Now that COVID has entered our community, we at Folkestone Street are taking some extra steps to reduce the spread within the centre. It’s reassuring to hear that “COVID-19 is almost always a mild illness in children” (Shepherd & Mulligan, 2022), however, we are taking caution as we would any other viral illness.
Research shows us that COVID is less likely to spread outside (Neville, 2021), and so we have been making the most of our warm weather to shift majority of our curriculum outside. We’re having a blast with lots of dancing, mat times, blocks, and messy play outside! And how lucky are we to have a lovely, relaxing sleep space under the trees. Our big, beautiful backyard provides so much space for a variety of experiences!
Although it’s understandable to be nervous about COVID, Dr Mike Shepherd (Shepherd & Mulligan, 2022) encourages tamariki to attend early learning centres at this time, noting that the reward of learning with their peers outweighs the risk of tamariki contracting COVID. Despite our initial trepidation, we are learning to adapt to the changing times and support our community moving forward.
Noho ora mai rā – Be well!
Neville, A. (2021). New covid roadmap for Auckland. https://thespinoff.co.nz/…/new-covid-roadmap-for…
Shepherd, M. & Mulligan, J. (2022). Caring for your child with covid-19. https://www.rnz.co.nz/…/caring-for-your-child-with…
