Tag Archive for: emergency measures

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Nursery Childcare for Key Workers (Edgbaston, Birmingham)

Nursery childcare places for Key Workers (Edgbaston, Birmingham)

Are you a key worker? Do you need childcare for your baby or toddler during the COVID-19 lock-down? If you’re in the Edgbaston or Birmingham area, we can help. We’re a childcare nursery and pre-school located there and are currently taking on babies and children aged from 3 months to 5 years of age. This includes children of key workers during the coronavirus lock-down. They are eligible if they are unable to care for their children at home e.g. due to the need to continue working.

So, what’s a key worker?

If you’re wondering whether you are eligible, the Government has issued guidelines regarding exactly what constitutes a ‘key worker’. Roughly speaking, the term refers to anyone who is essential as part of the emergency efforts during the coronavirus crisis. This includes people from what they are calling ‘critical sectors’. While the rest of the public have to stay at home with their children, key workers are being prioritised for education provision. Indeed, nursery staff themselves are deemed to be key workers in order to offer the childcare service to other key workers (NHS staff, for example).

The Government states: “We are grateful for the work of teachers and workers in educational settings for continuing to provide for the children of the other critical workers of our country. It is an essential part of our national effort to combat this disease.”

The full list of key workers includes people working within the following ‘critical’ sectors:

1. Health & social care workers

including …

  • NHS staff (doctors, nurseries, midwives, paramedics etc.).
  • Front-line health & social workers.
  • Care workers & those maintaining the social care sector.
  • Those supporting the supply chains for medicines and PPE.

2. Education & childcare workers

including …

  • Childcare workers including nursery staff.
  • Teachers.
  • Social workers.
  • & all the support staff who are required to keep the education & childcare sector active for the key workers.

3. Key public service workers

including …

  • Those working to keep the justice system running.
  • Those who work towards the delivery of key front-line services including religious staff, charities and other support workers.
  • Those working in the management of the deceased.
  • Those providing up to date news and key information including journalists and broadcasters.

4. Government workers (local & national)

including …

  • Those workers who are essential as part of the emergency response to the coronavirus pandemic (e.g. who deliver public services or organise benefits payments etc.).

5. Food & key goods providers

including …

  • Those involved in the production, processing, sale and delivery of food and key goods like medicines and medical goods.

6. Public safety & national security workers

including …

  • Emergency services including police, fire fighters etc.
  • The armed forces where they are essential to defence and national security or to the coronavirus emergency response.
  • Prison & probation staff and similar.
  • Those involved in national security including MoD staff & support workers.

7. Transport workers

including …

  • Anyone working to maintain the smooth running of transport systems and routes during the emergency response to COVID-19.
  • These include air, road, rail and water routes, where they are used by supply chains operating during the crisis.

8. Utilities, communication & financial services workers

including workers and staff who are essential for the continued provision of:

  • Financial services (banks, building societies, financial markets, payments providers etc).
  • Utilities including electricity, gas, water, sewage, oil, nuclear energy etc.
  • IT, telecommunications & data infrastructure.
  • 999 and 111 emergency services.
  • Postal & delivery services.

Are you eligible?

Do you fall into one of these ‘key worker’ categories? And are you unable to safely look after your children while you continue to work? If so, Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery would be pleased to offer your children a childcare place at our nursery and pre-school in Edgbaston, Birmingham. That’s subject to available places, of course, but at time of writing we have some capacity at the setting. We’re located in Gillot Road at B16 0ET, so look us up on our map and see whether we’re a good fit for you and your young children. We hope so.

Contact Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery, Edgbaston, near Birmingham

If you are a key worker who would like to enrol your child for childcare in our nursery and pre-school, please contact us. Also contact us if you’re not sure if you are eligible and we will try to help clarify things for you. Call 0121 246 4922 or and we’ll be happy to assist.

Leaps & Bounds is a day nursery and pre-school offering childcare to babies and children aged from 3 months to 5 years of age. We are located in Edgbaston (B16 0ET), very close to central Birmingham – ideal for parents who are looking for childcare in and around Edgbaston, Harborne, Ladywood, Bearwood and Smethwick.

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Coronavirus & Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery – Special Announcement

Coronavirus & COVID-19: temporary measures at Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery

As many will have seen in the press, the Government has announced new guidelines and directives relating to Coronavirus and educational settings. That includes childcare nurseries and pre-schools. As such, Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery in Edgbaston is affected, so is obligated to make some temporary changes.

Temporary changes in the fight against Coronavirus & COVID-19

As directed by the Government, Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery will temporarily close to the public from 20 March 2020. However, it will not be completely closed. The Government asks that all nurseries and early years settings remain open for ‘vulnerable children’ as well as for children of ‘key workers’ who cannot work unless they have childcare in place.

What is a Key Worker?

Broadly speaking, the Government sees ‘key workers’ as anyone who is essential in the fight against, and recovery from, the virus outbreak. This includes front-line NHS staff, emergency services, supermarket workers, delivery drivers and pharmacy workers. It also includes members of the judiciary, essential financial service providers and transport workers. Charities and journalists are also included, along with many others. The list of those who can still send children to nurseries, childcare providers and pre-schools covers 8 core categories:

  1. Health & social care workers.
  2. Education & childcare workers.
  3. Key public service workers.
  4. Local & national government workers.
  5. Food producers/suppliers/distributors.
  6. Public safety & national security workers.
  7. Transport workers.
  8. Those working in utilities, communications & financial services.

Take a more detailed look at the list of key workers, in full, here.

Not on the list? Talk to us

We know how disruptive our partial closure will be to those parents who require nursery placements, but don’t fall into an eligible category. While our hands are tied by the Government directive, we promise that we will thoroughly consider individual circumstances.

Is free childcare funding affected?

One piece of good news is that the free childcare funding for 2 year olds and children aged 3 or 4 is not affected. The Government have confirmed that this is the case in the following statement: “…we will continue to pay for all free early years entitlements […] and we will not be asking for funding back from local authorities.”

Contact Leaps & Bounds for further information

If you need further clarification or have any concerns whatsoever, please do contact us at Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery. We’ll be happy to answer any queries and to discuss anything related to Coronavirus and your child’s place at the nursery. Call 0121 246 4922 or email us here and we’ll be happy to help.

Stay safe and please be careful. If we work together, things should be back to normal before long.

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