As Australia rapidly approaches the re-opening of domestic and international borders, many families are wondering how we keep children safe when they can’t be vaccinated against COVID-19.
At Goodstart Early Learning, they know the best way to protect the children in our care is to ensure our team members and contractors who work in our centres do everything they can to keep children safe.
That’s why Goodstart has led the charge for providers in requiring all our 15,000 team members across Australia (and contractors who work in our centres) to be fully vaccinated by December, despite a number of states and territories yet to mandate the vaccine for the early learning sector.
To date, more than 10,000 Goodstart team members have taken action to protect themselves and the children in their care by getting vaccinated, and Goodstart is the only large early learning provider to require employee vaccination nationally.
Paul Ryan, Goodstart’s Victorian State Manager, said while everyone was pleased with restrictions easing and borders reopening, the next few months would be critical in ensuring ongoing protection for our children.
“We already have exceptional, award-winning COVID safety measures in place in our centres, including hygiene and centre access practices designed to keep children, families and team members safe,” Mr Ryan said.
“Expert advice from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute made it clear that the only reasonable step was to ensure every adult who worked in a Goodstart centre was vaccinated.
“In states like Victoria, which has been particularly hard-hit by the latest outbreak, it makes sense that we do all we can to keep children safe, give families the confidence to return to their usual routines, and support the reopening of businesses and borders.
“With fully vaccinated team members, families can rest assured that their children will continue to play, learn and grow in the safest possible environment.”