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?!

Just to say thank you to any nursery staff reading. I’ll be keeping DD(3) at home, while paying. She loves nursery, I think it’s fantastic but we’re in a position to work around her so that’s what we’re doing. Please don’t think that you’re not thought about or appreciated.

@EssentialHummus

Just to say thank you to any nursery staff reading. I’ll be keeping DD(3) at home, while paying. She loves nursery, I think it’s fantastic but we’re in a position to work around her so that’s what we’re doing. Please don’t think that you’re not thought about or appreciated.

Thank you

I'm so pleased that all you parents are happy to send your children but spare a thought for the ey staff. We have no ppe, no vaccine, no social distancing. I for one feel like we simply do not matter. Whoever said the staff are mainly younger what an outrageous generalisation

The people saying nursery isn't critical for child development- maybe so but only if you are able to devote meaningful time to nurturing your child at home, and also expose them to a range of stimulating experiences and activities. None of which is possible while spending all day on conference calls and also while being in lockdown with no chance of socialising/toddler groups/trips to the farm etc.

.-why would you send your kids out in the midst of a pandemic? If you didnt have to?

Many people have to in order to keep their jobs and keep a roof over their heads. Should they really keep them off nursery and plunge themselves into poverty instead? . I doubt workplaces will be as flexible this time as it's open, I would not judge anyone sending their child in.

I too (like @Pl242) would have appreciated some explanation and data as to why it isn’t necessary to shut nurseries.
I’m pregnant. I obviously don’t want to get sick at this stage. I had Covid 9months ago and suffered badly.
So, now I’m faced with pulling my son out of nursery but still paying £1500 a month.

I can’t afford to stop working as I have to pay the fees. And I can’t afford to get him some 1-to-1 care which would be less risky than an environment with 25kids.

The govt has thrown all sorts of money at all sorts of businesses over the last 9months. I don’t understand why more isn’t being done to help parents who can’t take the personal risk and to support the workers.

@rhowton

It's because you cannot work effectively with under 4/5s at home with you. Nurseries are low spreaders, and statistically, staff members are younger. I'm pleased that I can continue to work!

This !!! Me too

Me me me. We are all in this together eh? Obviously not by the look of these comments. Stay safe in your homes. Be relieved that us low paid, non unionised, Early Years Teachers will be opening our doors tomorrow because the government don’t want to pay for us to close them. It’s beyond comprehension why we are opening and if I’d read just a little support and empathy from parents appreciating the risk we are putting ourselves (I’m 52 so don’t count as ‘young’) and our families at I would at least feel a bit better about the situation. But as I said. It’s all me me me out there. Thanks guys.

Thank you

@Bubblejames well said! Plus government doesn’t want to pay us to close or open as they won’t fund places for children not attending

The comment about us all being young and therefore healthy really made my blood boil and gets a for being most ignorant comment of the day.

@Bubblejames your reply was all about you tho, and how this affects you.

Other parents are thinking of themselves and their situation.

I hope throughout all this you never ordered anything online? Or a takeaway. Because then you weren't really thinking about the delivery drivers, factory workers etc.

I manage child care practitioners in various crèches- I am horrified reading some of these posts and the utter selfishness shown. The ladies who work for me are mostly 50 plus- kind compassionate ladies who want to be in work. But I am worried sick for them. If they get Covid they might not be ok.
They will come to work- but that is an equalities issue- they are at work as they need the just above minimum wage salary they get.
People really should think a bit more before writing about how happy they are. What if it was your mum being forced in to work to look after someone’s child as they needed a break or found it too hard to juggle working from home between them and their partner.

Red flags- idiotic comment. Delivery drivers are not in a room all day with multiple children from different families and no PPE- staff don’t wear PPE so as to be child centred.

@MissMarks

I manage child care practitioners in various crèches- I am horrified reading some of these posts and the utter selfishness shown. The ladies who work for me are mostly 50 plus- kind compassionate ladies who want to be in work. But I am worried sick for them. If they get Covid they might not be ok. They will come to work- but that is an equalities issue- they are at work as they need the just above minimum wage salary they get. People really should think a bit more before writing about how happy they are. What if it was your mum being forced in to work to look after someone’s child as they needed a break or found it too hard to juggle working from home between them and their partner.

Ofc I’d not be happy if my mum caught COVID If she worked in a nursery However , I won’t be happy neither if because of rhe anxiety of juggling childcare and working full time I fall into depression like I nearly did back in spring.

Some people forget that it’s not only out there what people are suffering from. That the mental health consequences many of us will suffer because of this pandemic might quite damaging.

I’m really grateful for the workers from my nursery’s son. However, I’m glad about the current decision , it might be selfish , but it’s the one that suits my family.

I appreciate I’m coming at it from my own perspective but early years teachers really can’t operate in a Covid compliant way (unlike other businesses). We can’t social distance from each other or the children. PPE is neither practical nor really appropriate. It’s just not possible to keep safe. The closing of schools illustrates this. Of course it’s hard to work from home but my point was that a lot of people were complaining about the prospect of nurseries closing and making light of their delight that nurseries are being forced to stay open. Despite the challenges of being at home you are able to keep yourselves and your children safe. We need to appreciate all of the people who don’t have this option. Early Years Professionals, Delivery drivers and factory workers alike.

Easter- this is not normal times. Of course people’s mental health is effected, but right now we are right at the very bottom of the hierarchy of need- food and housing. The rest just has to wait until the pandemic is resolved. Mental health is irrelevant if you are dead from a preventable virus.

@MissMarks

Easter- this is not normal times. Of course people’s mental health is effected, but right now we are right at the very bottom of the hierarchy of need- food and housing. The rest just has to wait until the pandemic is resolved. Mental health is irrelevant if you are dead from a preventable virus.

COVID is irrelevant if you’d most likely catch it asymptotic but you commit suicide because you can’t take it anymore

And also- I think ‘mental health’ is being brandished about far too much. It is shit and people are low, but as someone who grew up in the north of Ireland during the height of the troubles- this is nothing, and no one ever mentioned mental health!

@MissMarks I was going to reply to your comment on my comment but I see you are extremely ignorant.

I think nursery staff should be given the option to take furlough. Those who want to stay and work, could do so but then you aren’t asking people to take risks for you if they prefer to keep safe like most other workers.

@Tumbleweed101 yes, we have been told that disiplinary action will be taken as it means that staff havent been distancing properly. If too many people are off it affects the running of nursery. Even during the summer months it became policy that staff were not allowed to meet up outside of work (within government distancing guidelines) or for a bubble with any other staff or family who used the nursery, even if related. Our immediate management are quite anti testing as it means staff would be off. Also no payment for isolating. It's shit.

As a manager in a nursery , I ask you for a second to think of the staff who are putting themselves and family's, some of whom live with vulnerable people, at risk everyday. Of course we understand how difficult it is to work with younger children at home. However the comments I read about nursery children not catching this, is ludacris. They are....
Our younger children do not understand the term 2 metres away...nor do they understand about not needing cuddles and physical contact with thier keyworker.

So I ask you again before commenting on a thread like this, to take a second to respect every nursery worker who has worked from day one of this pandemic to support family's so they can work. Its time we are listening to aswell.

Also please think of staff. If we are open we should at least be allowed measures like PPE. We feel forgotten about and ignored.

I suspect the government can no longer furlough people.

They cannot keep paying for people to sit at home and not work.

Most nurseries expected fees still to get paid last time to keep your child's plaice.