Member Associations of New Zealand Kindergartens say they want to support parents returning to work this Thursday with the move to Level 2 and have had time to thoroughly prepare.

“Our teachers over the past couple of weeks have had time to get everything ready on site and have been practicing new hygiene routines. We’ve been extremely careful to wipe down all surfaces and in Level 2 we will be cleaning outside surfaces daily as well.” Said Jill Bond, CEO of New Zealand Kindergartens (NZK).

“One thing that the children will love being able to do is get outside on the play equipment and let off some steam. They have really enjoyed coming back under Level 3 and while we can still provide on-line support for those at home, we want to encourage all children to return to our kindergartens to reunite with their friends and teachers.”

“Obviously those who are self-isolating or at risk, immune compromised or sick must stay at home.”

Jill says many of our kindergartens don’t need to wait until Monday May 18th to open as all the preparations have been done and we want to be able to support parents and caregivers.

“Many will be open at the usual times and following pretty normal routines, with extra hygiene protocols and obviously rigorous cleaning during and after sessions.”

“Our key message is that if you need us, we are here. We want to support and be flexible for parents in this challenging time.”

Jill says the key messages from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern were that keeping children at home if they were sick, even with just a runny nose, was very important and excellent hygiene practices such as frequent hand washing and regular cleaning.

“All schools and early learning services will collect information about who’s there, so Public Health can contact people quickly if they need to.”

“The feedback from the children and families that have already returned is that they have loved coming back to kindergarten and we are really excited about seeing more walk through the front gates from Thursday.”

For more information please contact Jill Bond, CEO NZK on 0274 950 282