Childcare setting open but giving DS no sessions

[NoIDontWatchLoveIsland]

DS attends a preschool covering the two years prior to primary school. Usually max 20 kids, but typically there might be 15 or 16 or so on a normal day. Open term time only, similar to school hours.

Have reopened from 1 June but only giving sessions to the 2nd years, those due due to start school in Sept. Have less than half usual numbers in. Govt funding still being claimed for the children who have been given no sessions, and those parents are unable to leave and use funding elsewhere as a terms notice is required.

Communication has been vague and isn't making clear what's limiting the ability to offer sessions to kids in the 1st year (eg perhaps staff are shielding?) Theres vague suggestion of trying to get the 1st years in but with a start date pushing ever closer to the school holidays.

AiBU to be pissed off? It feels like the staff had written off the summer term (most have their own kids) and never really expected/wanted to reopen, but are trying to comply with the requirement to reopen to continue getting funded hours money, while actually offering as little as possible.

My DS is desperately bored at home and really wants to go back. I cant even take the funded hours and use them with DS old childminder so he could have a change of scene.

I think if they had even been able to offer DS a single session (of the four he usually has), I wouldn't mind but nothing? I also would mind less if they gave a good reason eg "we usually have x staff but unfortunately y are shielding therefore we can only accept z% of usual children". But they are not doing this.

Talk to family information services at the council as, from my understanding, funding follows the child and if you choose to go elsewhere, your childminder should be able to claim it. There aren't many weeks left however, so perhaps consider signing him up with a childminder over the summer holidays anyway?

Even if you had the funding, it’s unlikely your old childminder would take your child because, like your preschool, they are following government guidelines and prioritising older children and reducing numbers to social distance.

Things to consider
Staff limits - some maybe shielding themselves or a vulnerable family member, some may not be able to return to work due to their own childcare situation.
Space limits - they may have been told to ensure there is space for social distancing for parents dropping off, as well as for the staff within the building.
Our school bubbles are a maximum of 10 due to classroom sizes. Not the full 15 they can take as it won't work.
I get its hard, I have a 5 and 3 year old both who should be in school but aren't - I am also working but I have to keep coming up with new things to do. Social side of things is tough but it is what it is.

It’s just not fair
??????
It’s a pandemic. There is very little that’s “fair” about it. The setting is following government advice.
The situation is detrimental to lots of people in lots of ways. Not just your small child.

NoIDont
You sound so selfish. Just because someone isn’t in the vulnerable/shielding category doesn’t mean they should have to be expected to work in unsafe conditions before it is safe to do so. There may be no staff off work? Our reduction of sessions and child numbers was due to inadequate space in our building and only having one set of toilets meaning we couldn’t split into bubbles.

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland they have no obligation to explain the medical needs of their staff to you.
To be honest you sound callous and entitled.
The majority of three year olds in the country are going through exactly the same thing.
Providers and staff would much rather be working with the little people they care for and earning a decent living.

How is a pre schooler bored at home? Am I alone in having dc who are happy to play at home?

Yes, I think you probably are unusual but many congratulations on your incredibly easily entertained child

I think YANBU purely because you've not been given a rationale or explanation. If an organisation's going to hang onto your money or funding while not providing a service, the least they can do is communicate.

better that than going back before it’s safe.
Oh my lord. Seriously. Have a read of the statistics. Coronavirus can be very severe for certain vulnerable groups (the very elderly, the obese, those with respiratory conditions) but for the majority it is not a big risk.

We are never going to be totally safe from all diseases. People must learn to live with this risk and assess it reasonably as they do flu or driving a car or drinking alcohol.

Phineyj

It's exactly this. The lack of a proper explanation.

Oh god you’re awful. I am so glad our parents aren’t of your mindset.

But why won’t the nursery allow OP to transfer her funding elsewhere?

Our nursery is open, they are prioritising critical worker children, then those about to go school. Then the younger ones. I think they’ve managed to fit everyone in who wanted childcare albeit some on changed sessions/reduced hours. But they offered to transfer funding for anyone they couldn’t accommodate who could be accommodated by another provider.

Surely it’s not right to take the money when not providing a service? I know they were claiming funding when only open for critical worker childcare but that’s because they weren’t allowed to be open.

Just to let you know, we have 3 members of staff with asthma and one who may be classed as obese. That’s half of our staff. None of these groups have been told to shield. But may have complications.

If you’re so not worried about corona virus perhaps you should volunteer to work somewhere with no PPE 👍

Surely it’s not right to take the money when not providing a service?

It's not.

It's one thing not to offer a child a place, but to try to hold on to his funding so he can't get a place elsewhere is a total pisstake.

"We are never going to be totally safe from all diseases. People must learn to live with this risk and assess it reasonably as they do flu or driving a car or drinking alcohol."

You are absolutely right that people must learn, but you are expecting people not remotely qualified or experienced in infection control/ pandemic management to learn and adapt very very quickly.

The preschool will have to wait for the relevent government guideline's to be published, work out how they might apply in their specific setting, cautiously apply them, test it for a bit, adapt it etc etc, all for barely more than minimum wage ( or for free if they are volunteer committee members or parent governors).

NoIDontWatchLoveIsland they have no obligation to explain the medical needs of their staff to you.

Where have I asked them to explain anyones medical needs?

It is reasonable to expect a service provider to explain, even as simply as "we have some staff shielding. This means we can only accept around half our usual numbers".

I am always so shocked and sadden that a 3 year old can be "bored".
they are into everything at that age! Exhausting they surely are, but them being "bored"? Really?

Funding is term time only. She can claim it back. We had an issue where one of our children attends two settings and the other one claimed the whole of the funding. It is up to the parent to contact to sort it out but she would need to find a place somewhere pronto.

FFS tiny babies can be bored.

It's not normal for 3 year olds to have no interaction with people besides their parents for months. That's not how humans evolved.

My ds is due to turn 3 at the end of July and attend his first year of preschool in August. We do not know if he has a place at our chosen school, whether he will be getting any of his sessions and whether they would am or pm sessions. The school has not heard from the local authority who are working at reduced capacity. The thing that gets most peoples back up is the lack of communication. In our case I understand that the school cannot tell me anything until the local authority (lea) do but the lea have had over 8 weeks now to get themselves sorted with staff working from home or reducing the number of staff working from the office. They cannot put everything on hold indefinitely!

In your case I can see why you are upset, I am lucky that my 3 year old has his sister at home to play with and in my days off I try to include him in work set by dd's preschool. He still needs the interaction with other children though and will hopefully get that soon.

I would look to move your son to a private setting who can claim the hours so at least your ds has some sort of interaction with other kids. I understand the preference for a school nursery but think you will have to compromise as will a lot of other parents. I also think you could try to reach out for an explanation to his nursery about moving his funded hours elsewhere so maybe he could start in August or September (is that a sufficient notice period)? I understand the frustration wholeheartedly.

My child is going to school in September and still can't go to nursery because they won't take anyone who has a member of there household who is vulnerable (not shielding).

I can't help wondering if those mums crying outrage are doing it more because they want their morning of peace rather than their kids being really desperate to go back.

You can always get together with others mums and gave a session together in the park if the issue isc genuibely their missing out on socialising.

You can't really expect them to prioritise your child of pre-pre school age when there are pre schoolers who need to prepare for starting school in September

They don't need to prioritise him, they just need to release his funding.

Have you actually paid them any of your own money or is it just the government funded hours , if so and you are that concerned and think somewhere else will take him why not just pay for a session or 2 per week .