Despite uncertainty, preschools welcome back infants
Published:Wednesday | October 27, 2021 | 12:45 AMAsha Wilks/Gleaner Writer
Administrators at a number of infant schools say that some parents are still uneasy about the restart of in-person classes amid the coronavirus pandemic despite the Ministry of Education giving the green light for children five years old and younger under specific safety conditions.
Sarah Watts, administrator of Portmore Daycare and Preschool, disclosed that the parent group has expressed reservations and sought for their children to stay in safer settings. As a result, the facility, which has been open since the end of September, has had a low turnout.
However, those who previously had no alternative but to leave their children at home while they went to work are breathing a sigh of relief, as are principals who are overjoyed to meet their students in person.
“The parents are more than happy. They were just elated,” said Nadine Cunningham, principal of Bright Sparks Nursery and Learning Centre, who spoke with The Gleaner on Monday.
Bright Sparks Nursery and Learning Centre had its first official face-to-face school day on Monday.
Cunningham said she was grateful for the Government’s decision to allow for the resumption of in-person engagement for infants, who, as well as their older children, have suffered discernible levels of learning loss.
The Bright Sparks principal said that she noticed a decline in student performance. Most schools in Jamaica have remained shuttered since they were ordered closed in March 2020 when the first coronavirus case emerged.
“It’s the first day back; they were online. But getting them back, you really realise that, ‘Wow!’ Nothing wasn’t going on for them. We have a lot of work to do, so we are up to it,” said Cunningham.
Watts, however, said that her school had not suffered a significant learning deficit. She credited a committed group of parents offering children lots of support with their studies.
The process of teaching and learning in the COVID-19 era has been described by both administrators as time-consuming and difficult, as infants are often more desirous, and needful, of contact.
Cunningham said the routine of maintaining discipline among very young children is physically exhausting.
“We are sanitising like every hour,” said the principal.
Even though students were previously familiar with the protocols because they were taught them online, Cunningham conceded that executing policy in face-to-face classes was no easy task.
Though Jamaica has not approved the administering of COVID-19 vaccines to children under 12 years old, that has not been a cause for great concern among administrators. Instead, they remain hopeful and convinced that their children will be safe if the correct protocols are followed.
“We just have to observe the protocols and pray and hope say them don’t get it, because ... we really need to get them back into school so we the adults have to do our part to ensure that they are protected,” said Cunningham, adding that two of her staff are unvaccinated.
Watts, who has also been vaccinated, was unable to comment on whether teachers at Portmore Daycare and Pre-school have been inoculated. The preschool does not mandate vaccination among its staff.