www.stuff.co.nz Open in urlscan Pro
2a02:26f0:fb:580::3871 Public Scan

Back to summary

URL:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/126260449/covid19-no-shortage-of-challenges-for-preschools-reopening-at-alert...
Submission: On March 10 via manual (March 10th 2022, 8:58:57 am UTC) from US — Scanned from ES

Form analysis
1 forms found in the DOM

GET /searchresults

<form action="/searchresults" method="get"><input type="search" name="q" placeholder="Search" aria-label="search"><label><input type="submit"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 30.239 30.239">
      <path
        d="M20.194 3.46c-4.613-4.613-12.121-4.613-16.734 0-4.612 4.614-4.612 12.121 0 16.735 4.108 4.107 10.506 4.547 15.116 1.34.097.459.319.897.676 1.254l6.718 6.718a2.498 2.498 0 003.535 0 2.496 2.496 0 000-3.535l-6.718-6.72a2.5 2.5 0 00-1.253-.674c3.209-4.611 2.769-11.008-1.34-15.118zm-2.121 14.614c-3.444 3.444-9.049 3.444-12.492 0-3.442-3.444-3.442-9.048 0-12.492 3.443-3.443 9.048-3.443 12.492 0 3.444 3.444 3.444 9.048 0 12.492z">
      </path>
    </svg></label></form>

Text Content

* NEWS

* National
* World
* Climate Change
* Politics
* Business
* prosper
* Farming
* Technology
* Sport
* Rugby

* VOICES & IN DEPTH

* perspectives
* Pou Tiaki
* Spotlight
* Stuff Nation
* Cartoons
* KEA Kids News
* Podcasts

* LIVING

* Travel
* Homed
* LifeStyle
* Entertainment
* bravo
* Complex
* Motoring
* Food & Wine
* Oddstuff

* REGIONS

* northland
* Auckland
* Waikato
* Bay of Plenty
* Taranaki
* hawke's bay
* manawatu
* wellington
* nelson
* marlborough
* canterbury
* south canterbury
* otago
* southland

* MORE

* Weather
* Quizzes
* Puzzles
* Newsletters

* ABOUT STUFF

* contribute
* Advertising
* Careers
* Privacy
* Contact

* STUFF FAMILY

* stuff ads
* Play Stuff
* neighbourly
* mags4gifts
* Ensemble
* stuff events
* stuff coupons

1. National

EDUCATION

COVID-19: NO SHORTAGE OF CHALLENGES FOR PRESCHOOLS REOPENING AT ALERT LEVEL 3

Lee Kenny18:43, Sep 02 2021
* Facebook
* Twitter
* WhatsApp
* Reddit
* Email

Preschools under alert level 3
Preschools are coping at Covid-19 alert level 3, but the rules are not without
their challenges.

Video Player is loading.

Play Video
Pause
Unmute

Current Time 0:00
/
Duration 1:08
Loaded: 14.55%

Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently playing liveLIVE
Remaining Time -1:08
1x
Playback Rate

Chapters
* Chapters

Descriptions
* descriptions off, selected

Captions
* captions settings, opens captions settings dialog
* captions off, selected

Audio Track
* en (Main), selected

Fullscreen

This is a modal window.

Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

TextColorWhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentBackgroundColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentTransparentWindowColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyTransparentSemi-TransparentOpaque
Font Size50%75%100%125%150%175%200%300%400%Text Edge
StyleNoneRaisedDepressedUniformDropshadowFont FamilyProportional
Sans-SerifMonospace Sans-SerifProportional SerifMonospace SerifCasualScriptSmall
Caps
Reset restore all settings to the default valuesDone
Close Modal Dialog

End of dialog window.

Close Modal Dialog

This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or
activating the close button.

Play
Mute

Current Time 0:00
/
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%

Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently playing liveLIVE
Remaining Time -0:00
1x
Playback Rate

Picture-in-PictureFullscreen

STACY SQUIRES
Preschools are coping at Covid-19 alert level 3, but the rules are not without
their challenges.

Abacus Montessori Preschool is licensed for 51 children, but on Thursday morning
there were just four.

