It’s playtime again
Youngsters at childcare centres will be allowed to use playground equipment in alert level 3 after government officials reversed their position following industry complaints.
The change comes after the Ministry of Education sought advice from the Ministry of Health, which made the ruling.
Earlier it appeared that stopping children using outdoor daycare equipment would confine them indoors all day.
Director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield had said during a Facebook Live session with Secretary for Education Iona Holsted that playgrounds would be off-limits.
Childcare centres were advised yesterday their outdoor playgrounds can be used.
However education officials have reaffirmed that playground equipment remains off limits for schools, which usually have playing fields and other spaces for children to play without the need to climb on equipment.
Playgrounds at public venues such
as parks also remain banned.
A Ministry of Education spokesperson said last night: “This was always a Ministry of Health question to address, which they have now done.
“We asked MoH a range of questions yesterday as we worked through our health and safety guidance for alert level 3. Health answered all our questions and we finalised our health and safety guidance and published in today's bulletin.
“We did not previously have any advice from Health nor a position ourselves on this issue.”
Many schools have told parents this week that their playgrounds will be closed. For example, Tauranga Intermediate School said on Tuesday that “our playground, library and other non-classroom based facilities will remain closed”.
But Early Childhood Council chief executive Peter Reynolds said that would have put most childcare centres in “an impossible position”.
“You can imagine a 3-year-old spending six hours a day at a childcare centre and not allowed to go outside, which is not a particularly sensible or healthy thing for that child,” he said.
Both the council, which represents mainly privately-owned centres, and Te Rito Maioha Early Childhood NZ, representing mainly communityowned centres, asked for a review of the ruling.
Education Ministry deputy secretary Katrina Casey said outdoor playgrounds could now be used under level 3 in early learning centres but not in schools. “Unlike playgrounds in schools, play areas in early learning services are usually secure and not accessed by the general public.
“However strict health requirements do need to be met. Where outdoor space is shared, bubbles — that initially comprise a maximum of 10 children — must access the space at separate times.
“All toys and play equipment must be wiped down with appropriate cleaner after each bubble exits that area, and if possible separate play equipment should be reserved for each bubble.”
Auckland Kindergarten Association general manager of education and innovation Bram Kukler said kindergartens were already planning to give children access to all playground equipment.
Evolve Education chief executive Tim Wong said his 128 childcare centres would also allow access to playgrounds. “We are very stringent with our cleaning and disinfecting, we have formed a new overarching policy for all our centres to comply with and this includes the outdoor playgrounds,” he said.
Meanwhile, the early childhood sector is now split over whether to reopen at level 3.
The Te Ko¯hanga Reo National Trust has advised its members to stay closed, saying wha¯nau “should take an extra precautionary approach and not risk the health and wellbeing of our vulnerable pakeke, kauma¯tua and mokopuna [adults, elders and grandchildren]”. Chief executive Angus Hartley said more than a third of ko¯hanga wha¯nau fell into high-risk groups and nearly 80 per cent of the 444 ko¯hanga “do not feel safe to return to mahi at alert level 3”.
Reynolds said he was still concerned about the health threat, citing new evidence from Japan that young children could catch the virus and pass it on. But he welcomed the ministry’s change of heart over playgrounds and also its clarification that centres will still be funded for all children enrolled even if they don’t physically attend during level 3.
The country’s biggest early childhood chain, BestStart, said “quite a number” of its 260 centres would open on Tuesday, April 28.
Deputy chief executive Fiona Hughes said only 5 to 10 per cent of children were expected to turn up.
Kukler said “quite a few” kindergartens would not open because they had no families needing them, “so we are looking at whether we need to combine children from different centres”.