A letter from a parent of a child attending a kindergarten reached the editorial team. The person who submitted it draws attention to the issue of parents' access to educational institutions and the possibility of direct contact with teachers and educators.
The concerns relate not only to the rules for entering the building, but also to day-to-day cooperation with the staff. According to the person who submitted the letter, parents consider information about their child's well-being, progress, relationships with peers and any difficulties that arise during their time at kindergarten to be important.
The letter's author describes a situation in which the parent's role would primarily be limited to bringing the child to kindergarten and collecting them after classes have ended.
“Because of the restrictions introduced, parents are beginning to be treated almost like outsiders who should only bring their child to the institution and then collect them after classes have ended,” she writes.
As she emphasizes, in practice this may mean limiting direct contact with teachers and educators, and thus making it more difficult to obtain up-to-date information about the child.
“A parent is not an outsider”
The letter strongly emphasizes the argument that parents are important partners of the kindergarten in the educational process. The author points out that even a brief conversation with a teacher can help identify problems and provide the child with appropriate support.
“A parent is not an outsider. They are the person closest to the child, the child's legal guardian and the institution's partner in the educational process. They have the right to take an interest in how the child is coping in the group, whether they are having difficulties in relationships with peers, whether anything is worrying them and whether they need additional support,” the correspondence reads.
The author also emphasizes the importance of the daily exchange of information between parents and kindergarten staff:
A brief piece of information shared when the child is collected, or the opportunity to speak with the educator, can be extremely important for their proper development and sense of security.
In the parent's view, ensuring safety should not rule out cooperation with the family. It is precisely the combination of these two issues that lies at the heart of the problem raised.
Does the BRAVO alert level mean that parents are prohibited from entering?
The letter's author does not question the need to protect children or institution employees. However, she asks whether the alert level in force truly justifies all the restrictions being applied:
We understand that the safety of children and institution employees is a priority, and that introducing appropriate procedures may be necessary. We do not question the need to protect kindergartens and schools. However, the question arises whether the second BRAVO alert level alone justifies such far-reaching restrictions on parents' contact with the institution and whether there is a legal basis allowing parents to be treated as unauthorized persons who may not enter the kindergarten premises in any situation.
Safety and cooperation with parents
The letter's author points out that a kindergarten is not only a place providing care, but also a space for cooperation between teachers and the child's family:
Safety should not mean completely cutting parents off from the institution, and children cannot be treated solely as people who need to be brought in, left in care and collected a few hours later. A kindergarten is not only a building where care is provided, but also a place where teachers and parents cooperate, exchange information and jointly solve the child's problems.
The letter also includes an appeal to present the issue from families' perspective and explain which restrictions result from regulations and which stem from organizational decisions made by school directors:
I would also like the parents' voice to be heard in this discussion. Safety is important, but the child's well-being, emotional and educational needs, and the parent's right to cooperate with the teacher and obtain information about the child are equally important.
We asked Bolesławiec City Hall
In connection with the issue raised, the editorial team contacted Bolesławiec City Hall and asked for clarification of the rules in force. We will publish the response as soon as we receive it.