Home nurseries deemed ‘unqualified and unlicensed’ to receive children amid pandemic

AMMAN — Home nurseries are “unqualified and unlicensed” to receive children in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, said Director of the Family Protection Department at the Ministry of Social Development Mahmoud Jbour.

Jbour stated that since nurseries are still allowed by the ministry to receive children, home nurseries are not included in that decision as they are not registered with the ministry and therefore the Family Protection Department has no control over them.

Even though nurseries are operating, there are set criteria for accepting children such as proof of the mother’s work and the child’s health status, the ministry said in a statement on Monday.

The ministry stated that the number of nurseries increased to 900 at the beginning of the school year, all of which were only allowed to reopen after they were granted the required work licences and checked for abiding by safety and health preventive measures.

Nurseries are not allowed to accept more than 75 per cent of their capacity, according to the ministry’s guide to limit the spread of the coronavirus, which is a condition that the ministry follows-up on through field visits.

“Home nurseries are places that you cannot monitor since they are not listed in our books. Normally, they are unlisted, but still allowed to operate, but in the presence of the virus, they are both unlicensed and dangerous,” said Jbour.

The government decided on June 4 to reopen nurseries after mandating each one to abide by a guide that lists the required safety and health measures. 

Owners of home nurseries, however, contested Jbour’s statement by saying that they, just like any other nursery, are following this guide.

“First and foremost, we care about the health of our children, especially that most of them are babies in need of intense care,” said Bailasan Hudhud, an owner of a home nursery located in Jubeiha, told The Jordan Times over the phone.

“A small nursery like ours does not take more than five babies as we only have three caregivers, so that in itself is abiding by physical distancing measures. How are schools and other big nurseries who have more babies than us allowed to operate while we are deemed incompetent?” asked Hudhud.

Lama Ayasrah, an owner of a home nursery in Abu Nuseir, said she refrained from reopening in fear that any infection would be pinned on her nursery.

“Although I think that we are qualified enough to reopen, I would rather not place myself under legal liability, especially after the ministry doubted us,” she added.