What about nurseries?

[Acidrain]

There's huge speculation on schools going back but what about private nurseries?

How are 1, 2, 3 year old going to social distance?

How will the workforce of parents with young children return to work?
Surely, one parent will have to stay home if these workplaces reopen prior to childcare.

@OnlyFoolsnMothers yes - full fees for the nursery we could get her into now as emergency childcare, plus 25 per cent of her old fees at the usual nursery. Completely unfair, but we have no choice, unless I go on unpaid leave and risk losing my job.

Appalling !!!

@MeadowHay That's a terrible situation. Round me, every nursery I'm aware of has stayed open for key workers (or chains have kept one branch open). Also based on mn posts (so not accurate but I've read it a lot) that LAs were helping people find places and there should be sufficient space for all. Agree it's disruptive though.

Ref, fees, I've just read this morning that the CMA is going to include nurseries in its review of things like holiday companies not offering refunds. The gist of it seemed to be they shouldn't be charging if they're not fulfilling their side of the contract. I'll try and find a link. It will be interesting to see how it plays out as the nurseries I'm aware of have asked for reduced fees, but are still asking for money.

Link which mentions nursery fees, even though not the headline

Coronavirus: Watchdog threatens legal action on holiday refunds www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52483453

The LA nursery hubs only take children from the age of 2 here and there are only two, both in the North of the City. We live in the South of the City, I work in the city centre when not WFH and DH works in the South. So there is no LA nursery provision in the central or south of the city. And many keyworkers don't drive and don't have cars, like us, so it's not feasible to travel miles on reduced public transport services to drop kids off at nurseries that are nowhere near home or workplaces and to make it back in time for collection after work.

Will read the link but to be fair to nurseries, some of them may just go bust so what can they do?

Also our nursery is a chain and they have kept one nursery open but it's not even in our city/LA. You have to go on the motorway from ours to get there, in completely the opposite way from where me and DH work. And neither of us drive. So not a solution

MeadowHAy - look at this! www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2020/04/watchdog-to-investigate-coronavirus-cancellation-policies-/

Thank you for this thread. Have been worrying about this as well. My DS is 2 and a bit and loves nursery. I have been worrying so much that they’ll try to enforce social distancing with little ones that just won’t understand and need cuddles. I just want him to get back to some normality, playing with friends.

@edgeware definitely lots of cuddles at my setting and am trying to make it as normal as possible for the under 5s!