What Does This Mean?

It is important that you have read David Wilksch's update from today and fill out the survey that he has requested each family to fill out to determine your families need to access childcare as from next week.

The survey can be located here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/F5HYWW2

A Message from the Principal and ELC Director

Dear Parents and Carers,

We welcomed the announcement from the Education Minister yesterday related to the childcare sector, which brings some relief to Curiosity (Early Learning) and Imagination (Outside School Hours Care).

I also acknowledge that it has been difficult to make sense of some mixed messaging between the Federal and State Governments, where confusion has resulted. I choose to simply recognise that the Commonwealth and States are problem solving daily in a different context and for a specific purpose, despite the united efforts of the National Cabinet.

One of the points of confusion continues to be around ‘Essential Workers’ and access by these families to school, early learning and OSHC. Yesterday’s announcement regarding childcare could well have been interpreted as ‘the doors are now open for all to return’. I wish to restate our position and encourage your cooperation.

At this time, schools play a critical role in supporting a strategy to maintain the delivery of essential services into the broader community.

Therefore children of essential workers, for example, parents/guardians working in industries such as health care, emergency services, waste management, pharmacy, supermarkets, children of families with both parents in employment where there is no capacity to work from home, and vulnerable children for whom home is not a safe place, are able to physically attend school, early learning and OSHC.

Prime Minister Morrison continues to make it clear that Australian’s should stay at home unless:

We are going to work
Shopping for needed items
Going to the Doctor
Exercising

Therefore, as at Monday 6 April, in the interests of public safety, if there is an adult at home, children should also be at home.

Whilst I could very easily argue that economically, Good Shepherd needs its child care facilities to be open to all and well-populated to be financially viable, the reality is, we each have a social responsibility to engage in behaviours that serve to slow the spread of COVID-19.

I appreciate that family situations can be complex. If you consider the guideline outlined in this Update to be untenable for you, please don’t hesitate to make contact with me. I am doing my best to respond to all communication within 24 hours, but as the volume of emails increases, I also ask for your patience and understanding.

Kind regards

David Wilksch

Principal

Getting Curious About CURIOSITY ELC

Issue 7 · 03 Apr 2020

In this issue