Reopening nurseries/childminders in summer holidays

If the school’s aren’t opening until August can the earlier opening of private nurseries and childminders be considered? Especially for families where both parents are working. It is hard enough to work and look after school age children but with younger children it is impossible. 5 months is an incredibly long time for parents in this situation.

Why the contribution is important

To enable parents of young children to be able to work.

by Proudsister on May 09, 2020 at 06:51PM

Current Rating

Average rating: 3.6
Based on: 15 votes

Comments

  • Posted by GrahamDane May 09, 2020 at 20:36

    Social distancing is IMPOSSIBLE in nurseries and even in primary schools and cannot be relied on in high schools. I have worked in a hub school and know this. Only when all school staff and all other key workers are tested regularly (so we know the children are from covid19-free families) will opening schools and nurseries be safe.

  • Posted by ProudBIL May 09, 2020 at 21:08

    Having a nursery age child makes working from home impossible. If the need for social distancing reduces while the older kids are still on summer holidays then that should not prevent nurseries restarting. There is a lot of focus of when schools will go back, but school age kids are easier to cope with while also working from home so nurseries could be proportionately more important for getting the economy running again. Nursery age development is also incredibly important for long term educational and social outcomes.

  • Posted by Bec May 09, 2020 at 21:27

    Both of us are trying to work from home full time with a toddler and it's unrelenting. I do not think we will cope if we have to continue another 3 months! Many private nurseries (ours included) have been caring for the children of keyworkers with no reports of issues to date. The early years are so important for social development and I am getting increasingly concerned about the impact lockdown is having on his development. We do the best we can but he's at the stage where he needs interaction with his peers.

  • Posted by Lawilson May 09, 2020 at 21:32

    I agree social distancing is impossible in nursery settings however it would be interesting to see the suspected infection rate of staff and children at nurseries which are still open for key workers children. Both me and my husband are key workers however he can wfh. I cannot work at present as I am a dentist and the government have stopped all face to face treatment and we can only triage via the telephone. However once our practice can reopen then without childcare I cannot work. I don’t want to put my children or the nursery staff at risk but I have a duty of care to my patients to take care of them once the government allows it. It would be good to even get a time frame so families can plan accordingly.

  • Posted by Lstewart May 09, 2020 at 21:57

    Totally agree with this one. Parents of pre-school children need childcare as much as parents of school kids do. The people who work in nurseries also need to know when they can go back to work. Even school kids often need childminders over Summer I'm really fed up hearing about government possible plans for schools to reopen without any consideration for pre school. It feels like our kids have been forgotten about and that's an awful feeling

  • Posted by SBremner May 10, 2020 at 00:09

    Infection rates for key workers children at school should be looked at.

  • Posted by russellp May 10, 2020 at 00:11

    Definitely agree that some date should be proposed for reopening nurseries. Cannot imagine how parents can cope indefinitely with wfh while caring for toddlers. Help is unavailable from grandparents who would be willing to help, unless family restrictions are lifted.

  • Posted by Sarahj May 10, 2020 at 09:47

    Heaven forbid you need to care for your own child....

  • Posted by Proudsister May 10, 2020 at 11:39

    SarahJ, I would love to be at home looking after my own children but as an nhs worker this isn’t possible. As my husband is able to work from home we aren’t entitled to key worker childcare so he is currently working full time whilst looking after 2 nursery age children and home schooling our oldest child. Obviously this completely impossible and so far we have had to manage this by taking annual leave and my husband working early in the morning before I leave for work and late at night when I return. This is not sustainable for us hence why I would be keen for nurseries to reopen in the summer, by which point it would hopefully be safer to do so. I also think it would be good to urgently research how much children of all ages are at risk of passing on the virus in nursery and school settings as there is evidence to suggest that they may be at a much lower risk of doing so than adults.
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