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.

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

Sandie

Your detail is helpful thank you.

Our preschool is small. It could only ever have had 2 bubbles even if at normal numbers full time. It only has two rooms and a large garden. There's not a lot to coordinate.

I didnt say I wanted to pick and choose sessions, I would have taken anything.

There are larger settings in our town who have managed to make it work so that all their children (of varying ages) who want to attend can, albeit part time.

I suppose what I struggle with here is it feels like I'm being told to prioritise everyone's needs except my sons. Why is he less important than the staff, the 2nd year children, the cleaners etc. Why is he bottom priority? He is 3 years old and doesnt understand any of this. He isn't bottom priority for me, and I cant help that.

You sound very entitled, of course your son is important, but the health of the staff and cleaners certainly come before him accessing nursery which is why numbers are being kept low. If they over fill the nursery it can make a dangerous situation more dangerous. So they have to limit. We have no choice which children are offered places first.

Big bluebus

Of course. But there were play groups, and rhyme time at the library and sports classes and dance classes and loads and loads of normal places for young children to play together.

This is a good example of where a low risk to physical health is being prioritised over a risk to mental health.

To most adults under 50 without extra health conditions, coronavirus is not a big risk. Even with no social distancing whatsoever.

We are causing huge amounts of damage to people in other ways.

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

Freddiefox I have 2 members of staff who are not willing to return.

What do you mean are not willing to return? Do you mean shielding/vulnerable?

They don’t feel the guidance is safe, they feel that it’s too risky. So have handed their notice in. They feel for the money they get they are putting their health and their children at risk. There are reports to suggest children don’t show symptoms, which in way could be worse.

I understand where they are coming from tbh. The guidance is very contradictory, and the local LEA’s offer no support.

Again, so tell me how other providers are managing it then? All I want is for our provider to better communicate why they are not able to offer what every other nursery and preschool in our town is managing to offer.

If its SO hard as to be impossible, as implied on here, how are other nurseries managing?

It is possible.

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland but there is actually no scientific basis regarding the possibility that children can pass the disease on, os we don’t know whether or not they can spread it. If so that small group of children can spread it families and others who could be badly affected by covid. Just because the under 50s (according to you) aren’t at risk we don’t need to worry about those who are at risk? And what about those who don’t have underlying health conditions and can still catch it and die? They don’t matter either? You are a good example of someone who doesn’t understand child development, it will not affect your sons mental health long term missing a few months childcare at the age of 3. Some children don’t go to nursery until the sept before school and some don’t go at all, they all achieve equally as well later in life

I think you've been perfectly reasonable OP. You're not asking for the moon on a stick, you either want your DS to receive a modicum of nursery time or get your funding back to use it elsewhere. If it wasn't critical for DCs outcomes to go to nursery age 3, I wonder why the government is wasting money on it.

I have a similar situation with an older DS 14. As he isn't in a critical exam year (thank goodness) he has been deprioritised from a school perspective and the quality of work received from his private school is variable and badly coordinated. Totally fine for this when lockdown was meant to be a short term measure, but it's not now and DH and I are working and trying to teach him and meanwhile allegedly many school staff have been furloughed.

I hope you get a decent resolution.

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

Again, so tell me how other providers are managing it then? All I want is for our provider to better communicate why they are not able to offer what every other nursery and preschool in our town is managing to offer.

If its SO hard as to be impossible, as implied on here, how are other nurseries managing?

It is possible.

I would suggest that some nurseries are stretching the guidance.

For example a nursery managed by an friend of mine is having 8 children on Monday, Tuesday. Cleaning Wednesday and a different set Thursday Friday. They are using the same staff across the week. Bubbles shouldn’t be mixing.
She feel she’s has too to keep her business afloat, and justifies it by saying they are cleaning and outside a lot.

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland ok so I’ll tell you want my Nursery is doing. We usually have 24 in one room and 15 in another each day, both rooms are now down to 8 children per room. Once we prioritised the vulnerable and high SEN children we prioritised key workers children. Following that we offered what spaces were left to any working parents of those children going to school in September and then non working parents with children going to school in September. This was government advice. We didn’t have any spaces left for children going to school who have a parent at home or working parents of children not going to school this year. We feel bad about it, trust me it’s not been pleasant knowing you can’t help the parents and children in the way we normally would bend over backwards for them, but this is a public health issue and we have to follow the advice given. The nursery are losing out financially too, there are no winners in this pandemic unfortunately. That doesn’t stop people from thinking they are the hardest done by and jumping g up and down about it though does it?

