Nearly all ECE centres are expected to reopen when New Zealand moves to Alert 2. Photo / 123rf
Nearly all ECE centres are expected to reopen when New Zealand moves to Alert 2. Photo / 123rf
Many parents will not immediately return their children to early childhood centres even when New Zealand moves to alert level 2, the sector says.
The Government will announce on Monday whether and when New Zealand will move to more relaxed pandemic settings.
The Early Childhood Education Council said it expected the vast majority of centres to reopen under the level 2.
While they were permitted to open during level 3, some chose not to, and attendance rates were around 4 per cent nationwide.
Council CEO Peter Reynolds, who represents 850 mainly private early education providers, said most centres had stopped collecting fees during lockdown and were eager to get their income started again.
But past experience and surveys of the sector indicated that centres would not immediately return to full rolls.
"We know in our environment, based on the Canterbury earthquakes example, that parents will be reluctant to come back to childcare in a hurry.
"So we're not expecting if we go to alert level 2 that everybody's just going to come rocking back to childcare and drop their kids off. It will take time, and centres will have to rebuild their enrolment levels."
The ECE council wanted further, detailed assurances from the Ministry of Health about the risks of transmission within centres. That would help ease parents' anxiety, he said.
Health drector general Dr Ashley Bloomfield has previously said that children "have low infection rates, they don't become unwell, and they don't pass on the virus to other children and adults".
Ministry of Health data shows just 12 of the 1490 confirmed cases in New Zealand have been aged between 1 and 4.
"It will take time": ECE Council CEO Peter Reynolds said even if all centres reopened under alert level 2, a lot of parents would stay away at first. Photo / Supplied
Reynolds also said he expected a few calls from ECEs which could no longer afford to operate.
"It wouldn't surprise me to get a few calls from paying saying 'It's all got a bit too hard'."
He had already had a "tearful" call from the manager of a small centre in Canterbury which said they could no longer afford to open.
Schools have had even lower participation rates during lockdown, between 1 and 2 per cent, though many students have been learning online or through a Government-sponsored broadcast.
Principals Federation president Perry Rush said alert 2 would mean a return to pre-Covid schooling.
"At level 2 the expectation and encouragement is for all schools to be open and for all students to return.
"That's a message we support. We think schools are going to be a safe place to be, based on the public health information we are anticipating will come on Monday.
Principals Federation president Perry Rush said Alert 2 would mean schools were back to pre-Covid teaching, with all schools reopening and full attendance. Photo / Warren Buckland
"I certainly expect there will be some anxiety in the parental community. But I think it's really important for parents to understand that we have got some good evidence now [about the risks of Covid-19]."
If Government announced a shift to alert 2 on Monday, then all students were expected to return to classes a week later (May 18), Rush said.
