Parents remain concerned
Delayed return to kindergartens for some kids despite new SOP
KLANG: Despite some nagging concerns, bank employee M. Chanddradevey will go ahead with plans to send her five-year-old twins Nashwina and Nashwin to their daycare and pre-kindergarten centres today.
“They have been very pampered by their grandmother and have become extra mischievous during the movement control order period,’’ said Chanddradevey, 36.
Both Chanddradevey and her 39-year-old husband Reuben Victor, who works for a telecommunications company, acknowledged however that they were worried about their children’s safety at the centre.
“But we feel a little reassured after the centre contacted us and explained their new standard operating procedure,’’ she said.
According to Chanddradevey, before the Covid-19 pandemic, she would send her children to the centre in Kota Damansara while they were still in their pajamas as the twins would be bathed and dressed by the staff there.
“They have now told us that the children must be bathed and dressed at home,’’ said Chanddradevey.
She said that parents were also told not to come directly from their workplace to fetch their children from the centre.
“Parents have to go home first and shower before coming to get the children,’’ said Chanddradevey.
Meanwhile, kindergarten teacher Kalyani Subramaniam said only eight out of the 18 children enrolled in her class had confirmed their attendance.
“We called their parents and most of them are not comfortable sending their children yet. Some of them said they would send their children in August. Others said that their children would return to the kindergarten in September,’’ said Kalyani, whose kindergarten is in Teluk Pulai near here.
She said the kindergarten’s management had also prepared a SOP to ensure everyone’s safety.
“Children are no longer allowed to bring anything from home, including water bottles, as we will be providing everything for them from now on,’’ she said.
Kalyani said that body temperature would be taken at the start and end of the day. Shoes will be disinfected before the children enter the premises.
In Melaka, six-year-old Marcus Neo Chao Wei had been pestering his mother about wanting to see his buddies.
His only playmate for the past few months was his brother, said his mother Gan Swee Wai. “And now, he would be pleased to meet his friends,” she said.
Today, the boy will attend kindergarten, which has been allowed to reopen under the recovery movement control order.
Gan, 39, said she was confident of sending Marcus to kindergarten as safety measures had been taken by the operator of the preschool.
Besides temperature checks, she said the kindergarten had also carried out disinfection exercises.
“With the SOP in place, I believe that my son will be in good hands,” she said.
Gan, who celebrated her birthday yesterday, said she was also happy to see her boy returning to kindergarten.