Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

Educational services reorganized to meet the need to maintain ordinary service

Milan, January 3 2022 – In a communication sent today to the families of girls and boys attending the 0-6 after-school service, the Education Department announced the suspension starting from next January 10th of the after-school service from 16 pm to 30pm for nurseries and nursery schools.

The measure was necessary in light of the new regulatory provisions on the vaccination obligation and the classification from today of the Lombardy Region in the yellow zone (Law Decree 26 November 2021, n. 172 and Ordinance 31 December 2021 of the Ministry of Health) and for the significant increase in the number of infections, with the consequent temporary contraction in the number of educators who can guarantee the service.

"After careful analysis, we proceeded with the aim of ensuring the ordinary service as much as possible - explains the Deputy Mayor and Councilor for Education Anna Scavuzzo -, which to date involves around 30.000 girls and boys throughout the city".

"The vaccination obligation and the increase in infections - continues the Deputy Mayor - has led to many absences and the risk of a further contraction of the ordinary service is still real. Added to this is the entry of the Lombardy Region into the yellow zone, which makes the practice of the so-called "overlap" between bubbles to compose the after-school groups of nurseries and kindergartens is impossible. The suspension of the after-school service is therefore inevitable".

To date, approximately 5.000 girls and boys attend after-school care out of the approximately 30.000 enrolled in municipal services.

"We will employ all available staff to guarantee an ordinary service (until 16pm) that is as continuous and complete as possible." 

Throughout the territory there are 103 nursery schools plus 35 contracted ones, while there are 170 nursery schools plus 37 spring sections. The staff numbers approximately 3200 male and female educators on both services in addition to dedicated educators for disabled children.

"In recent hours I have been receiving several letters from families concerned about the suspension of after-school care and more generally about the continuation of services for 0-6 year olds: I understand these reactions and I want to confirm that we are working to find solutions that best allow carrying out the ordinary service - underlines Deputy Mayor Scavuzzo - the situation is complex and this significant increase in the number of infections has not helped at all. Throughout the country there are sectors that are dealing with a significant decline in the number of workers service due to this fourth wave, and our educational services are unfortunately not exempt from it."