Blog: Working with Coronavirus

I have been working as a childminder for three and a half years in Blaenau Gwent in Wales. When the coronavirus hit I was really nervous to continue childminding for children of key workers or vulnerable children. My daughter was only 16 months at the time and I was concerned for her wellbeing.

Financial issues were also a worry. How would we cope without my wage coming in? How long would we be in lock down and only able to provide childcare to certain families? Would the children I cared for ever come back? Would my business survive?

However, I followed Welsh Government guidance, informed parents, and hoped for the best. My critical worker families chose to keep their children home and so I busied myself updating my policies, procedures and risk assessments.

After eight weeks of lockdown I was contacted by one of the Flying Start team in my Local Authority and asked if I could help out a family in need with temporary childcare. I was happy to do so and started to prepare a contract.

COMPLETING A CHILDMINDING CONTRACT

In normal circumstances I would invite a parent round and we would discuss and complete a contract together.  As this was now impossible I talked through each section with the parent over the phone. I then completed as much as I could of the contract before posting it through the parent’s door for them to fill in their sections and sign and date. I encouraged them to phone me with any further questions. This worked well. I also e mailed copies of my policies and procedures rather than provide them in paper form.

SOCIAL DISTANCING

I was worried about picking the child up from their home however I was able to stand back from the door and the child walked across to me. This made me think further about a need to write a drop off/pick up policy as I needed to consider how I would manage drop offs of younger children and babies.  I decided that the use of a pushchair would be best in these instances.  I may also consider staggered drop off/pick up times.

Social distancing was also a concern when settling children into the setting. How would I manage this with a young child who was experiencing some separation anxiety? I decided that children’s emotional needs must come first and a child that needed cuddles should have them. Families need to know that their child will be nurtured and shown love. However this will be balanced by careful hygiene routines and common sense.

HYGIENE

Following the guidance on careful handwashing I now encourage children to wash their hands on arrival, frequently throughout the day and on leaving my setting. Coats and shoes are left at the door and no outdoor shoes are worn in the house.  When drying their hands children use a clean flannel which is then taken to be washed after each use. This single use of flannels allows me to follow infection control guidance and also reduce waste.

I also thought carefully about the types and amount of toys and resources I have. Soft toys are difficult to keep clean so I made the decision to remove these from my setting. I have also condensed the amount of toys available so that they can be easily rotated and disinfected at the end of each day.

Kitchen hygiene is really important. I asked parents to provide plastic wipeable lunchboxes that I wipe down on arrival and store in a separate part of my fridge. I have also started wearing gloves when preparing food as an extra protection.

OUTSIDE PLAY

I was so happy that I was able to use my Capital Grant funding from my Local Authority to improve my garden earlier this year.

Outdoor play has become even more important now that we cannot take children to public parks and play centres.  I have adapted my working practices here as well. For example during sand play I provide the children with separate trays of sand. For water play I have added soap to this and is done through the use of individual bowls to ensure there is no physical contact between children during the play. This is extra fun with the bubbles and also encourages hand washing games.

I am happy that I have been able to support a family through this crisis and doing so has given me an opportunity to rethink my working practices, and reflect on my hygiene routines. I am continually adapting as I risk assess different situations and different children’s needs. When settings are able to reopen fully in Wales I feel I will be better prepared.

Read other experiences and access resources in the Coronavirus spotlight