The Region: the nurseries can open on Mondays. But no municipality is ready

Nurseries, spring sections and family nests – we can start over. Yesterday the Region authorized the green light for educational services for younger children, from zero to three years old as of Monday, August 31. Hundreds of structures that cater for children’s activities will be able to lift the blind, only a part of which was “converted” in recent weeks to host summer camps. “Piedmont is among the first Regions to reopen childcare services, to meet the needs of families, children and all workers in the sector,” argue President Alberto Cirio and Councilor Elena Chiorino.

The green light affects both public and private structures. At the beginning of August, the Region had anticipated to the mayors the desire to start up the nurseries at the end of the month, but confirmation had not arrived until yesterday and not all are ready. In Turin, the City Council has already planned the restart together with the nursery school and the rest of the study cycles. As every year we stick to the school calendar and we will start on September 14, as has already been communicated to families and on the educational services website ”, explains the councilor of Palazzo Civico Antonia Di Martino, who manages 39 daycare centers directly and 16 under contract. A new meeting is scheduled for next Wednesday, after last Tuesday, between the councilor and the unions to address the problems of return: the lack of personnel, both among educators and among assistants, so we could turn to workers temporary, entry and exit methods to avoid crowds.

However, the possibility of opening from Monday can represent a breath of fresh air for families, even if progress is really minimal so that we can really organize the start of activities in four days, and for private structures. The 15 million euros promised in spring to recover the fees lost from February 20 in many cases have not arrived, the directors denounce. So being able to resume business now is good news. “We have already planned the insertions and we are ready: leaving is a necessity, for us and for the families,” says Alessandra Cerutti, who runs Oca Carlotta in via Balme. However, many unknowns weigh on the reopening, starting from the difficulties of monitoring the health of the little ones. Not only that: “For baby parks that by nature live in alternate presences, it will be impossible to have stable groups of children as required by the guide,” observes Tiziana Agui of Parakid’s.