Sir Keir Starmer calling for nursery closure!

[Boogie5678]

Sorry I’m not sure how to link this but it’s on BBC news.

The closure of schools and nurseries affects mainly women and as such the impact is largely ignored

How do you work that out? The WFH requirement applies to men and women and if men are leaving the women to do all the child care and work full time then those men need to step up to the plate and do their fair share.

Gypsy you’d be taking keyworkers out of the workforce. Which is like taking your military jets out of the fight - given your Hitler mention.

Do you want ICU doctors and nurses to stop work if they can’t get childcare?

I'm guessing a lot of people feel sick with fear at the moment about lots of things - income, instability, mental health, going to the supermarket with limited restrictions (for some!?). I feel sick with fear about OH going to work every day in the supermarket but we can't shout for them to close and call everyone who uses them selfish?!

I would hate for any of the staff at my DCs nursery to become very poorly but unfortunately we're all taking daily risks at the moment that we're not comfortable with. If nurseries close so do the careers, livelihoods, businesses of many others. The staff feeling unsafe is another unfortunate consequence of Covid but it's not a reason to shut down. We all feel unsafe at the moment I'd argue! But unless the government is going to subside us all then some work must go on.

I don't know a single case of COVID at the 10 nurseries in my area. They need to stay open for working parents. Employers aren't being flexible this time. You can't work full time from and look after an under 4yo, its dangerous as the child is left for long periods with very minimal supervision. For me, if the nurseries close i will just claim my key worker space, i'm not WFM and doing childcare again

[quote Remmy123]@rustyhinges. Do you have toddler age kids?

It's not that easy just to take it in turns if you are in conference calls - if only it was that simple!!

Also having to home educate older children too

You haven't a clue!! 🙄[/quote]
It's not that easy no but it has to be done.

I no longer have toddler children but when they were small I was a stay at home parent and postgraduate student and managed to do both without using a nursery. You learn to juggle working/studying and looking after children and that's something we have to do now there is a serious pandemic.

@Jacketpotato84

I get that but then children who get support is dependent on the parents job title.. is that fair on the children?

Maybe some parents need to look into their priority further more.. does your job allbiet that you worked really hard for and enjoy or your children's wellbeing and education most important?

If families truly looked at it like this, there would be even less NHS staff than there are already.

Is my job vital - yes, there is no one else to do it and I'm managing a large critical nhs service, including looking at vaccinations and keeping people out of hospital.

Is it more important that my children's well-being - nope, nothing is. So what do you suggest I do? Furlough is not an option, it's unlikely unpaid leave would be agreed at the moment (have enough trouble getting 1 day annual leave). However, DHs salary is more than mine and so we could manage without mine for a little while but not his.

I'm already tweaking peoples hours so that they stay in their job rather than leave completely, and get complaints from patients relatives that there loved one is not see quickly enough - they don't care that our staffing has reduced because wrap around care has stopped and staff's partners earn more.

Tell me - what should people like me do?

The prospect of losing livelihoods / house for some is real - and all the other harms.

More real than the fear a not old non CEV person should feel. This is largely manufactured atm as it’s the only tool we have.

When we have the vaccine rolled out to even first phases we won’t need to be fearful and feeling unsafe won’t be a factor.

How do you work that out? The WFH requirement applies to men and women and if men are leaving the women to do all the child care and work full time then those men need to step up to the plate and do their fair share.

Absolutely. Do let me know how you get on dismantling the patriarchy.

@MarshaBradyo

Gypsy you’d be taking keyworkers out of the workforce. Which is like taking your military jets out of the fight - given your Hitler mention.

Do you want ICU doctors and nurses to stop work if they can’t get childcare?

Yes, if it's necessary, but if both parents have front line jobs, they'll have to cut hours. I'm sure many people could place themselves in this position ito jobs/ careers. Some, are able to see that when you have children you are sort of responsible for their care, you know, where nobody else can be expected to. The level of entitlement from some parents is astounding.

Maybe some parents need to look into their priority further more.. does your job allbiet that you worked really hard for and enjoy or your children's wellbeing and education most important?

I am not a key worker or anything close. But six people’s jobs depend on me doing mine, so it is far more complicated than your comment suggests.

Gypsy all I can say is thank god you are not in any sort of position where what you are typing matters.

Crazy. You would make everything worse due to some strange bitterness over ‘entitlement’ of parents working.

U.K. is not alone in ensuring key workers can work.

Anyway the posts are laughable and best left there.

More real than the fear a not old non CEV person should feel. This is largely manufactured atm as it’s the only tool we have.

