Masks in the fall

[Anonymous]

Are your preschools making announcements yet?

My kids will be new students at a preschool in MoCo that never dropped masks in the spring, but promised a decision for the new school year after the littles could be vaccinated. I’m feeling extremely pessimistic about the odds of them going mask optional now with cases perpetually medium to high.

Would you write or is that super needy as a new family? Uggghhhh if we don’t stop masking preschoolers now, will we ever?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are your preschools making announcements yet?

My kids will be new students at a preschool in MoCo that never dropped masks in the spring, but promised a decision for the new school year after the littles could be vaccinated. I’m feeling extremely pessimistic about the odds of them going mask optional now with cases perpetually medium to high.

Would you write or is that super needy as a new family? Uggghhhh if we don’t stop masking preschoolers now, will we ever?

If this is important to you write and say you need to know so you can make other arrangements. Our preschool dropped mask requirements in the spring and we will 100 percent leave if they re-install them. I doubt we are the only ones. My son is finally getting speech therapy and I’m not undoing his progress by putting him back in a mask when no one can understand him.

[Anonymous]

My daycare has never required masks but recently sent out a survey suggesting they could start. It feels like we're moving in the opposite direction of the rest of the world (and reality).

If they start masking, we will leave.

[Anonymous]

Maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised but I’m nervous about the direction this is going. Ballet already announced they will continue masking. Don’t love it but not as big of a deal as preschool.

If we mask preschoolers in the fall, when the heck can we expect this to stop? What is the off ramp?

[Anonymous]

We declined a spot from a preschool wait-list in part because we don't want to mask our child and her current, less geographically.convenient school, does not require masking. She cannot wear a mask properly and we noticed a profound change in her behavior in social situations when she was masking. It makes me angry to think so many preschools are still digging in on this.

[Anonymous]

I would email - you KNOW the people who are passing their anxiety disorder off as “social responsibility” are emailing, so calm people need to as well or the directors easily misread parent sentiment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We declined a spot from a preschool wait-list in part because we don't want to mask our child and her current, less geographically.convenient school, does not require masking. She cannot wear a mask properly and we noticed a profound change in her behavior in social situations when she was masking. It makes me angry to think so many preschools are still digging in on this.

+1 it does change behavior, as I discovered when we traveled to a non-masking area this year. so sad to see her light up in a way she never does in DC around people.

I declined spots at daycares for this reason as well.

--boosted person who got toddler vaxxed at first opportunity.

[Anonymous]

Ours dropped the requirement as soon as the state allowed them to, but many teachers are still wearing masks. I really wish the teachers would stop masking as I believe it’s important for preschoolers to see faces. I obviously can’t expect to tell them what to do, but I do strongly prefer for my child to be around teachers not in masks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We declined a spot from a preschool wait-list in part because we don't want to mask our child and her current, less geographically.convenient school, does not require masking. She cannot wear a mask properly and we noticed a profound change in her behavior in social situations when she was masking. It makes me angry to think so many preschools are still digging in on this.

+1

Hard to believe there are people who think waring a face covering is no big deal. It is. We need to see each others' faces.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We declined a spot from a preschool wait-list in part because we don't want to mask our child and her current, less geographically.convenient school, does not require masking. She cannot wear a mask properly and we noticed a profound change in her behavior in social situations when she was masking. It makes me angry to think so many preschools are still digging in on this.

+1 it does change behavior, as I discovered when we traveled to a non-masking area this year. so sad to see her light up in a way she never does in DC around people.

I declined spots at daycares for this reason as well.

--boosted person who got toddler vaxxed at first opportunity.

Yep, I'm not against masking for adults at all (on the contrary, I think it's outrageous to drop requirements for adults while still requiring toddlers to wear them), and we are getting all of the vaccines we can get.

