Coronavirus: Scotland issues guidance ahead of reopening of nurseries
Annette Rawstrone
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Childcare providers in Scotland have been issued with new guidance to help plan for reopening settings once it is deemed safe to do so.
Childminders and fully outdoor nurseries have been open for all children since 3 June but other childcare settings need to wait until Phase 3 of Scotland’s four-part ‘route map’ for decision making before opening to children other than those who are vulnerable or in key worker families. In the meantime, the non-statutory guidance has been developed to provide clarity and key principles for consideration by childcare providers. Core public health measures needed to allow safe reopening include:
- Enhanced hand hygiene and cleaning practice
- Caring for children in small groups of up to eight children and minimising contact between those groups
- Maximising the use of outdoor space
- Physical distancing between adults and older children at drop-off and pick-up times.
Children’s minister Maree Todd said, ‘We all want our youngest children to be back enjoying their nurseries and playing with friends as soon as possible. However, the safety of children and staff must come first, so nurseries and other childcare settings can only fully reopen when public health advice tells us it is safe to do so.
‘This new guidance makes clear the principles that should be followed in preparing for staff and children to return. Our fantastic childcare practitioners know their settings best and they will be responsible for ensuring all necessary steps are taken to restart high-quality learning and care in a nurturing and safe environment.’
National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) Scotland chief executive Purnima Tanuku welcomed that the guidance will give providers plenty of time to prepare and that the wellbeing of children and staff is at the ‘heart’ of the plans. But she warned that implementing the measures will mean providers incur extra costs during a time of decreased demand.
‘This means there are real fears across the sector that nurseries won’t be sustainable in the longer term as children start to return,’ she said. ‘Additional costs will include installing partitions and more cleaning and changing stations, but will also include PPE costs, hand sanitizer as well as needing more staff to keep consistent smaller bubbles.
‘If childcare settings aren’t sustainable this would be disastrous for families and children as well as the economy. NDNA is calling for the Scottish Government to look at recovery and transformation funding to nurseries so they can continue to do their excellent job of supporting children’s development and learning while allowing parents to return to work.’
Guidance highlights
The guidance is not intended to promote a ‘checklist’ approach. It states, ‘Providers should exercise their judgement to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their staff. Children and families is paramount, taking account of local circumstances.’
Settings planning on reopening must contact the Care Inspectorate to advise them of their updated operational status. Other guidance includes:
Cleaning Toys and equipment should be cleaned each day and between sessions using standard detergent and disinfectant that are active against viruses and bacteria. Resources such as sand, water and playdough should only be used by one cohort of children and children should be discouraged from bringing toys into the setting. However, it is acknowledged that some children may require a ‘transitional object’.
There should also be routine cleaning and disinfection of frequently touched objects and hard surfaces.
Caring for children in small groups of up to eight children. While it is not appropriate for children to physically distance from other children in their group or their keyworker, the guidance does say that physical distancing between adults ‘remains a fundamental protective measure that should apply at all times’. Different cohorts of children should also be supported to stay two metres apart wherever practicable and appropriate.
Maximising use of outdoor space Evidence suggests that transmission can be limited outside so outdoor space should be used as much as possible throughout the day. Any outdoor equipment should not be used simultaneously by multiple cohorts of children and should be cleaned before use.
Drop-off and pick-up Physical distancing should be adhered to and wherever possible parents should not enter buildings, although it is recognised that a physical handover of very young children is required.
Settling-in should be undertaken in the outdoor area wherever possible with the parent and away from other children.
Blended placements where children attend two or more settings should be avoided, but may be permitted where ‘absolutely necessary’ to support critical childcare arrangements, for example for keyworker families.
Provision of meals and snacks Interaction between groups should be minimized, perhaps by staggered dining arrangements, eating outside or in separate rooms.