You are spot on. It’s a terrible shame that government messaging has left us with this.

rustyhingesCan’t you see though that would have been an entirely different situation? I’ve done a masters with a baby and it was a pile of piss compared to working with two small children during the pandemic. 1 because we could still go out and have a normal life in every other respect 2 there was a chance for others to help out 3) while post graduate study is important, the repercussions aren’t the same as being sacked and 4)it was easier to stagger as I did my dissertation at evenings and weekends when my husband wasn’t working. Most jobs don’t really allow you to do that.

@GypsyLee ah there we have it. You have much older independent children.

You know nursery age kids are not the ones driving rates up don't you.

You actually are clueless - this does not impact you at all, a few nursery kids staying in nursery.

You obviously didn't have a stressful job or a job at all wheh your kids where nursery age otherwise there is no way you wouid be saying this.

Yes, if it's necessary, but if both parents have front line jobs, they'll have to cut hours.

You say that as if it's an option. I doubt you would bw as cavalier if you needed a front line worker and were told sorry they cut their hours so we are down to even less than skeleton staff.

The level of entitlement from some parents is astounding.

I dont see hoe wanting childcare so you don't lose your job and potentially your house or have to face neglecting your child whilst you try and keep a roof over their heads is entitled.

The only people baying for the nurseries to be closed are the people that DON’T have nursery aged children! It’s very easy to forget how demanding an under-5 is, and many people are trying to do a full time job at the same time. It’s impossible.

A lot of these discussions assume that you have one 3 year old to keep occupied while two of you wfh. That would be hard but let's not forget that there are a range of situations:

Single parents
Couples where one has to work elsewhere
Families with more than one under 5 year old (we are in this bracket)
Families also trying to home school

The weather also makes it really hard - you can't tire the kids out outside and then rely on a good nap etc

Why is it "entitlement" to want a service that you're paying (through the nose) for?

Yes, nurseries may need to shut, but I don't see how it makes parents "entitled" to be afraid of the consequences. Ultimately, we would all prefer the services we need to survive and to run our lives to remain open... whether that is schools, supermarkets, dentists, banks, parks or nurseries.

I could equally call people here "entitled" for going out to exercise or for going to the supermarket rather than having shopping delivered... You put others at risk when you do those things but to you they're "essential".

What exactly are parents doing that is "entitled"? They're using a service which they're paying for. If nurseries are unsafe, it is for the government and for nursery owners to make the call, close them and refund parents for the undelivered service so they can buy alternative childcare.

It is a bit strange that people are quite happy to see essential services cut back during a pandemic just so the ‘entitled’ parents working those jobs don’t get an ounce of support. This situation is doing strange things to all of us I suppose.

I think there was an article in the Guardian key workers having a rapid test twice a week. Not sure if it's just been suggested or is actually happening.
Presumably nursery workers would be entitled to that. Not sure if it would help them feel safer (think it's only England though not Scotland or Wales).

@rustyhinges ah there we have it - you didn't have a job.

Post graduate degree is nothing compared to working full time with a toddler and homeschooling others .. you realise that don't you?

If nursery kids were driving this I wouid absolutely want them to shut but there is no evidence of that.

@IfNotNow12

It seems everyone’s finances are more important than the lives of Early Years workers. Are most nursery workers lives at stake though? I know a hell of a lot of people livelihoods are at stake. Someone else mentioned that they feel "sick with fear" when they go to work in a nursery? Can I ask why? If you are diabetic, or over 70, or very obese and over 50, or undergoing chemo, could you not get furloughed on those grounds? I genuinely don't know, so would be interested to find out. I am asking this because when my dc were at nursery the vast majority of nursery staff were 18-30 years old, so not really in any great danger. In fact, statistically most of those young women were in more danger of dying at the hands their boyfriends whilst at home than of Covid they caught at work.

All our staff are over 30. Quite a few over 50. Some with asthma and other conditions that make them more likely to be ill but not CEV.

Also the statistics aren’t showing those that end up with long Covid and other complications. A nurse I know has had covid patients needing limbs amputated because it has made their blood sticky.

@InterfectoremVulpes

Oh dear Gypsy at least you've shown yourself for the troll you are.

You had to take it just that little bit further didn't you? Schoolgirl error. tsk

I've been here for at least 10 years But because I dare to be real, I'm a troll?

You obviously didn't have a stressful job or a job at all wheh your kids where nursery age otherwise there is no way you wouid be saying this.

God, no. We were prepared to look after them ourselves, when the chips were down, especially.
I'm surprised so many parents don't want to tbh.
Mine is a CIN and offered a place at school from tomorrow, she's leaving it for someone she said will need it.