To think closing nurseries would be disastrous?

[Purgatory2021]

I'm seeing it discussed left right and centre, my post was prompted by television this morning.

For many reasons (none selfish) I think it would be disastrous, but the one that stands out to me the most is people's ability to work.

I'm sure there will be plenty of nurses/HCP's/important key workers who rely on nursery to be able to do their jobs.

Not everybody has family that can step in.

Older primary aged children and secondary age children can fend for themselves to a degree if push came to shove, but you can't do the same with toddlers and babies.

All of these replies and no one is showing the least bit of concern for us nursery staff.

Of course people care about the nursery staff. If there was hard evidence that the virus was tearing through nurseries and infecting staff at very high rates, people would feel differently. Also, a large proportion of the replies on this thread refer to the financial viability of nurseries if they are shut down. That means nursery workers’ jobs.

@HOS8595

Your kids that go to nursery don’t deserve a place more then any school age child.

It's not about 'deserving' it's about need. We need certain people working where possible. It's much more difficult to WFHwith babies/toddlers to look after than it is with over 4's.

Under about Y8 it's all much the same as you can't leave them alone if you WOTH.

But the people who can keep their kids home should, not just send them in because they can

I would agreed with you until this week where my son has now been exposed to covid at his nursery. His bubble is now self isolating as three children in his group have tested positive.

I am 38 weeks pregnant and now potentially exposed and was due to be induced in two weeks due to high risk pregnancy.

So I wish to god he had closed the nurseries last week

If they close the nurseries and tighten up key worker status as sone have suggested, either me or DH will be signed off sick. We’re both showing clear signs of teetering on the edge, so it’ll essentially be flipping the coin to see who just doesn’t work anymore. Our employers refuse to furlough, so we are out of options.

@Ilovegreentomatoes

All of these replies and no one is showing the least bit of concern for us nursery staff.

There are other threads on this aspect of the matter.

No nurseries shouldn't close. It will mean more household mixing (for childcare) plus out low paid Heath are and emergency services staff stopping work - totally counter productive.

As it is I've offered to have the primary kids of two friends (who are part time police constables) as their parters are not key workers but they work outsider the home. So no key worker soca side then at their schools.

Im lucky that I'm wfh and senior enough that I manage my own diary. But I can't teach the kids - or help much. So they've got free reign of downstairs and I'm providing snacks and supervision and that's it. If able to log on to their primary work with my spare laptop then fine. Otherwise they'll just watch TV and play the x box.

No way can people do that with nursery kids.

@Meerkatmummy4

I've been in both positions, in the last lockdown i had a nursery age child who was at home and this time i have a reception age child. I do think it's slightly harder with a nursery age child, he definitely needed more attention last time whereas now he is getting to the point where he can be left with his work on his own. It's mad that less than a year has made this difference when he's only had one term in school.

Why is it mad? Contrary to what some people seem to think, children Learn & grow outside out a building called nursery or school. Lots of children around the world don't have any schooling or don't start until much older.

I'm glad he's a bit easier now though, it makes a big difference if you're trying to work.

I can honestly say my 5 year olds isn’t capable of sitting down quietly with a snack it was easier when he was 12 months old

The problem is that grandparents inc me also work!!

@welshladywhois40

I would agreed with you until this week where my son has now been exposed to covid at his nursery. His bubble is now self isolating as three children in his group have tested positive.

I am 38 weeks pregnant and now potentially exposed and was due to be induced in two weeks due to high risk pregnancy.

So I wish to god he had closed the nurseries last week

I genuinely feel for you but surely you understood that was a possibility and you were taking a huge risk still sending him in. Nursery's didn't have to close to realise that. I'm 35wks pregnant, high risk pregnancy, being induced at 38wks and so have withdrawn my 3yr old from nursery for the month of January. I can't take the risk this close to going into hospital.

This is such a complex issue that there really isn’t a right or wrong answer. I’m lucky in that my family have been able to make the choice to keep my almost 4 year old home from nursery because my work and my husbands are allowing us to be flexible wfh and we are fortunately in a position to pay nursery bills without considering asking (I suspect unsuccessfully!!) for a refund. I feel for the nursery workers though, they are just as concerned about the virus and feel like they’ve been forgotten about.

@welshladywhois40

I would agreed with you until this week where my son has now been exposed to covid at his nursery. His bubble is now self isolating as three children in his group have tested positive.

I am 38 weeks pregnant and now potentially exposed and was due to be induced in two weeks due to high risk pregnancy.

So I wish to god he had closed the nurseries last week

I’m afraid that really is on you. You need to do your own risk assessment and at 38 weeks pregnant you probably should have opted to keep him at home yourself. Shutting childcare provision for everyone based on edge cases such as yourself isn’t a solution.

The government has already borrowed billions at near zero interest rates that it will take decades to pay back.

And I don't think people are engaging at all with what that will mean for public service provision in the very near future. It will be total carnage.

It horrifies me to hear people blithely suggest more and more borrowing without even seeming to understand the implications of fiscal policy as it stands.

My nursery is the only one our rural area for under 2's and couldn't afford to stay open for just keyworkers. It's not that I don't care about the staff as I know they are worried about their jobs too.

Sorry that sounded quite dickish! I hope you’re ok

The implicit notion that tax on the private sector pays for the public sector is wrong.

It clearly is true to some degree, however, it doesn't really matter for the purposes of this argument.

Fewer people working (in whatever sector) is fewer people paying tax, more people relying on benefits and less and less money available for public services.

So I wish to god he had closed the nurseries last week

why didn't you just keep him off, you don't need the government to close nurseries for you to do that.

I worry about nursery staff, and of course the spreading of the virus.
It's really hard wfh with a toddler but no more so that it was last year, and if we locked down harder, together with vaccinations hopefully it would be for a much shorter time.
Last year I had my 2yr old at home March-September, me and DH both wfh in demanding jobs, I also studied for a full time degree and was pregnant and pretty sick from June. It was difficult but we managed and there's no signs our toddler was adversely affected by it.

@welshladywhois40, you didn't have to send him, whether they're open or not. How is your choice someone else's fault?

I can honestly say my 5 year olds isn’t capable of sitting down quietly with a snack it was easier when he was 12 months old

Was it easier when he was 3?

For what its worth, I think its fairly catastrophic for KS1 also, but if I had to priortise, it would definitely be toddler provision.

They're closed in Scotland, so we are having to wfh with a 3 and 5 year old! No grandparents nearby and I wouldn't want to put them at risk. It's shit but it's clearly necessary. We'll cope...somehow...

I'm not sure about nurseries causing almost zero spread , there was a case in my son's nursery on the Monday - by Friday is was 5 kids and 3 staff members.

The problems with grandparents having to provide the care if they close is that's risking more spread in that age group

I hope they don't close but I can see it going to key workers only in which case as said, a lot will just close.

My DD’s nursery last year in theory could have stayed open for keyworkers. In reality, they decided it wasn’t financially viable and they closed completely from March through to the end of August. As “luck” would have it, I was unable to work due to ill health. But ordinarily I would have been an NHS frontline professional.... without childcare.

It was difficult but we managed and there's no signs our toddler was adversely affected by it.

Well that's great and everything, but there was poster on here (not sure which thread) who ended up having to strap her 2 year old twins into a buggy in another room for two hours so that she could attend a key meeting. This is the reality for some people.

Boris Johnson has a child about to be of nursery age. Makes it much less likely, especially as Keir Starmer has suggested it be reviewed.

I'd start first by changing from children of key workers going into school to a narrower definition, and only if both parents fit a narrower definition (or a lone parent does).