Nurseries staying open

[meow1989]

To coin a mn phrase: is Boris on glue?!

So now I will have to pay to keep my toddler off to keep him (and us) safe?!

The reasoning is explained in the early years alliance website link posted by several people upthread. The point is not that nurseries don’t contribute at all to transmission, it is that the minor extent to which they contribute has to be balanced against all the many downsides of closing them.

If I was a nursery worker I would just work with full PPE and socially distance anything less then section 44 health and safety act letter goes in. Child falls over and bumps head then just let him get up himself. If he spends all day crying then fine no cuddles for anyone. That would soon bring things to a close. The problem with nursery workers and I live with one is they care too much and won't stick up for themselves by joining a union. Us software engineers wouldn't be 2 meters from a crying snotty kid in the present circumstances

Someone like you would never get a job in a caring role.

And thank fuck for that, I’m sure we all agree. Stick to the software.

@TheKeatingFive

If I was a nursery worker I would just work with full PPE and socially distance anything less then section 44 health and safety act letter goes in. Child falls over and bumps head then just let him get up himself. If he spends all day crying then fine no cuddles for anyone. That would soon bring things to a close. The problem with nursery workers and I live with one is they care too much and won't stick up for themselves by joining a union. Us software engineers wouldn't be 2 meters from a crying snotty kid in the present circumstances

Someone like you would never get a job in a caring role.

And thank fuck for that, I’m sure we all agree. Stick to the software.

im a software engineer , thanks god we're not all like @Wherehavetheteletubbiesgone

If I was a nursery worker I would just work with full PPE and socially distance anything less then section 44 health and safety act letter goes in. Child falls over and bumps head then just let him get up himself. If he spends all day crying then fine no cuddles for anyone. That would soon bring things to a close.

And what about nappies? Would you leave a child in a dirty nappy all day? I'm fairly sure refusing to care for children in your care is child neglect and illegal. Surely the more sensible route rather than breaking the law would be to inform the nursery manager than you won't be working due to an unsafe environment. If the nursery manager agrees that the environment is unsafe, they will have to close and refund parents.

Actually, a lot of nurseries are taking steps to reduce the risk to staff and children. We've just been informed that the older children at my son's nursery will be spending their entire day outside in the garden from now on and can parents drop off later and collect earlier if possible to minimise the number of children who have to go inside when it gets dark.

Where nurseries have limited outside space and lots of children crammed inside, there is a much greater argument for closing them.

Gosh I know about Forest School and the availability of very warm clothing but, even so, I would not be happy if my son had to stay outside all day in this freezing weather. Keeping windows open for ventilation inside, OK, and spending proportionately more time outside, fine, but all day outside is too much. And my son is 50% Scandinavian!

@CheetasOnFajitas. He's been mostly outside for the past few months anyway as they've been trying to limit it to just the younger children inside for most of the day. He doesn't seem to mind and never complains about the cold. The staff are good at checking for cold hands and feet and we have to send plenty of layers. It makes sense to try to keep numbers inside to a minimum since germs spread more easily there. It also allows the nursery to form smaller "bubbles" and to keep them apart more effectively which is safer for both the staff and children. Even though the restricted hours are annoying work-wise, we're fine with it as a compromise which allows the children to keep attending but reduces the risk to the staff.

I would be happy for my kids to be outside all day, in fact they are when in my care.

Obviously unless there’s a snow storm or ridiculous amount of rain!

Great that you are fine with it @MessAllOver but even with that additional detail it is not a solution that would be acceptable to me, and I would object to paying normal fees for my son not to be allowed inside.

@OverTheRainbow88

I would be happy for my kids to be outside all day, in fact they are when in my care.

Obviously unless there’s a snow storm or ridiculous amount of rain!

You spend all weekend every weekend outside, and eat breakfast and lunch as picnics?

They do have shelters outside, one of which has a patio heater in it. And a reading teepee. And there's a supervised firepit.

If it's a choice between that and the nursery closing, we'll definitely take the being outside! The alternative is 8 hours a day inside at home in front of the TV while I try to work.

I would say a good 5-6 hours every day.

Often a picnic, not breakfast or tea though in the winter!

You spend all weekend every weekend outside, and eat breakfast and lunch as picnics?

We actually do quite a lot of rainy picnics outside . We're usually out for 4-6 hours a day at the weekend. Not a lot else to do at the moment and it helps us sleep better. DS is fine, he has the best outdoor kit of any of us. DH and I are freezing our arses off in inadequate winter coats while DS is warm and toasty in thermals, ski socks and waterproofs.

The shelter, teepee and fire pit do sound a bit better @MessAllOver. Mountain warehouse do very cheap outdoor clothing. I would not spend anything like that amount of time outside by choice but I am, like everyone else, doing more outside than I used to in winter. My life has been changed by buying thermal leggings to wear under my jeans.

Nurseries are being kept open as a political decision, not because they are safe for children or early years workers. Virologist on BBC confirmed this earlier this week.

@Tillsforthrills

Nurseries are being kept open as a political decision, not because they are safe for children or early years workers. Virologist on BBC confirmed this earlier this week.

Which virologist?

The transmission rate is low

@CheetasOnFajitas. Thanks for the tip - I'll have a look. Definitely need to invest in some new kit.

Like your username, btw - does it come from "Never Feed A Yeti Spaghetti"? That was DS's absolute favourite book a few months back (now he likes Gruffalo and the Mog series best).

I thought it was an ‘Oi Frog’ reference?

@MarshaBradyo

www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news/article/coronavirus-sage-scientist-decision-to-keep-nurseries-open-may-be-political

Also if you do a quick google search there’s many that agree but as it’s a political decision.

Thanks it’s odd that he says that I usually listen to Semple

ONS study backs this up
'0-5 year olds continue to have the lowest rates of coronavirus of all age groups. Evidence shows that pre-school children are less susceptible to infection and are not playing a driving role in transmission.

@TheKeatingFive. You're absolutely right, I knew it rang a bell - it's a while since we've read that one! Cheetahs sit on fajitas, cats sit on mats (or gnats?) and frogs sit on...sun loungers .

It’s from “Oi Frog!” There are 5 Oi! Books, all fab, the premise is that animals can only sit on things that rhyme with their names. I don’t know the Yeti/Spaghetti book but it sounds from the title that it might be similar, so will check it out, thanks.

@MarshaBradyo

Yes I agree on transmission for now but with how transmissible this illness is now becoming and mutating it is without question a political decision.

Ah cross post. In the olden days when life was normal we saw the stage show, a theatre-full of kids yelling “Smelly pants!” in response to “what does an Elephant sit on?”. It had a sub plot in which the frog becomes a megalomaniac. Happy days.
Oi Duck Billed Platypus is my favourite.

[quote Tillsforthrills]@MarshaBradyo

Yes I agree on transmission for now but with how transmissible this illness is now becoming and mutating it is without question a political decision.[/quote]
I’ll keep an eye out for updated ONS

Ah in the days of our innocence...

I remember having 20 people crammed in our small, warm living-room for DS's last birthday party. We were tripping over small children and breathing all over each other. DS blew all over his cake and then I cut it up and actually served it to people.

This year, we're having....you guessed it, a picnic in the wet and windy woods! Just the three of us, a large cake and a rabbit named Sid.