The Cheshire East branch of the Women's Equality Party has challenged the government to prioritise childcare workers and all school staff for the next round of COVID-19 vaccines.

Despite being classed as key workers, early years workers are not explicitly included in priority categories, and uncertainty over financial support means that childcare services are in real danger - Ofsted has reported that a third of nurseries fear they will permanently close due to the impacts of COVID-19.

Daintry Hall Day Nursery in Congleton has this week had to close temporarily as 10 members out of the 24 staff contracted COVID, after finding children with mild symptoms had come to nursery.

Owner of Daintry Hall Day Nursery, Wendy Atherton, said: "We are frontline workers but have had no option to be vaccinated, even though some high-street businesses like pharmacies have had all their employees get the jab.

"My staff have worked so hard, cleaning and sanitising throughout this crisis but you can't socially-distance with the under-fives, it is not possible.

"We are frontline workers and we have not been treated as such. We cannot claim full furlough for our staff even though we have had to close completely for at least 10 days.

"This has a knock-on effect on the 122 families who need our nursery in order to go to work. I hope we can reopen quickly, but businesses like mine run on a non-profit basis due to the very low government childcare funding and any more weeks like this will ruin us.

"It is urgent that my staff get the vaccine so that we can stay open and allow all our families to keep working."

Kay Wesley, branch leader of the Women's Equality Party Cheshire East and a Congleton Town Councillor, said: "We support education leaders who are calling for early years and school staff to be prioritised in the next round of COVID-19 vaccinations.

"The Prime Minister announced a few weeks ago that early years settings should remain open to everyone, but that is simply not possible without urgent support."

The recent Early Years Alliance survey (December 2020) of 3,555 early years and childcare workers in England, found that more than half (54%) of childminders – and 48% of nursery and preschool workers – do not currently feel safe at work.

Susan Mead, owner of Friendly Faces Day Nursery in Congleton, agreed: "My business has also been massively impacted by COVID. All my staff would love the vaccine, but it is not something we have been offered.

"A high proportion of our nursery's parents are in crisis at the moment and we have set up a group to try to offer them some support.

"We have so many more tasks to do at nursery due to the pandemic, and no incentives to risk our lives to provide these additional services.

"I'm also a mum trying to home school my little boy with special educational needs. I Facetime him if we get a quiet moment at work. My husband is at home but also working full-time.

"Nursery is from 7.30am to 6pm then I try to work with my son in the evening when I get home from work. I feel exhausted and underpaid."

Cllr Wesley added: "Childcare workers like Wendy and Susan are on the frontline. Already many early years settings have closed their doors permanently, because of funding cuts, lack of testing and staff shortages.

"If we want schools and nurseries to open safely, then we have to make these workers a priority."

The Women's Equality Party organised an action called 'Home school the government' on Saturday (30th January), where parents and childcare workers posted pictures and videos of themselves juggling work and home schooling with the hashtag #homeschooled to put pressure on the government to introduce five measures to support families, nurseries and early years workers:

- A legal right to shared furlough or guaranteed Self-Employment Income Support for all parents. Currently, parents only have the right to request furloughing and 75% have been refused.

- Early Years and school staff to be prioritised in the next round of vaccines so that they can reopen safely as soon as possible.

- Increase child benefits to £50 per child and maintain the £20-a-week uplift in universal credit. With children at home, household bills are mounting and forcing families into poverty.

- Ten days extra paid annual leave for all parents and 20 days for single parents to help them manage caring responsibilities without the risk of redundancy.

- A bailout for nurseries to stop them closing permanently.

Cllr Wesley explained: "Women's Equality Party Cheshire East branch members took part in this action because we are concerned about the impact a third national lockdown is having on parents, especially single and working mothers.

"Prime Minister Boris Johnson has written a letter of 'thanks' to all the parents who are juggling home schooling and working, but this is not enough.

"We call on the Health Secretary to immediately prioritise all staff who work in schools and early years settings for vaccination as soon as clinically extremely vulnerable groups have been protected."