Will nurseries close now?

[Bathsheba1]

I have seen a increase in news reports about unison calling for early years to close, petitions, SAGE advice that it’s not the right thing to do keeping them open for all.

Do we think they will shut soon to protect the staff?

When I picked up dd today I was told that they had to close. Another mum was told it was due to numbers. So who knows?

It's N Ireland.

Are you paying Made?

ClOsing nurseries will do 2 things... Will make parents that have older children really struggle with home school as you have to give undivided attention to a 2 year old.

Or will stop w parents working from home effectively for the same reasons.... Both of these reasons are Unacceptable for the government.

When the very vulnerable have been vaccinated in enough numbers restrictions will ease. Do you want nurseries closed for a year? Because I would guess that is how long it will take for vaccinations to become available to everyone who wants one, not just those in the critical groups. Restrictions are about reducing transmission levels so as not to overwhelm the NHS. They are not there to stop people from getting covid - they are there to make sure people don’t all get it at once, and to give the very vulnerable a chance to be vaccinated so their risk of serious illness is reduced.
I do think that any nursery worker who is clinically vulnerable should be given the option to be furloughed though.

Who would pay nursery staff wages if they close?!

As a childminder is a scary time.
I welcome 5 children every day into my home.
Nov my whole family had positive tests. One mindee was positive and 3 of her family of 6.
Most early years aren't being tested because they are asymptomatic and it's only when parents show signs that the children stay home. Even then parents aren't getting kids tested.
Gov grant works out about £400 a month and won't pay my bills and if we close for isolation etc I can't charge parents fees.
Everything is scary for me right now yet apparently without early years key workers workers would be in trouble yet we get no consideration for tests or vaccines.
Totally unrecognised job.

Just a thought, the fact that under fives have the lowest confirmed cases is probably because a large number of parents don't want to put their very young children through what is an unpleasant test.

Low confirmed cases doesn't equal low numbers, they are just unconfirmed and not included in the official numbers.

I am a nursery teacher attached to a school and we are fully open. If we chose to shut I presume we wouldn't get funding, and I would be doing myself out of a job. It seemed strange to be the only class open earlier in the week, and I was worried. After having a few lovely days with my class I feel better about it. The fact we're in lockdown hopefully will drive down the transmission of the virus, and make the opening of nurseries safer. I sympathise with staff that are worried in others settings.

Some nurseries are doing a much better job than others at managing the risks. Some have much more outside space and less children. Others have a classroom-type setting with lots of children crammed into a small inside space. There's definitely a case for nurseries deciding on a case-by-case basis whether or not they can manage the risks effectively (with financial support for those who choose to close).

@Chocolatte21

When the very vulnerable have been vaccinated in enough numbers restrictions will ease. Do you want nurseries closed for a year? Because I would guess that is how long it will take for vaccinations to become available to everyone who wants one, not just those in the critical groups. Restrictions are about reducing transmission levels so as not to overwhelm the NHS. They are not there to stop people from getting covid - they are there to make sure people don’t all get it at once, and to give the very vulnerable a chance to be vaccinated so their risk of serious illness is reduced. I do think that any nursery worker who is clinically vulnerable should be given the option to be furloughed though.

It's the same for primary schools though, no one is suggesting they close for a year, so I don't quite understand your point? If community levels are low and there are more mitigations in place, plus the most vulnerable groups have been vaccinated - that is a very different potential situation than the one we are in now.

@Aimee1987

I think they will become only for key workers and vulnerable kids soon. I was surprised they were except. In my case I work in a uni they have counted all university staff as key workers. My sons nursery is on campus so most of the kids in nursery are uni staff kids so i dont think it would change much at all in our case.

Ditto...

@Chessie678

I don’t think the rationale about protecting nursery staff makes sense unless you want to close nurseries until staff are vaccinated. Yes there’s a risk of covid in nurseries but that won’t go away in mid feb. Many staff in nurseries are quite young so won’t be vaccinated for months and children won’t be vaccinated for now.

Better protection for vulnerable staff until they are vaccinated might make sense I.e furloughing them if they request this. I suspect the percentage of nursery staff who are over 50 or cev is quite low.

And if they are closed many parents of young children will be forced into trying to care for them while working which isn’t practical or safe so yet again young children are put at risk. Or parents of young children - mostly mothers - give up work.

On the demographics you're wrong. 25% of childcare workers are 50+ and the average of a childcare worker is 39.

It's hard for those working parents, but I don't think that in can be argued that caring for a toddler and either trying to wfh is actually anymore challenging than wfh and trying to educate young primary aged children. And these parents have had to make the same decisions, work and care or take annual leave /reduce hours/resign. Why are these parents more worthy of continuing to wfh without distraction?

We're all supposed be in this together after all!

@Inacoldclimate

Who would pay nursery staff wages if they close?!

Last time we were furloughed.

No, I don’t think nurseries will close.

Even schools aren’t properly closed with the new guidelines-we have 2/3 of children in some of our classes.

Nope, they won't shut. Not at any cost.

@SamsMumsCateracts

My DS is asthmatic so often has a cough or wheeze. I’ve tested him 7 or 8 times since august (every time he’s had an asthma exacerbation, and a couple of times for random fevers).

Whilst I can’t say he’s loved the experience, I wouldn’t say I’ve “put him through” anything...

@redsky21

Yea but with less funding as a salary percentage than other businesses.

but I don't think that in can be argued that caring for a toddler and either trying to wfh is actually anymore challenging than wfh and trying to educate young primary aged children

Of course it can

Crazy

People have lost their minds over this. A toddler can put themselves in danger at home if not watched

Weird posts just not thinking at all

@Chocolatte21

Schools have not been closed because they are not unsafe. They have been closed to reduce the levels of transmission of the virus, so the number of covid cases. Nurseries can remain open because they do not greatly contribute to the spread of the virus. There will be a degree of transmission but it is not the same level as in schools, particularly secondary. That is why nurseries can stay open. And they should stay open, not just for economic reasons, but because early years education and socialisation with peers is absolutely essential for their development.

Boris???

Have there been a particularly high number of cases associated with nurseries? Haven't seen that reported anywhere.

Toddlers are way harder work than school aged kids 😂

And additionally a lot of the parents who are wfh, home-educating very young primary aged child will have a pre-schooler or toddler in nursery. So as someone said up thread, it makes it impossible for them to help with schooling.
I desperately hope numbers come down ASAP to make it safer for nursery staff. I really appreciate what you do.

I particularly appreciate it when every other little activity we did is gone for now.