Coronavirus will not have gone away; the core principle will continue to be the safety and wellbeing of children and staff.
Scenarios will change making any single plan unlikely to be the finished article. Jubilee will be agile and will adjust as we go through this period of recovery.
Jubilee will initially be prioritising those children whose parents are key workers and are already attending or whose key worker parents are now required to be back in the workplace. 3 and 4 year olds will also be prioritised due to as per government guidance and to help prepare them for school readiness. If spacing allows, children from younger age groups will then begin to be prioritised for a return to nursery.
1: Will social distancing be adhered to within Jubilee Day Nursery and Jubilee Gems?
One of the protective measures Jubilee can take to reduce transmission will be to have smaller group sizes. We are aware and the Government states that ‘unlike older children and adults, early years and primary age children cannot be expected to remain 2m apart from each other and staff. In deciding to bring more children back to early years and schools, we are taking this into account’.
We will therefore be using the following measures:
a) Avoiding contact with anyone who has symptoms
b) Minimising contact and mixing by having dedicated bubbles for the same consistent small group of children and staff.
c) Frequent hand washing and good hygiene practices - We will continue to promote good hygiene and follow the practices we already have in place, leading by example, singing songs
d) Regular thorough cleaning of the setting and toys
We expect our practitioners to exercise judgement in ensuring the highest standards of safety are maintained and will be giving all practitioners additional training to reflect this this.
2: How large will the group be that my child is in?
We have looked closely at the rooms and determined what is deemed to be a safe number, taking into account the child’s age, the ratio related to this age and the available floor space in each area. Throughout this partial re-opening each bubble will have the same small group of children and the same practitioners caring for them. This not only gives continuity for the children and for attachments to stay strong but also minimises the risk of transmission. Each bubble will have their own dedicated outdoor play space and the children will still get to visit the farm and woods within their own group. No mixing will take place with other groups during this time.
3: Will my child be returning to the room they were in before the closure?
Your child may potentially be in another room when they return but we have planned carefully that there will be a familiar practitioner caring for them. Before your child starts back you will receive a message on Famly letting you know which bubble your child will be in and who will be caring for them, along with the procedure you will need to follow for drop off and collection.
4: Will Jubilee be open for normal nursery hours?
We plan to re-open as normal but to ensure the nursery is thoroughly cleaned daily, we would ask if possible that all children can be collected by 5.30pm giving us the opportunity to clean without the children being there, ready for the following day.
5: Will my child be able to return doing their original hours and days?
We are in the process of putting children into groups according to the sessions they already attend. To be able to cater for as many children as we can we may be asking parents to be more flexible with the days and hours their child attends.
6: What will be different for my child when returning to nursery?
There will be several changes to your child’s routine at nursery:
a) Drop off and collections will now happen at the door. Your child’s temperature will be taken whilst they queue and will then be handed over to a practitioner at the door. The practitioners greeting your child and taking them from the door.
b) On arrival to nursery all children will have their hands cleaned initially with hand sanitizer then using soap and water before entering their bubble.
c) Certain toys and equipment have been removed as they are seen to have a higher transmission rate. These include playdough, indoor sand and harder to clean toys.
d) Children will not be mixing at all during the day and unfortunately, we will have to pause sibling outings for now.
e) Children will still be able to go to the farm and woods however this will be done in their bubbles and the bubbles will not be able to mix.
7: Can my child attend two settings?
No, not at this time. During this pandemic we are taking precautions to ensure that there is minimal mixing of our children / bubbles to reduce the risk of transmission. Allowing children to attend another setting increases the chances of transmission between the children.
8: Will I lose my place if I choose not to send my child back to nursery yet?
Following the information we have supplied and the guidance from the government, which is attached, if you choose not to send your child back during this first phase you will not lose your place. If a position is available for your child and you chose not to use it, you will continue to receive your retainer invoice for 25%.
9: Can I book extra sessions during this time?
No ‘ad-hoc’ sessions can be booked during this time. If you do need to amend your sessions, then please speak with either Lesley or Sian who will be able to look at both staffing and numbers and let you know if the change is a possibility.
10: Have there been any suspected or confirmed cases of coronavirus at the nursery?
We have not been informed of any confirmed cases linked to the nursery. If there are any suspected cases, we will follow the correct procedures. If you and your household are self-isolating, we ask that the nursery is informed.
11: Notice periods
We require one month’s written notice for all children going to school in September 2020 as well as any children not returning to nursery.
12: Will there be a summer school and holiday clubs this summer?
There will be no summer school this year as we will be continuing to follow the EYFS ensuring the children are ready for school in September. Each child will be supported individually to help with the smooth transition into primary school.
Until further government guidance is released regarding holiday clubs, we are unable to give an answer on this.