Has anyone else received notice that their child’s nursery is opening?

[Ethelfleda]

Received an email from DS’ nursery last week. Exact wording:

“The nursery will be reopening on the 11th of May for children who's parents are Key Workers/ Critical Workers and for those parents who are still working and have not been furloughed”

I haven’t responded and am resigned to wait and see what is announced tomorrow. Both DH and I are WFH but just about managing.
Has anyone else received similar?

All those occupations mentioned are either in sterile environments or in places with adults who can at least understand hygiene requirements and social distances.

Little children can’t understand this. That’s why nurseries are more dangerous.

But it is okay for nurses, doctors, shop workers, midwives,food production workers, prison officers, GPs, cleaners, nannies and everyone who works in transport to have some exposure

Yawn. On all these threads you post your bile on Biscuit, you always conveniently ignore the fact that many nursery workers and many teachers are currently working with risk of some exposure. They are also doing their best to help HCPs by making/providing PPE equipment (most Science departments have donated all their goggles and aprons and DT depts are providing PPE). They are also working hard to support vulnerable families.

There are a fair few large and well known companies who are currently putting together procedures to keep their employees safe, including telling people to work from home for the rest of the year if they can, spraying the disinfectant spray (can’t remember the name) around offices twice a day, limiting the use of lifts to employees with specific needs only etc etc etc. All teachers have asked if they can have consideration of safe practices for their workplaces too because at the moment even with some children being in schools, schools aren’t being cleaned thoroughly, PPE isn’t being worn, children are not socially distancing or having their temperature checked and that should cause you to want the govt to provide some basic level of safety for your children. The fact that you don’t means, well,.....

You can keep peddling this fake illusion of teachers as the bad guys preventing you from going about your day as normal but it is complete bullshit. However, if this is how you let off steam and makes you feel better, you crack on love.

I work in a term time only preschool with two other members of staff. We have children aged 2-4 so social distancing from them won't work (and nor should it) but we could between ourselves. What happens though when one of us has symptoms and has to self-isolate 7 days whilst the others have to be off for 14. This means we will have to close for a minimum of two weeks every time one of us gets symptoms. And that's just between the three of us - do we include the children in that or just send them home for 7 days?

Also, my staff have children of varying ages. What happens if the schools introduce staggard days - they won't be able to bring them to work and we can't open as we will be out of ratio. Unless we reduce the children we have in which doesn't help with the parents trying to get back to work. I suppose at least we should know what days we can operate as hopefully schools will stick to when their children will be in and not change it too often. If we open before the summer I think we may just have the older children (school leavers) back but this is not fair on the younger children (plus they are the main source of income as they are fee payers) who will need time to settle back in again.

It has caused me no amount of headaches trying to work out what we do that I may just give it all up and go and find work in Tesco 😀 I hate the not knowing and speculation that is flying around but hope we do get more than two days notice to re-open (unlike closing).

PPE wise - I don't think I will wear a mask (unless we are told we have to) but would happily wear gloves which will be washed like hands during the session. Session times will also probably have to be changed to enable us to undertake cleaning before and at the end of the sessions. We are in a shared hall so would need to do this as we are never sure who has been in whilst we are closed.

But will parents of young children be happy to pass over their children at the door as I'm sure parents will not be allowed In the building.
I can imagine a lot of screaming and distressed parents/toddlers.

@Biscuit0110 there’s quite a range of things that fit between fun and child abuse.

Of course lockdown isn’t fun for them especially at nursery age when they are so reliant on routine for feelings of security and they can’t rationalise what is happening.

To make the jump form not fun to state sponsored child abuse and court cases in the future is ridiculous.

Do you know what would be infinitely worse for a child than being cooped up in the house for weeks with their immediate family? Losing a parent because the carried Coronavirus home from nursery. Can you imagine how that would devastate their entire life?

It’s been 8 weeks, during the worst global pandemic of the past century we need to keep a sense of proportion.

The really sad thing about saying:
"We will be gathering other children of similar ages with likeminded parents to teach them via tutors and other parents.

