We were very pleased to reopen our doors on 1st June and welcome back pre-school children, following the period of closure, to all but children of key workers.
Following a robust risk assessment, staff briefing and communication with parents and carers, we are very satisfied with how smoothly the reopening process has been, and above all the children have adapted exceptionally well and are enjoying being back at pre-school.
The committee would like to say 'thank you' to our staff for their hard work and positive approach to the challenges and also to parents and carers who have worked with us to adapt to the new routines.
Some of the steps we are taking to keep staff and children safe include:
· Splitting children into small cohorts and kept with the same children. There are orange, yellow and blue cohorts, with only two cohorts in pre-school at any one time and the same staff members with each cohort.
· Cleaning our hands more often than usual. We have developed routines to ensure children understand when and how to wash their hands, making sure they wash them thoroughly for at least 20 seconds using running water and soap and dry them thoroughly, or use alcohol hand rub or sanitiser ensuring that all parts of the hands are covered.
· Implementing an enhanced cleaning schedule, ensuring surfaces touched by children and staff are cleaned regularly and throughout the day, including table tops, door handles and plays equipment.
· Asking parents and carers to physically distance from each other and from staff when dropping off and collecting their children and to limit drop off and collection to one parent or carer per household.
· Asking children not to bring toys or other items from home to the setting, unless this is essential to their health and well-being.
