Covid-19 update

Following the recent updates regarding our responsibilities with regards to Covid-19 we wanted to give you an update on what we are doing at Footsteps to protect our children, staff and their families. Keeping children and staff safe is our utmost priority.

We have incredibly committed, experienced and well-trained staff who are best placed to understand the needs of their settings and communities, and to make informed judgments about how to balance delivering high quality care and education with the measures needed to manage risk. The ‘system of controls’ we have been given provides a set of principles to help them do this and, when followed, they will effectively minimise risks.

Whilst we have been able to return to our normal group sizes for some time now, the advice is that we should still consider how we can best minimise the risks with having children indoors. Being an outdoor based Nursery and Preschool, gives us a distinct advantage over other settings. Our activities and educational plans are already constructed around being outside as much as possible and our access to lots of space and Forest school practitioners, means the children see very little difference in the way our settings are run. They are still enjoying the freedom to be active, engage with their surroundings and use their imaginations!

Parents will have noticed that they are no longer allowed in the buildings and we have a systemised procedure for pick-ups and drop offs at the door. We are also no longer offering tours/open days whilst the children are in session, but have been creating video tours for our prospective parents and new starters so they can see the fantastic facilities available in action. These will be posted up on our social media so keep an eye out! If you would like to arrange an out of hours visit, this can be facilitated when there are no children present.

Inside, our hygiene protocols are strictly followed to ensure best practice. We have access to sanitisers, frequent handwashing, cleaning regularly during the day as well as deep cleans and PPE is worn by staff for intimate changing etc. We talk regularly with the children about ways we can help stop the spread of germs, in a fun, engaging and appropriate way. We are fortunate that good hygiene standards are not new for staff or children, so we are happy we can offer consistent and reassuring levels of care.

If you have any queries at all about our Covid-19 policies, please don’t hesitate to contact your setting Manager who will be more than happy to answer any specific questions. As ever we are here to help, and facilitate the best possible care for your child.

Team Footsteps