The Christchurch Early Childhood Education (ECE) centre is one of thousands
across the country to have reopened at level 3, for children of essential
workers.

Owners Melany-Jane and Christopher (Doc) Dougherty say they are glad to provide
the service for their parents.

But other centres have been told to reopen or “risk losing funding”, says the
Early Childhood Council, which represents more than 1000 ECEs across the
country.

READ MORE:
* Meningococcal deaths and hospitalisations could be prevented with free
vaccines for young people
* Extra NCEA credits offered if schools are closed at least 20 days due to
Covid-19
* Covid-19: Absence of free school lunches in lockdown a gap that needs filling,
NGO says

Staff are also having to “juggle” ventilating their building while still
maintaining the minimum temperature requirements, the council says.

STACY SQUIRES/Stuff
Preschool teacher Ruby Belkin with three of the four children who attended
Abacus Montessori Nursery and Preschool on Thursday morning.

“It makes sense in an airborne pandemic to have maximum ventilation, but opening
all the doors and windows and having heat pumps on full? You can’t have it both
ways in winter,” ECC president Darius Singh said.

Dianna Jenkins, director of FUNdamentals, which has two preschools in
Christchurch, said it was difficult for staff to regulate room temperatures with
the windows open.

“We have to maintain 18 degrees (Celsius). It is a regulatory requirement.,” she
said.

“The ministry has had to change the rules this time because of the Delta
variant, and I think that's really caught centres off guard.”

Unlike other businesses that have opened at level 3, preschool staff are not
required to wear PPE.

This has prompted concerns within the sector, with some asking why ECEs did not
remain closed until level 2.

STACY SQUIRES/Stuff
Christchurch couple Melany-Jane and Christopher Dougherty are the owners Abacus
Montessori Nursery and Preschool in Woolston.

“I have seen that very strongly through the ECE forums,” Jenkins said.

The Doughertys opened the Woolston nursery and preschool in 2013.

Doc Dougherty said there have been challenges as they and the 10 staff prepared
to operate at alert level 3.

“The initial information from the Ministry of Education wasn’t fantastic, but we
got here and the staff got into a routine, and it hasn't been too bad,” he said.

Among the difficulties were getting the children back into the routine of
preschool after being at home during the lockdown.

“The teachers have found it difficult trying to teach the children that they are
the only ones here, and we just have to do what we can with different age
groups.”

ECEs were required to reopen at level 3 if there was demand from parents who had
to return to work, Dougherty said.

More from
Lee Kenny • Education reporter
lee.kenny@stuff.co.nz

“I think it's important to do that because there are lots of parents who are
suffering because of Covid, and they need to get back to work.”

Among those are Kieran McGlynn and Gillian O'Sullivan. whose son Dessie attends
Abacus Montessori Preschool.

They are both essential workers and are originally from Ireland so do not have
family in Christchurch to help with childcare.

Don't miss important Christchurch news Get mobile alerts

“In the absence of our own whānau here in New Zealand, Abacus acts as our whānau
and or community and this is even more pertinent during level 3,” McGlynn said.

“We have no doubt the practices and safety plans the team at Abacus apply will
ensure the welfare of our little ones during these difficult times.”

Some mutual appreciation. Make a contribution

In the past 12 months our Christchurch newsroom published over 4500 stories.

We waded into flooding when our city was deluged. We helped rally neighbours to
rebuild a beloved vege garden accidentally destroyed. Our collective power saw
two of Canterbury’s highest peaks secured in public ownership to be turned into
a conservation park.

We're proud that our work has seen significant change in Canterbury, and brought
people together. Thank you for supporting us and playing your part.

If you've benefitted from the impact of our reporting, please make a
contribution today to show us your appreciation.

Become a supporter

Stuff
* Facebook
* Twitter
* WhatsApp
* Reddit
* Email

www.stuff.co.nz Open in urlscan Pro 2a02:26f0:fb:580::3871 Public Scan

Form analysis 1 forms found in the DOM

GET /searchresults

Text Content

www.stuff.co.nz Open in urlscan Pro
2a02:26f0:fb:580::3871 Public Scan

Form analysis
1 forms found in the DOM