CORONAVIRUS FAQ
& UPDATES

 

Measures to keep everyone safe

 

What will Coat of many Colours Nursery be doing to protect all children, parents and families?

We take safety very seriously at Coat of many Colours Nursery and both branches will reinstate the Coronavirus procedures that were in place before lockdown, and that continue to be used in the branch that remained open for key workers and vulnerable children. We all need to work together to ensure our own safety and that of others and we thank you for your support. These measures are detailed below for you:

• Scrupulous hand hygiene for all
• Enhanced cleaning of all areas and especially touch points
• Reduced footfalls, parents are asked to drop and collect from the entrance
• careful monitoring of the health of children
• visitors will only be allowed entry to complete business critical tasks, such as a gas engineer, and will all be required to follow our procedures
  

Managers will be glad to discuss any questions you have about these measures and we thank you for your support in following them.

1. If there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the settings, will you tell us?
2. If there is a confirmed case within or connected to the settings of a staff member or family then we will advise you by letter, whilst maintaining the confidentiality of all involved.
3. Are you supporting testing of your staff?
4. Since testing was made available for key workers, which covers our staff, any staff member wishing to access a test can do so. We share information with staff on how to book tests and we will support staff to access a test as needed or desired.

How will social distancing be respected in nursery?

We ask all families to respect social distancing when arriving at nursery for drop off and collection, this is of particular importance when dropping or picking their children.

Within a nursery social distancing is hard with children and we will do all we can in each nursery to support this by:

• monitoring our occupancy carefully
• avoiding the movement of children and staff between rooms or within communal spaces such as shared spaces
• using gardens as much as possible
• spending time in key groups
• each room working independently of other age groups
• repurposing of spaces to provide additional space for staff breaks or amending break schedules to support smaller groups
• staff will be carefully deployed within the nursery and will only work in one room, and as far as possible with their key children

 

Please speak with the setting manager regarding specific information about how social distancing withing your specific nursery.

1. Will you comfort my child if they are upset?
2. Absolutely. Social distancing must be carefully balanced with ensuring the emotional wellbeing of each child. If a child becomes upset at any time with us we will comfort them as they need, be this with a cuddle or a story time for example. No child will be left crying because of social distancing.
3. Can my child have their comforter?
4. Yes of course. If your child uses a dummy, please supply at least two so a spare one can be kept on hand in a Milton style solution. The use of dummy straps is not permitted as these enable the dummy to be in contact with surfaces.

 

If your child has a blanket or soft toy, please supply these and have them as clean as possible. Comforters will be available to children when they need them, for example when they are upset, tired, or going for their nap. At other times comforters will be in the child’s bag or box to prevent other children accessing these.

 

Please refrain from bringing in other favoured toys such as a car, or dinosaur. We have plenty of exciting experiences and resources to access.

1. Will staff be wearing face masks or coverings?
2. The evidence to support the use of masks, or not, is limited. At Coat of many Colours Nursery staff within rooms with children will not wear face masks (consistent with government guidance). This will ensure a more familiar environment for the children who can be reassured by familiar faces and friendly smiles, which will be very much needed at this time of continued uncertainty.

 

Reopening and your childcare requirements

1. Are you opening both nurseries ?
2. We hope to open all of our doors on 1^st June, however, will only be able to do so where there is sufficient demand.
3. When will my nursery be open?
4. We opened both nurseries on 1 June. We understand this uncertainty is difficult for you to manage and we remain committed to help you as much as we can. Please contact us to discuss your childcare requirements.

 

1. When nurseries reopen do I have to return straight away?
2. We understand family circumstances may have changed and there may be various reasons that you aren’t able to come back to your nursery straight away. When the Government permit us to open, we are ready to welcome you when you are ready to come to nursery however we need your support in understanding your needs.

 

Your account will re-start from 1^st July if you are a fee-paying parent.

