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:
- Health & social care workers.
- Education & childcare workers.
- Key public service workers.
- Local & national government workers.
- Food producers/suppliers/distributors.
- Public safety & national security workers.
- Transport workers.
- 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.