There has been science showing that masks are likely to impact social development for a while now (see this summary that still claims parents can "compensate" for any difficulties - BS but shows they aren't anti maskers: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/parenting-translator/202108/the-impact-masks-social-and-emotional-development ). Honestly some of the pro toddler masking contingent is very anti-science.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ours dropped the requirement as soon as the state allowed them to, but many teachers are still wearing masks. I really wish the teachers would stop masking as I believe it’s important for preschoolers to see faces. I obviously can’t expect to tell them what to do, but I do strongly prefer for my child to be around teachers not in masks.

I agree, particularly for the youngest ones. It's fraught because *of course* we have to support people in making their own choices about personal safety, but from my personal observation there's no denying that my son is happier and more comfortable with unmasked caregivers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours dropped the requirement as soon as the state allowed them to, but many teachers are still wearing masks. I really wish the teachers would stop masking as I believe it’s important for preschoolers to see faces. I obviously can’t expect to tell them what to do, but I do strongly prefer for my child to be around teachers not in masks.

I agree, particularly for the youngest ones. It's fraught because *of course* we have to support people in making their own choices about personal safety, but from my personal observation there's no denying that my son is happier and more comfortable with unmasked caregivers.

The teachers have figured out that masks offer a bit of protection when children cough and sneeze in their faces. Centers are understaffed and not known for offering stellar sick leave. Working with small children while feeling ill is miserable, and that cute little spittle spray to the face while helping a someone else’s 2 year old pull up their pants can be nerve racking.

[Anonymous]

Ours dropped the mask requirement in the spring but just went back to "strongly recommending" masks with the current community levels (we are in MoCo). Had just gotten to the point where more kids were unmasked as they got vaccinated (we are in an uber-cautious MoCo neighborhood). Teachers never unmasked (I don't blame them). I think there will be waves of this for a long time to come, the only out would be leaving this area entirely but that's not a realistic option for us with our jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours dropped the requirement as soon as the state allowed them to, but many teachers are still wearing masks. I really wish the teachers would stop masking as I believe it’s important for preschoolers to see faces. I obviously can’t expect to tell them what to do, but I do strongly prefer for my child to be around teachers not in masks.

I agree, particularly for the youngest ones. It's fraught because *of course* we have to support people in making their own choices about personal safety, but from my personal observation there's no denying that my son is happier and more comfortable with unmasked caregivers.

The teachers have figured out that masks offer a bit of protection when children cough and sneeze in their faces. Centers are understaffed and not known for offering stellar sick leave. Working with small children while feeling ill is miserable, and that cute little spittle spray to the face while helping a someone else’s 2 year old pull up their pants can be nerve racking.

This. COVID is not the only thing. Child care workers get sick from kids all the time. When I first started I had ringworm constantly along with various colds, HFM, gastrointestinal stuff…many of my coworkers have seen personal illness plummet with mask wearing and plan to always mask at work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours dropped the requirement as soon as the state allowed them to, but many teachers are still wearing masks. I really wish the teachers would stop masking as I believe it’s important for preschoolers to see faces. I obviously can’t expect to tell them what to do, but I do strongly prefer for my child to be around teachers not in masks.

I agree, particularly for the youngest ones. It's fraught because *of course* we have to support people in making their own choices about personal safety, but from my personal observation there's no denying that my son is happier and more comfortable with unmasked caregivers.

The teachers have figured out that masks offer a bit of protection when children cough and sneeze in their faces. Centers are understaffed and not known for offering stellar sick leave. Working with small children while feeling ill is miserable, and that cute little spittle spray to the face while helping a someone else’s 2 year old pull up their pants can be nerve racking.

This. COVID is not the only thing. Child care workers get sick from kids all the time. When I first started I had ringworm constantly along with various colds, HFM, gastrointestinal stuff…many of my coworkers have seen personal illness plummet with mask wearing and plan to always mask at work.

Totally. I get it. I'd personally/privately like for my kids to interact with unmasked teachers but I totally understand and respect individual choice.