Nurseries offer slice of normality
As children start to look forward to returning to the classroom across Shropshire, the youngest have continued to be able to enjoy a slice of normality at nurseries across the county.
Both those attached to primary schools and private nurseries have been allowed to remain open throughout the last two lockdowns.
Louise Rutter, owner of Little Poppets Nursery, in Ellesmere, says it has been able to create a bubble of relative safety and a little slice of “normality” for the children, parents and staff.
She said as a small family run nursery staff team, with the support of families had worked hard to create and maintain a Covid-free environment since reopening in June last year.
“Our ‘little poppets’ are without realising it, helping us through these strange times – times where we’re all severely restricted on meeting the people we love, hugging those we hold dear to us, laughing out loud and singing together,” she said.
“I’m very happy life in our lockdown nursery includes lots of much needed hugs, plenty of infectious laughter and singing our way through the day and not only because this all supports very young children’s early learning experiences but because right now it’s just what our little people need.
"They need a little normal, or at least our new normal, time in nursery to mix and play with friends, slide onto a familiar adults lap for a cuddle whilst we share a story, singing our way through phonics as we learn to hear and say our phonetic sounds.
“Spending time together is food for our emotional well-being whether we are young or old.”
Louise said that life at home for many families was far from normal.
“So many of our families are working from home right now.
“A kitchen work top or a dining room table with a lap top and paperwork spread out to work their way through – hardly ‘normal’ for anyone and whilst I know it’s not normal for our mums and dads either our little ones must look on at these scenes in bewilderment and be wondering a million unspoken questions.”
