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Comment by cpach | Hacker News Reader

I am very grateful to be living in a country where the kindergarten/schools weren’t closed (for kids under 15 years).

Can I ask, why?

As a mid 20s male with no thoughts of having children anytime soon — all I can think about is how many people seem to be grateful about being given the chance to expose their children to a respiratory system-based illness in which even short term effects aren’t understood.

They probably believe the benefits of providing their children with in person education outweigh the risks of COVID (and car accidents driving to school, and whooping cough, and flu and so on). Life is about managing risk and uncertainty.

The doctors in my neighborhood (several of which work in the Covid unit) have been moving their kids TO in person education. For the smallest kids, where early childhood education is so crucial, the value outweighs the risk.

Not GP, but as someone with a small child, there are two big reasons. Kids between the ages of 1-6 require pretty much constant attention/interaction/supervision, this makes it very hard to work from home. Virtual instruction tends to just be a frustrating experience for everyone and still requires just as much parental supervision.

The second (and more important in my opinion) is that the primary developmental events that take place at kindergarten age are social. How to interact and relate to others individually and as groups. For cognitive development, it is structured imaginative play that is critical, and near impossible to do virtually.

Many parents fear their children will miss out on this key developmental stage.

There really is a big difference between kindergarten/1st grade and even higher grades in elementary and above. It's simply not feasible to do remote school for the youngest kids. It becomes much more feasible 4th grade and above, depending on the kids maturity/diligence.

For the youngest kids, the worst thing you could have happen in this situation is for them to learn to hate school. The way this day went for my 5 yo, it seems like his enthusiasm for kindergarten via zoom is rapidly diminishing to frustration.

They are grateful that they do not have to pay for childcare and can continue to work. Many people can't afford a full-time babysitter. Their choices might be: send kid to school and continue to work OR keep kid home and not work while past due rent and bills pile up. Although I have met some mid 20s parents that are perfectly fine with an excuse to not work.

In a rush, so I’ll keep my answer short: I think that the benefits of closing the preschools would not outweigh the downsides. I have three kids and I can’t imagine trying to work if they we’re all at home the whole day.

And AFAIK preschools has not been a major source of spreading of the Corona virus.

In many countries the virus has been well-controlled, so children do not get exposed while at school.

If you knew that OP was in Sweden, would that statement still hold? I know there has been much debate on Sweden's action or lack of, but I have no idea how that applies to risk for children attending school.

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