Confusion over open daycare centres

By | March 23, 2020

The latest announcements about school openings and closures across Australia amid the coronavirus pandemic have left parents of younger children wondering what to do about their daycare arrangements.

The federal health department published information on March 19 about early childhood centres. The disease has since spread significantly in each state and territory.

The document poses the question whether students and/or staff can attend amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“Specific requirements are in place for people who have returned from a country or region that is at high or moderate risk for COVID-19, or think may they have been in close contact with a confirmed case of coronavirus,” the department states.

“The relevant school or childcare centre should be notified.

“Students may want to seek alternate arrangements for remote learning keeping in mind the isolation period, provided the person remains well, is a maximum of 14 days.”

It doesn’t address the issue of early childhood centre closures.

Goodstart Early Learning, which runs more than 660 centres across the country, has banned “all but essential” visitors, ended excursions and is ensuring adults at the centres acknowledge social distancing guidelines.

The centres remain open.

“We’re using our extensive educational expertise to implement social distancing practices for children as well,” the company said in a statement earlier this month.

“We will close centres if we have a confirmed case of COVID-19 or if we are instructed to by Public Health. In the event of a closure, no fees will be charged, and we will advise you immediately of the issue.”

In an email to parents on Monday, Explore and Develop, which has 28 centres across Sydney for babies through to preschool-aged children, said it was “open and operating!”.

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“If your child is well and your family members are not in a vulnerable position, we would encourage all families to continue to access early learning and education for your child/children in order to maintain their normal daily routines,” the company said.

“Many families would have now seen yesterday’s press conference with Scott Morrison where he again reiterated that early childhood services and schools should not close at this time. He stated that ‘I don’t want our children to lose an entire year of education’ and that ‘a four-year-old cannot get back this time for early learning’.”

Explore and Develop said closing early childhood services or parents keeping their kids at home, potentially for many months this year, “will have adverse effects on children and society as a whole”.

“We will continue to remain open and offer early education and care unless we are directed by the State or Federal Government not to do so. It’s important that we do this to ensure that families can continue to work, and children continue to receive early education and care,” the statement read.

“If there is a Government mandated closure of our service, then we will of course abide by this directive, this will include the pausing fees during a closure period.”

A statement from Only About Children said its early learning centres in NSW, Victoria and Queensland remain open, in line with Government advice “to provide an essential service to the community”.

“The health and safety of our families and team members remains our first priority, especially at this time and we will continue to work with Government advice to find the best way to support our families and team members,” a spokeswoman said.

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Many parents have been left concerned that conflicting advice and centres remaining open will mean they still have to pay their childcare fees if they choose to keep their children home.

Meanwhile, a Sydney mum has hit out at the Government for seemingly forgetting about childcare centres in all the back and forth about schools.

Emma, who didn’t give her last name, told news.com.au she was still sending her daughter to daycare but 40 per cent of the other kids are being kept at home.

“All the information said kids are less likely to get it and my daycare said they will stay open,” the mum from Wollstonecraft on Sydney’s north shore said.

“But there’s all this talk about schools, and when they should close, but nothing about daycare at all.

“What are they supposed to do? What am I as a parent supposed to do?”

The office of the Prime Minister, NSW Premier and NSW Health have been contacted by news.com.au.

Health and Fitness | news.com.au — Australia’s #1 news site