Aimee Hawke owns three Hawkes Baybased early learning centres, Frederick Street Family Centre, Frederick Kindergarten and the Havelock North Family Centre and shares the experiences of working under Covid19 restrictions as a centre owner / manager, with a focus on Frederick Street Kindergarten. During the lockdown and level 3 what did distance learning look? At Frederick Street Kindergarten we learnt a lot from the lockdown in 2020. We learnt not to make assumptions, for example not all of our families would have the ingredients to make playdough at home. Our team become very creative in sourcing ideas that all families could access. We know now that some whānau were more responsive to live interactive experiences than pre-recorded learning opportunities. Our whānau appreciated our daily Zoom and follow up supporting videos and activities on Educa. For our youngest tamariki seeing a known and trusted Kaiako every morning, reading a loved book or singing a wellknown song gave stability in a changing world. For our parents – this allowed time to shower, do work emails, or just have a cup of tea. Our older tamariki enjoyed more interactive zooms, and following feedback from 2020 this meant twice daily zooms, along with providing activities and learning experiences that were offline. This was supported by regular phone calls to whānau to support and seek regular communication and feedback as to how online learning was working (or not) for them. We collected information (prior to lockdown) on who had access to a ‘device’ and we were able to support those that didn’t – by utilising devices from our centre. Were there other ways you supported your whānau and tamariki? Regular contact with whānau – meant that we could tailor-make support for whānau needs – this could range from daily calls, additional resources, or extra activities. Greatest difficulties? The biggest difficulty this time is a slower return to the centre and a lack of resourcing – we were not eligible for the wage subsidy, and the Frequent Absence exemptions no longer apply. Our whānau are amazing at keeping their tamariki at home if unwell – but this is meaning irregular attendance. Support in the way of continuing the frequent absence exemption would really go a long way to help us. There has also been a reluctance to return to the Kindergarten. I think the Delta variant being far more transmissible has heightened whānau anxiety. Managing social distancing? Whānau were really respectful of each other and would wait in their car till they saw the group ahead leave, we received our tamariki at the gate, meaning there was limited contact with whānau whilst in level 3. At level 2 we welcomed whānau back into our centre, and they are mindful of the requirements – lots more handovers in the outdoor environment. Managing bubbles in level 3? We have several spaces in our centre with the capability to have multiple entry points and independent outdoor areas. This enabled us to operate multiple bubbles if needed. However this year the demand for space in Level 3 was not as high as 2020, meaning that we operated 3 bubbles of 10 across 3 centres. Greatest insights during this time? Lockdown is tougher on some whānau than others – losing income / jobs, living in cramped or substandard accommodation can lead to whānau stress, trying to work from home – whilst schooling children – and or entertaining them is an almost impossible task. We know our whānau really well – and offered a more bespoke approach during this lockdown. We were super fortunate to have a very short period in Level 4 and 3, and we send awhi and aroha to our colleagues in Level 3. How has well-being been implemented? We were fortunate to receive the Urgent Relief Fund following the 2020 lockdown – and we utilised these funds to create a wellness room, mud pit and fire area. These experiences helped our tamariki settle back into the rhythms and routines of the Kindergarten. The mud pit has provided a great sensory and tactile experience for all. Creating a campfire offers an opportunity for group reflection as we light the fire, with tamariki experiencing social connection – pivotal to a sense of well-being leading to presence and mindfulness. Working in the garden and planting for summer harvest has promoted a calm and purposeful activity focussed on new beginnings. Our wellness room includes foot spas with essential oils and soft music creating an ambience specifically focussed on the well-being of children. Children now offer each other the experience of a calming foot spa as they each arrive into the Kindergarten. Working under COVID-19 restrictions December 2021 { 26 }
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