We will be doing sleepovers/parties and playdates again

We will be organising for sports to resume. Researching local tennis courts and organising classes for other sports. Team sports like rounders etc.

We will be seeing family (not the over 70s and anyone vulnerable) and we will be seeing friends."

is that by doing so, you are actually working AGAINST what you purport to wish for - full return of children to school. Every time anyone does something that increases the R value, the time when it is safe to re-open settings fully gets pushed back. So if you want to actively work AGAINST school openings, go ahead - but don't pretend that you want schools to open soon at the same time. Just be honest and say 'I don't care what the R value is, and I am quite happy for everyone's return to school to be delayed, but I will do what I want to do just because I want to do it'.

It is definitely not OK for transport workers to carry on, no. More London Bus Drivers per head have died than any other occupation. This is an appalling lack of duty of care for them , and that some healthcare workers have protested about lack of PPE, and then died is frankly sickening.. But to say that teachers and other workers need to take risks because bus drivers do is just a perfect example of syllogism.

You sound snooty about the nursery
I don't like the tone of your post.

But to say that teachers and other workers need to take risks because bus drivers do is just a perfect example of syllogism.

And bus drivers have threatened strikes, at least in London, which resulted in only entrance and exit on buses being through the back/middle doors. Not nearly enough to protect them more but it is right they fought as they did, in their place of work to force through some changes. There wasn’t the Mumsnet vilification of them when they did either (quite rightly)
Nursery workers and school staff deserve to have the same opportunity without condemnation.

I wonder if anyone complained of being "disappointed" that the bus drivers wore masks and operate an entry/exit system for their own protection?
Or is that sort of vilification only for teachers?

Biscuit0110

We are not meeting our children's needs at the moment and as time goes by we are damaging our children more and more albeit with the best of intentions.

I can see significant changes in my children. They are disconnected from their community and from their school, I.e, their peers and adults they have formed attachments with. I struggle to see how you can expect young children to interact without physical contact in the long term, that is abusive in itself. Children are the forgotten group in this and children who have parents who are working from home, children with no siblings and children living in abusive homes have a daily uphill battle. Some clearly more than others. 6/8 weeks is a significantly longer time for children in comparison to adults. This virus isn't going anywhere. We need to manage it as sadly we can't avoid it.

There will be details and dates, and I believe a published road map. I can't imagine what the outcry if it was not forthcoming.

Bet you £50 there aren't details or dates.

Lonely you owe her £50...

I didn't catch any details or dates about nursery?

www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/politics/2020/may/10/boris-johnson-coronavirus-lockdown-shops-schools-june-reopening

However, Johnson said his ambition was to get shops and primary schools back from 1 June, starting with reception, year 1 and year 6. It is understood that he would also want nurseries and other early years providers to return at the earliest opportunity.

He didn't explicitly say but I think (hope) they will be going back 1st June, R permitting.

Oyster that’s my interpretation too. Hopefully more details will be released tomorrow!

I didn't catch any details or dates about nursery?

There weren’t about nursery but then that statement about dates wasn’t about nursery, it was general.

The Dept of Education has confirmed all Early years settings are included in the prospective opening dates. Documents are going to be published this afternoon.

Do you have a link for that?

Do you think there will be enough numbers of parents needing/willing to send their kids to nursery (and pay for it). Half full nurseries might not be financially viable and they would rather stay shut and get the furlough pay. Lots of private nurseries didn't want to stay open just for key worker kids.

The main document says
“Schools should prepare to begin to open for more children from 1 June. The Givernment expects children to be able to return to early years settings and, for Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 to be back in school in smaller sizes, from this point”.
(Page 30).

I read that as no reduction in nursery/preschool class/room sizes when they do go back. As distinct from what sounds like class size reduction in primaries.

I think you're right Aardvaark, although I didn't read it like that on my first go.

Just had confirmation from our nursery that they will be accepting all children from 1st June
But no clarity on why they intimated that any child of a working parent (whether at home or not) could attend from yesterday!