 

 

1. If I don’t return straight away will I be charged?
2. Charges are in place for June, only for those that use the nursery. Normal terms and conditions will resume on 1^st July 2020.
3. My circumstances have changed, and I no longer require my space, am I required to give four weeks’ notice and if so, how do I do this?
4. We are sorry that you are not able to return to us and thank you for placing your trust in us before the Coronavirus lockdown was in place. You are required to give four weeks’ notice, as per your terms and conditions. If you are not able to return to your nursery, please email the admin office to advise them of your decision.
5. I am due to start as a new family, will my original start date still stand?
6. We are working hard to welcome all of our families back and settle everyone into nursery life again. We will be in touch as soon as possible to discuss your start date to your settling arrangements.

 

1. I am a new family and would like to visit your nursery, how do I do this and when can I visit?
2. Thank you for your interest in our nurseries. We would be delighted to welcome you and are working to ensure we can do so safely. When we are permitted by the Government to reopen, we will be welcoming and settling in our existing families, and this involves implementing robust safety measures. Once all children are settled, we will contact you to arrange a visit for you, which will be at specific times only. We will ask you to accommodate our safety measures, such as temperature monitoring, hand hygiene and staying away if you have developed a new cough for any such visit.

 

When all families are settled, we will be in touch to arrange a visit for you, until then please register your interest by emailing your nursery and we will contact you as soon as we can.

 

1. I am a new parent and have sent in a registration form to secure a place. When will I know that I have been successful and have a place for my child?
2. Thank you for registering with us, we are delighted you have chosen Coat of many Colours Nursery to care for your child. When our setting are permitted to open we will be working through processes to safely welcome our families once again. At this time our centre teams will be in touch to confirm your place and look to book in your settle sessions, which will take place when the centres are settled once again.
3. I joined you as a new key worker and would like to stay, what should I do?
4. Thank you for placing your trust in us during such a worrying time and we are delighted to know you would like to remain as a Coat of many Colours Nursery family. In order to secure your continued place please speak with your setting Manager, they can check availability for you and, all being well, move you over onto a permanent booking pattern and share direct debit paperwork with you.
5. I joined you as a new parent because I am a key worker and don’t know if my nursery will reopen, can I stay with you until I know more?
6. We understand smaller nurseries may be unsure of their ability to reopen and we would like to support you until you know more. We can continue your flexible booking pattern through June for you, please liaise with your Centre to book and pay for your place.

 

Questions about your account

All families returning to us are asked to clear any outstanding fees. If you have an outstanding balance on your account, then this must be settled before you are able to come for your first day and direct debit payment can now be set up. Any unused days which have been paid for will be credited to your account and we thank all those who have paid for their diligence in doing so.

1. If I don’t return straight away will I be charged?
2. Your account will start on the first day that you need to use us. Please indicate your requirements, even if you don’t intend to return until next month. We are prioritising our families over new families who need provision as their usual nursery has not survived this closure period so early confirmation, even if your needs are not until next month, secures your place and enables us to plan our staffing.
3. Will you be charging me for June fees?
4. We will not be running routine June fees. For any family using us in June we ask you to pay by debit or credit card in advance for the days you require. Your account will start on the first day of July.
5. How will you operate fees?
6. Families who have already started with us will, from July, revert to direct debit payments for their fees. For families who join us in July, or part way through a month thereafter, we will request payment for your required sessions by debit or credit card, any previously accrued credit on your account will be applied for you. Direct debit payments will be set up for your fees from your second month onwards.

Direct debits that were in place before lockdown can be continued. If you didn’t previously pay by direct debit or cancelled this with your bank please complete and return direct debit paperwork to your centre.

 

Questions relating to health and safety

Is it safe for my child to return to nursery?

We are utilising the government guidance to ensure measures are in place for return. We have developed a nursery specific Covid-19 risk assessment. We also have Site Operating Procedures providing specific guidance to our team. We have increased our supply of personal protective equipment. We are also monitoring information shared by settings that remained open to key worker families.

What additional measures have you put in place for the children and team members?

• Hand washing more frequently
• Hand sanitiser gels are available throughout the nursery
• We have increased our cleaning routines to include more regular cleaning of frequent touch points
• 2 metre markers on entry to the nursery to ensure social distancing
• Drop off and collection from the room door or nursery entrance
• We are asking only one member of each family to accompany a child at drop off and collection
• Additional signage to reiterate the measures that are in place
• Masks and Visors available at each nursery for use if a a child becomes symptomatic
• Contactless thermometers in each nursery
• Children will remain in their small group (bubble) for the duration of the day
• Only one group of children in the garden at any one time

 

1. What happens if another child in my child’s group has a confirmed case of coronavirus? 

The government guidance recommends that all children and team members in the group must isolate for 14 days. We will contact all families affected in this case.

