Parents weigh risk with reward as children ‘delighted’ to return to early learning centres

Emer Guinan was anxious ahead of her three-year-old son’s return to creche in Co Offaly on Monday morning. Based in Tullamore, where the 14-day incidence rate of the virus is almost five times the national average, she worried his chances of catching the coronavirus would be high.

But all of the staff at Grovelands Childcare, where her son attends, tested negative for the virus after visiting one of the Health Service Executive’s walk-in test centres that is temporarily located in the town.

“That was really reassuring,” she said, adding that another local creche that experienced a large outbreak was “unlucky… It could happen anywhere.”

Three-year-old Michael, meanwhile, did not need much convincing: “It was: ‘Bye-bye, Mammy’. And he was happy out… He was delighted,” she said. Ms Guinan said “on balance” she is relieved to see him surrounded by peers where he can develop his social skills.

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While most childcare and early learning providers have been partially reopened for the children of frontline workers and those on the Government’s Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Scheme, Monday was the first day they reopened to all infants.

Áine Golden said there were “some tears” from her two-year-old son as he arrived at Grovelands in Tullamore on Monday morning but she does not think it will take him long to resettle.

“He was in a little cocoon at home... After the first lockdown when I was bringing him back he was like a koala bear stuck to me,” she said.

The cases rising locally in Tullamore has been an “additional concern”, but Ms Golden feels she must perform a “balancing act as a parent in terms of their social skills and mental health”.

She can already see a “big change” in her older daughter, aged four, who had returned to the centre three weeks ago and is “absolutely delighted to be back” with her friends.

“She would have picked up an awful lot of the news and things around Covid,” Ms Golden said, adding that she is now “distracted” by planting seeds and preparing for Easter.

“Now she can be a child again and she forgets, almost, about the times we are in.”

A lecturer in higher education, Mr Golden said juggling work with two young children at home has been “challenging”.

“Luckily my partner has been able to help me with the children this time around, but I do feel it has fallen on women again to look after children,” she said.

Regina Bushell, Managing Director of Grovelands Childcare, said her centres have so far remained free from the virus, but she takes each day “hour by hour”.

“We are working with the guidelines and so far they proved to work for us,” she said.

The pop-up walk-in testing centre provided peace of mind for the centre’s workers, she said. As chair of Seas Suas, a body representing independent early learning and childcare providers, Ms Bushell has been advocating for the sector’s workers to be bumped up the vaccine priority list, but this sort of walk-in testing service would be “really appreciated” in the meantime, she said.

Elaine Dunne, chairperson of the Federation of Early Childhood Providers, said recent outbreaks in creches and other early learning settings has caused some anxiety among workers.

“It is not just one or two (outbreaks) anymore. It is much higher numbers and that is kind of worrying,” she said.

Data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), shows there were 16 outbreaks in childcare facilities in the week leading to March 20th. While this was double the number the week before, there were 10 outbreaks in the first week of March and 15 in the last week of February. An outbreak is defined by the HPSC as two or more cases of confirmed Covid-19.

Ms Dunne was quick to add that the sector is “happy to be open” and “confident” that the guidelines are effective. Still, the clusters show that childcare workers are vulnerable to catching the virus and should be moved up the vaccination priority list, particularly vulnerable and pregnant workers, she said.