (usually the office staff).

[MRex]

@Shitfuckoh - especially as an adult face can be over a meter from a 2yo's face while holding a hand, then just anti-bac! Mine is a similar age, I would politely raise concerns and ask them for their risk assessment on the policy to understand how they felt they were mitigating the negative impacts on the children in their care of withholding affection.