 

1. How do you plan to support my child’s progress during these times?

We will continue to observe children and plan according to their individual needs. It is vital that we help the children to settle back in following this period of absence. We will ensure that our team support children’s’ progress ready for resetting their next steps. The learning environment will be set up to ensure children can enjoy a rich learning experience.

 

1. How will I know that all children being cared for are well?

We will ask you each day if your child is free of a temperature or cough and that they are presenting as they usually would. We ask that all families update us if there is any member of the household isolating as a result of Coronavirus symptoms or exposure to someone with the Coronavirus.

If any member of your household is isolating, we ask that you remain away from the nursery until the period of isolation has ended. Please follow the latest Government guidance in order for us to keep staff, children and families safe and be assured that all children are well. Please do contact us if a member of the household is symptomatic or has a confirmed case of Coronavirus so that we can take action as required.

If we are concerned about the temperature of a child in the nursery, we have contactless thermometers for use. If your child develops a high temperature or a new continuous cough, we will contact you immediately to come and collect your child. Please also look out for a loss of taste or smell.

On return to the nursery following your child’s absence due to our period of closure, we are asking you to complete paperwork to reconfirm contact details and agree to the procedures we have in place to keep everyone safe; this will be emailed to you for completion ahead of your child’s return.

 

1. What happens if a child has to go home with a cough or high temperature?

If a child becomes symptomatic, we will contact the family and ask for the child to be collected. We will at this time utilise Personal Protective Equipment. A member of the team from the same bubble will isolate with the child in an area away from the rest of the group.

On collection a test should be arranged for the child. We will commence a deep clean of the isolation area and the bubble room also. If the child tests positive, we will inform all members of the bubble who should then follow government guidance and isolate for 14 days. We will also contact Public Health England and follow their guidance. If the child tests negative, then no team members or children need to isolate unless they develop symptoms.

 

1. How do I know the nursery is clean?

The nursery is being cleaned throughout the whole day. Antibacterial gel is available in all rooms and by the entrance to the nursery. Antibacterial spray/wipes are used throughout the day on all high frequency touch points. The nursery is cleaned at the end of each day also. Soft furnishings have been removed as these are harder to keep clean. The use of malleable play materials such as sand and playdough have been removed at this time. Children will also not self-serve meals as they usually would. A member of staff will serve all meals in order to prevent the spread of any virus.

 

1. What is the latest guidance on social distancing?

Children under 5 years of age are not expected to social distance. We will reinforce messages through stories and activities to help children in an age appropriate way understand how to stay safe. We always expect adults in the setting to adhere to social distancing ensuring they are 2 metres apart. We have a site operating plan in place to ensure our team commit to the Government recommendations where possible both in and outside of the nursery.

 

1. Will you apply sun cream throughout the day?

Yes, we will apply cream before children are exposed to the sun.

 

1. Will my child be with their usual nursery group?

We are following Government guidance to ensure children are grouped in ‘bubbles’ and that they remain in the same bubble for the duration of their week. Additional children will be added to the group up to a maximum of 16. Bubbles may change. All children will be grouped according to their age and stage although we may need to have a larger age bracket in order to staff the bubble.

 

1. Will my child be with their usual key worker?

We cannot guarantee that the usual key worker will be with your child but there are always familiar team members with them. The children will remain in the allocated room for the duration of the day, they will of course use the garden and outdoor areas, but they will not intermingle with other groups in the nursery. Some staff members remain furloughed and some continue to shield.

 

1. Can I come into the nursery when dropping off and collecting? 

At this time, we have a system in place for dropping off and collecting from the front door of the nursery, by having this process we reduce the footfall into the nursery and as a result minimise the further potential spread of additional germs.

 

1. Can I take my child’s bag home daily?

We ask, where possible, for the bag to remain at nursery, this is to prevent the transfer of germs between home and nursery.