Why are you assuming the staff and their families are low risk though?
I am 50 with asthma. 1 member of staff also helps out her elderly mother, another has underlying health conditions and another 2 still live with their parents who are older and may have high risks so although the risk is very small for your child and relatively small for most staff it has a knock on effect for their families.

Huge amounts of damage.
Your small child not being able to mix in a pre school setting vs the virus spreading more quickly and affecting many who are vulnerable and may die.
It’s really all about you and yours isn’t it?

Pretty much everyone on this thread had told you why your nursery can only take back a limited number of children and the order the children are prioritised in....but your still not happy because your little snowflake isn't being treated as a priority

Guidelines state my year 6 can go back (his school are offering a rota off 2 school days in then 4 school days off) and my preschooler can go back (when there nursery reopens which isn't until the beginning of July) but my year 4 can't.... does that I can kick off because the government and the school aren't prioritising my year 4 child???? No I don't I'm a grown up and understand we are in a pandemic and we can't suddenly return back to how is was before

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland Please remember all nurseries are different in terms of size, staff and the parents and ages of children they have. These will all dictate how many and which children can return. I know some who are returning more children than our nursery but are moving children around rooms and gardens with massive cleaning in between, or that have the rooms divided into tiny areas were the children are restricted to play. Personally I don’t think either of those scenarios are in the children’s best interests but hey at least all the parents can access childcare right?

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

I said bluntly, I didnt say I had emailed rudely.

I'm happy to be "that" parent.... that pays the extra money they ask for. Or always volunteers for the rota to help out.

But yeah, I'm spoilt and entitled for caring about my son and wanting what is best for him.

We all want the best for our families though. I’m protecting my children, my nursery children, my staff and their families by sticking too and in many parts going above the guidance.

You also have absolutely no right to know how many staff are shielding, for the staff it’s confidential.

The government prioritised certain age groups because it wasn't safe or possible to have all children back at once.
Your child is no more the bottom priority than 7 year olds, 8 year olds, 9 year olds, all the children in Year 7, 8 & 9, Year 11, all children in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

It's a pandemic. It isn't fair.

THIS

Schools only reopened on Monday and a few have already had to close because of pupils or staff testing positive for covid-19 things can't just go back to normal because you want it to and think lockdown was an over reaction

Wolfiefan
Not just me and mine, no. A huge generation of children.

And it's not just about mixing in a preschool setting. Its interacting with any other children at all.

Yea to the sisterhood?
No one wants anyone, male or female, to sacrifice themselves. It is a bit sad that on a predominantly female site if a mother admits that it’s just possible she’s finding a long day with a toddler without any outside amusements, difficult, people pile in and suggest she should learn to parent.

Freddiefox

They dont have to say how many.
They could simply say "we have fewer staff due to shielding".

Its essential information because in all reality, if that's the case, those people wojt be able to work in September either. So I need to know because I need to find somewhere else for my child, and it wont be easy. Its about honest, open communication to allow parents to make sensible decisions.

Fine they are following guidance etc and cant give my son any space at all.

But am I some kind of entitled bitch if setting over there has a space for him and I would like to make good use of it please?

It's not a requirement that everyone be fucked over for the sake of it.

If they wont be able to offer children anything, they should be working with parents to communicate openly and transfer funding etc where other providers can fill a gap.

Yea to the sisterhood?

Only when it’s suits though? Childcare is mostly run by females who are low paid.
No social distancing, no PPE to keep you safe.
But as long as op son gets a place.

Angstridden

I'm happy to have my son all day. But he is craving the company of other kids on some days too and I cannot meet that need.

But they don’t know If they can offer in September, no business would say that either. The guidance could be removed tomorrow for all they know.
They won’t want to give up the funding as they will have used to pay for their staff. As furlough rules are different for nurseries. Again they have followed the rules set out. They are in a no win situation too.
My nursery is likely to close. 8 children nowhere near covers my rent or staffing.

Tbh I’m so tired of the whole thing. The government providing funding that barely covers the wages. Giving with one hand and taking with the other. Staff who get more money working anywhere else and parent expecting the world.

It's too late to transfer funding for this term anyway. Find a new place for September if you can.

What I am not happy for however, is for non vulnerable people/non shielding people to be paid but choose not to work because they are overestimating the risk to themselves.

I very much doubt that this is the issue. The nursery attached to our school is doing the same, only the pre-school children can come in. This is because of space/staffing requirements in the guidelines. No staff ar off, they have all been assigned little bubbles. They can't then have a second bubble at different times or the bubbles are compromised.

Have you read the guidelines?

www.gov.uk/government/publications/preparing-for-the-wider-opening-of-early-years-and-childcare-settings-from-1-june/planning-guide-for-early-years-and-childcare-settings