KOOSA Kids after school clubs, breakfast clubs & holiday clubs - latest COVID-19 update.

After School Club, Breakfast Club, Holiday Club 23/02/2021

COVID-19 Latest Update

**23rd February 2021 - COVID-19 Update**

Having been in regular and close contact with the Department for Education throughout lockdown, we were very hopeful for positive news yesterday, but we were delighted to hear the Prime Minister himself confirm in person, in his speech in the House of Commons, that breakfast & after school clubs can reopen in-line with schools from the 8th March!

Please bear with us whilst we await & review the revised ‘Protective Measures Guidance’ to enable us to effectively plan the reopening of our breakfast clubs, after school clubs & holiday clubs.

We understand this has been a very challenging time for everyone, juggling work with home learning & the overall pressures of living in a lockdown situation. We are excited to bring back our childcare services in the very near future, to reengage & have fun with your children, and give you a well-deserved break.

For those planning ahead, we hope to open bookings for the Easter Holidays (6th to 16th April) in the coming days as well. We will be in touch as soon as we can to share our reopening plans. Please keep an eye on our website and Facebook / Twitter pages for latest updates.

We can’t wait to welcome you back at our clubs very soon!

Customer Service Support During Lockdown

From Monday 11th January we have moved our customer service support from telephone to email. We will be checking relevant inboxes at regular intervals, but would greatly appreciate your patience if it takes a little longer to respond to your enquiry. Please also keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter pages for any updates.

We wish you all the best during these difficult times and hope you and your families remain safe and well. We will continue to closely monitor Government announcements and guidelines and look forward to reopening our breakfast and after school clubs as soon as practically possible.

**5th February 2021 - COVID-19 Update**

Following the Government’s announcement regarding a new national lockdown, including the closure of all schools, we have once again had to make the very difficult decision to close all of breakfast and after school clubs.

We regretfully confirm that we are unable to open our Holiday Clubs during February Half Term in any capacity due to the ongoing impact of the current restrictions. However, we remain positive that we will be able to reopen our holiday provision, for all children, for the Easter holidays (6th to 16th April) and look forward to the expected Government announcement on the 22nd February regarding the reopening of schools. Please keep an eye on our website for updates on when we can open bookings for the Easter Holidays.

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14th September: Please note the newsletter below was last updated on the 21st August 2020 and will not be updated until significant changes or information is issued by the Government. For latest information on how we are operating our out of school clubs in a Covid-Secure way, please click below:

With the new academic year fast approaching, we are now able to confirm that we are anticipating that all of our breakfast and after school clubs will reopen in September.

Government Guidance & How Our Term-Time Clubs will Operate from September

Back in July we spoke with each of our partner schools to agree, in principal and pending detailed guidance, that all our clubs will be reopening in line with the children returning to school in September. We have been waiting since then for sector specific guidance from the Department for Education (DfE) detailing exactly what ‘protective measures’ would have to be put in place. We are pleased to inform you this guidance has now been released and to further confirm we are anticipating all of our breakfast and after school clubs will reopen in September.

Now the DfE have provided the sector with clear and workable guidance for reopening safely, over the next week or so we will continue to work with each of our partner schools to formulate specific reopening operating plans for our before and after school clubs. We will of course share club specific information in due course.

In the meantime, please find below some of the protective measures that we be in place from September;

Children will be grouped into small consistent bubbles and bubbles will not be able to mix throughout the session.
We will be introducing greatly enhanced daily cleaning routines including regular cleaning of frequently touched surfaces.
We will be promoting good hygiene practices with children and staff to include more frequent hand washing and adopting the 'catch it, bin it, kill it' approach.
The activities and resources provided will be adapted for hygiene reasons and ease of cleaning.
Where the weather allows, staff and children will spend as much time outside as possible.
We will be introducing contactless sign in/out (removing the requirement to sign paper registers).
We will be introducing staggered drop off and collection (we will share specific information about particular time slots shortly).
Registration locations may differ from those in place previously. Please follow the yellow & black KOOSA Kids arrows to guide you to the correct location to drop off/pick up your child

If you are a permanent or ad-hoc user of our before or after school clubs, we will continue to communicate with you via email with the very latest information on our club reopenings.

Permanent Places Agreement (PPA) Users

If you hold a current PPA and have paid your holding fee to retain your breakfast or after school club place, your sessions for the September to October Half Term will be pre-booked and the related invoice (holding fees will be credited) will be emailed to you w/c 17th August. Payment for sessions will be due by 1st September. Please note, if you held a PPA prior to 20th March and chose not to pay a holding fee, as per our previous communications, your PPA has now been cancelled and your places will not be pre-booked from September.Ad Hoc BookingsIf you book your breakfast and after school club sessions on an ad hoc basis, you will be able to start booking your sessions for the September to October half term from Monday 24th August.New Places at KOOSA Kids Before or After School ClubsIf you have children on our waiting lists for sessions at our breakfast or after school clubs, and we are able to offer you sessions, you will be contacted by Friday 21st August.

New Places at KOOSA Kids Before or After School Clubs

If you have children on our waiting lists for sessions at our breakfast or after school clubs, and we are able to offer you sessions, you will be contacted by Friday 21st August.

Children Starting School September 2020?

If your child is starting school in September 2020 and you would like to register your interest for a place at a KOOSA Kids breakfast club or after school club, please email waitinglist@koosakids.co.uk for more information. Please include information about which school your child is going to attend, whether you require breakfast and / or after school club childcare and which days you think you might need, if known.

How can I talk to my child about coronavirus?

What’s happening in the world at the moment can be a little frightening or confusing for anyone, including children. However, there are some great tools available to help you talk to your children about this:

Looking for activity ideas to do at home?

At KOOSA Kids, we love inspiring and entertaining your children with our dynamic range of activities. Whether it is in our term time or holiday clubs, the best part of our job is to engage with children and watch them have FUN!

As experienced childcare providers, we also understand how tricky it can be to keep children engaged for prolonged periods of time. Let us try and help you make the most of your time at home.

Whilst sadly we can’t engage and entertain your children in person, we will be bringing you a selection of KOOSA Kids favourite games and activities to try in your home, garden or whilst out on your daily exercise. Click here to read how to bring some of our favourite activities to your home. Check our website regularly, or follow our Facebook and Instagram pages, for updates & new activity inspiration!

Contacting KOOSA Kids

Our office is open Monday to Friday from 9:30am to 18:00pm. Please contact us by calling 01276 21884 or alternatively by emailing info@koosakids.co.uk.

We hope that you and your families stay safe and well during this challenging time and look forward to seeing you and your children at our clubs soon!