Pilke’s actions to prevent coronavirus infections in the autumn semester 2020
Bulletin to families 5 August 2020
As the new operational year starts, Pilke Daycare Centres continues to pay particular attention to preventive hygiene to ensure that the risk of coronavirus infections does not increase.
Our daycare centres, that operate in over 50 municipalities, take account of municipal guidelines for the prevention of coronavirus infections as well as the general recommendations and instructions issued by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Education and Culture.
Symptom-free daycare centres
We have instructed our personnel to stay home if they experience any symptoms that could suggest a coronavirus infection.
If your child experiences coronavirus-related symptoms (cough, sore throat, laboured breathing, fever, muscle ache, tiredness, sniffle, nausea, diarrhoea), they may not participate in early childhood education.
Should a child fall ill while at daycare, they will be taken to a separate room where they wait, with an adult, for one of their parents. If your child falls ill, please pick them up from daycare as urgently as possible.
Travel abroad
Pilke has instructed its employees to stay home for a period of 14 days after returning to Finland from a country subject to the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare’s quarantine recommendation.
We also recommend families to stay at home with their child for a voluntary quarantine period of 14 days if they return to Finland from a foreign country subject to the quarantine recommendation. You can check the up-to-date situation at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare website before returning to daycare.
We kindly request families to notify the daycare centre manager of any journeys abroad so that we can consider the safety of those belonging to a risk group as best as we can.
Good hand and coughing hygiene prevent infections
To prevent the spread of the virus, we continue intensified cleaning of contact surfaces and pay close attention to handwashing with regard to both children and adults. Hands are dried using disposable paper towels.
Daycare centre events and parents’ evenings
During the autumn semester, parents’ evenings will be organised as normal at the daycare centres. Similarly, discussions concerning the children’s early childhood education and care plans and pre-primary education plans will take place normally. Where possible, we can utilise remote connections to enable those belonging to a risk group to participate in the discussions and parent’s evenings.
Excursions may be made under the discretion of the daycare centre manager. However, we avoid large crowds and the use of public transport.
Other events will be organised on a case-by-case basis on the daycare centre yard. Large visitor groups will not be admitted to the daycare centres.
Safe hugs remain important
If we notice that coronavirus causes concern among the children, we discuss the matter in a soothing manner, taking account of the children’s ages.
Regardless of the intensified hygiene practices, we find it important to ensure that the children are provided with adequate intimacy and safety in interaction with an adult the same way as before.
These practices ensure safe everyday life at daycare to both the children and our personnel.
If you require further information, please contact the daycare centre manager. We monitor the situation closely and update our guidelines as required.
Pilke wishes you a pleasant start of the autumn semester!
Minna Martikainen
CEO, early childhood education teacher
Pilke Daycare Centres
Tel. +358 44 521 2159