How to Manage COVID-19 Bubbles in the Early Years

What is a bubble?

A way of grouping children at our nurseries, keeping children and staff safe during the time of coronavirus by organising them into ‘Bubbles’.
During lockdown children and adults were in a bubble in their home, within their home bubble they didn’t need to socially distance from the other members of their household. The concept of a nursery bubble is an extension of the home bubble. In a nursery bubble a group of children and staff are grouped together every time they are in the nursery and their interaction and contact with other bubbles is restricted as much as possible.

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Why have a bubble?

• A nursery with for example, 45 children and 13 staff members, could be split into three bubbles reducing the number of children and staff members each child and staff member comes into contact with.

• Reduce risk of transmission in children and adults.

• Effectively manage instances of COVID-19 in the nursery.

• Reassure parents as to the control measures you are using.

• Reassure staff that their health & wellbeing is being planned for.

• Provides organisation and clear responsibility for staff in guiding children.

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A Bubble MUST:

• Not exceed 16 children (from the DfE guidance)

• Contain the same children for a minimum of one week (Monday to Friday) and ideally longer with at least a weekend between new bubbles

• Adhere to the guidance on child to adult ratio as set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework and the subsequent disapplication guidance for the period of coronavirus

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A Bubble should:

• Contain the same staff members where possible. Where additional staff support is required for a bubble consider the following
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  o How ratio requirements are being met over the building as a whole
  o How any supernumerary, ancillary or support staff are deployed
  o How shifts are planned. Longer and fewer shifts, where practical, reduces commutes and changing over of staff during the day
  o If staff need to provide cover across bubbles you may want to consider PPE for these staff members

• Group members of the same household together e.g. siblings/staff with their own children where possible

• Be together for as long as possible before new bubbles are formed, consider when children might have been due to transition between age phased rooms and consider transitions in light of the bubbles. This could include children transitioning earlier or later than usual or not at all, or vertical grouping of children to bubbles moving onto new rooms together.

• Be documented so if there is a case of Covid-19 you are able to readily identify which children and staff have potentially been exposed

• Be maintained in as clearly-defined, easy-to-manage spaces as possible.

• When planning your bubbles consider the following:
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  o Sized according to your own internal risk assessment
  o Attendance patterns
  o Room/environment size (floor space requirements as set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework)
  o Staff competency and/or qualifications
  o The child’s learning and development requirements and their wellbeing including mobility and SEND
  o Household members (e.g. siblings)

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Bubble Tips for Environment and Routine:

• Ensure resources are appropriately cleaned before being passed from one bubble to the next

• Split resources between bubbles where possible

• Do not share resources between bubbles which can not be easily cleaned e.g. malleable materials

• Where bubbles are not able to be separated by physical separation in separate rooms consider furniture placements to support separation considering:
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  o Reducing pinch-points where bubbles could mix
  o Influencing the flow and/or focused activity stations for children
  o Deployment of staff to subtly direct ‘traffic’ and non-bubble clusters

• Utilise the outside space as much as possible, coordinating its use to avoid unexpected mixing of bubbles

• Consider staggered mealtimes to allow for greater spacing between children eating

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Considerations when forming new bubbles:

• Schedule more thorough cleanings on weekends between bubble changes

• Use Christmas Break/bank holiday weekends as an opportunity to create Nursery wide, larger bubble transitions