nursery - children outside all day in the snow

[jlm122]

I just wondered if any other nurseries are doing this.

Children playing outside all day, on warmer days not a problem but today it's snowed all day, i collected DD and she didn't have her gloves on, her hands were freezing she could barely move them, got her home and got her wetsuit off and her sleeves were wet and cold i'm assuming from hand washing. Feet were freezing, the nursery put a statement out a few weeks ago asking parents not to ask staff to take the children inside as they can't due to COVID.

I don't feel this is right but on the other hand i'm a key worker so need to send her, she's settled and will be starting school in September so i'm not sure if moving her to a different nursery would be the best thing for her.

If it's not a forest nursery then move her. That's ridiculous!

How do you know she was outside all day and. It just for the hour before you collected her?

They're talking bs about not being able to take kids inside ... I can understand dropping at door only,and no parents inside,but the kids can go inside. Are you 100% certain the kids are never indoors? Not for lunch? Etc?

This is the statement that was posted on the app

Well our village nursery has had no cases, and the kids are in and out all day.

How are they unable to follow guidelines? Just keep the parents out... Job done.

Also, did you agree to the parent bit of it?

Mental - where’s the risk assessment for hypothermia?

That is absolutely nuts!!

My girls go to nursery and they are inside for most of the day with windows open at times. They go out to play for an hour or so.

Seems totally insane they are out all day!

Yes i agreed to it around July last year when she went back but obviously the weathers changed a lot since then

And the issue is that your child was cold.

Ask them how she got so cold. if she wrapped up well enough,she should be fine. Assuming the staff are making sure she's not removing gloves/hats and checking they aren't getting cold.

If they won't budge, either put her in thicker socks, layers etc. Or keep her at home.

And their risk assessment needs updating. It's -3, with a wind hill making it -7!!!
Too cold to be outside for any length of time.

Thats not on! Mine who are waaay above nursery age and bundled up came in frozen after 30 mintues

Where are they eating lunch?

So if it was a blazing hot day, they’d be out too?

That sounds grim. I'd absolutely hate to be outside all day.

It’s disgusting. Being cold/cold and wet for long periods is stressful to young bodies. If children are wrapped up properly and dry it’s ok but being cold and wet and no properly dressed (no gloves) is negligent

I work in a preschool and we have continued to have inside and outside play and activities using our usual free flow method. The windows and sky lights are left open for ventilation in the building. The children usually have a choice if they’re inside or outside but if a child is outside and is getting too cold or refusing to wear gloves etc they will be taken in.

Being outside all day in this temperature is not fun for anyone. Regardless of how well wrapped up they are, at some point they would need to go inside to warm up.

Yes she was wrapped up, wetsuit on with layers underneath hat gloves and scarf, but when i picked her up she didn't have her gloves on and when i got her home and took her wetsuit off the sleeves of her jumper were wet and cold which i'm assuming is from when she'd washed her hands. I just wondered if other nurseries were the same or if i should consider moving her

How are these using the toilet? Changing nappies?

I wouldn’t have been able to cope with that as a child or adult. My hands and feet are agony when cold, no amount of “correct clothing” makes a difference. I remember sonny with pain in the snow and not being allowed to go inside as a child so I wouldn’t put my child in that position if I felt they weren’t coping with the temperature.

Where do the little ones sleep? Outside?

My Ds is at school some of the week, they are mostly indoors with windows open

I work in an early units within a school, we do a lot of our learning outside but your setting sounds bonkers!
I feel for the staff, they must be frozen and yes, they can wrap up but I know from literally bitter experience after a few hours the cold is unbearable!
Yes, gloves etc help but children invariably take them off, particularly as they are cumbersome with many activities.

We are currently open as normal and pretty much operating as we always have. The only difference being staff test twice weekly, we clean more regularly throughout the day and the room is well ventilated whatever the temperature outside!

'Early years unit'

This is absolutely bonkers. That email wording seems so unprofessional compared to my DS's nursery. I can't imagine receiving anything like that. Surely not all of the other parents can be happy with it either?

Nope ours isn’t, there is a large amount of outdoor play but they’ve an open free flow door policy so children can chose to be indoors or outside depending on what they want. DD is 18 months and I wouldn’t want her out all day everyday. She’s a full timer at nursery at I’d get it during the summer but now it’s bitterly cold outside.

Even at school they don’t spend all that time outside!

What do they do when it’s lashing it down outside?