Despite the headlines suggesting all settings will fully reopen on June 1st, we are awaiting vital clarification of the guidelines issued earlier this week. In line with the teachers and heads’ unions who have described the proposals as dangerous and unworkable, we believe the health and safety requirements provided so far would make it impossible for a large, full-service setting like ECCC to reopen with more than 25% of children attending. Primary Schools are saying it’s unworkable and they’re only being asked to take a third of their children back at first and will close again after 6 weeks, so it is totally unclear how the proposals could possibly work for year-round nurseries. Operating in the way requested would also be financially unworkable for us, so we are waiting for confirmation of the support that will be offered to help us comply with the complex and inefficient new requirements.
We are also aware that many parents need childcare to resume as soon as possible and we are doing everything we can to find a solution that meets everyone’s needs. Please bear with us for now and we will contact you individually over the next week or so to provide updates and establish your requirements going forward. We cannot choose to operate in a way that endangers staff or jeopardises the Centre’s survival, so we ask for your understanding with any delays to reopening while practical solutions are found. The original guidance is clear that settings may need to cap numbers or prioritise certain age groups in order to reopen safely, so please do not assume that your private or funded places will resume on June 1st.
It is also still possible that the government will move the target date back if their monitoring data suggests that it is necessary to do so. We have been promised that additional operating guidance for Early Years settings will be published soon and will need to consult with BCC when this is confirmed to agree a way forward that provides an acceptable best-fit of the government’s impractical and contradictory requirements. As such, we will continue to provide key worker care only until further notice.
We hope that you are well and we hope to see you all very soon.