Toulouse: with the omicron variant, the organization of crèchesperturbe
Again, nurseries are suffering from the virus. They operate just in time and struggle to maintain full service.
Hours are tight. The Bordeblanche crèche, in the Pradettes district, in Toulouse, is no longer able to maintain its usual functioning. A poster indicates the new opening hours of the childcare center. Open from 8 am to 5:30 pm ”, is written. Normally, children are received from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
In the midst of the 5th wave, the multiplication of Covid cases and contact cases weakens the childcare structure. “It’s a bit complicated but I understand,” says a mother in front of the gates. I still have to adapt to come a little earlier ”.
The case of the Bordeblanche crèche is not isolated. Among the 60 municipal nurseries, others are concerned. It’s national. Recruitment in early childhood is complicated. The 5th wave, like all the others, disrupts the organization. We are sometimes forced to reduce our reception offer, ”said Laurence Katzenmaer, elected in charge of early childhood at Toulouse city hall.
“In the first line”
The early childhood department of the Toulouse town hall cannot leave establishments understaffed and authorize the reduction in the hours of day nurseries when the supervision rate is no longer respected.
“Since the start of the crisis, too little has been said about the staff in these structures. Yet from the first days, he was on the front line and provided care for the children of the caregivers involved. Today, they have the same challenge as yesterday: to maintain a quality welcome. They are faced with children who only know the Covid and who have developed disorders… ”, greets Laurence Katzenmaer.
Nursery assistants are lacking in nurseries. Professionals have been alerting to the situation for weeks. Posts are still to be paid in Toulouse.