Temporary measures at nurseries to start the 2020-2021 school year

The city’s 102 municipal nursery schools are adapting to the situation generated by Covid-19 as they go into the new school year. Groups will be kept together and not mix with other groups at the same centre. Indoor areas will also be delimited, the onus being on open-air activities. The temporary measures are designed to address the current health crisis.

05/09/2020 11:00 h

Ajuntament de Barcelona

The new school year at Barcelona’s 102 municipal nursery schools gets under way on 14 September. Full safety and prevention measures will be in place, with specific support for educators and for the families of the 8,508 infants enrolled, who represent 64% of the overall demand for nursery places. Each centre will establish access and exit points for families to ensure distancing and avoid build-ups of people.

A city board has been set up by the name of Escoles i Covid, with a small operating group representing educational and healthcare administrations, teachers, families and students. The board will monitor, share information and assess ways of improving responses during the current health context.

What will groups be like?

Infant numbers per classroom will be:

  • 8 infants for groups of children up to the age of 1
  • 13 infants for groups of children aged between 1 and 2
  • 20 infants for groups of children aged between 2 and 3

Each group will stay together and have no contact with the rest of the groups in the nursery while the current health situation lasts. All indoor and outdoor communal areas will be divided up and used by groups in turns. Each group will have lunch in their own area, guaranteeing preventive measures.

Morning child-minding service

Municipal nursery schools will be offering a free child-minding service from 8 am to 9 am, before school starts, to help families with their work-life balance. Extra educational staff will also help keep groups apart so there is no contact between them.

More support staff during the day

Hours by educational support staff are being increased by 25% to help cover needs and to ensure necessary measures such as frequent handwashing, keeping toys and materials clean and limiting contacts for each group. Ventilation, cleaning and disinfection tasks will be carried out according to the characteristics of each area at the city’s nursery schools.

102 nursery schools for 8,508 infants

Municipal nursery schools will cover 64.2% of the demand for places this year, an 8% increase compared to 2019. By district, the percentage of places covered by municipal nursery schools ranged from 97.2% in Ciutat Vella to 48.6% in Gràcia.

 

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