Preschools in Alberta will be allowed to reopen on Monday according to Alberta's Minister of Children's Services.

Minister Rebecca Schultz took to social media to share the update on Thursday.

“The last few months have been hard on working parents- me included! So I’m thrilled to announce that preschools across Alberta can begin to safely reopen on June 1,” Schultz tweeted.

There are a lot of steps the facilities and staff will need to carry out both before and after they re-open.

“The guidelines were developed with [the Chief Medical Officer of Health] and will be more stringent than before,” said Schultz. “But, preschools will be able to operate over the summer, providing a part-time child care option that will also nurture those tiny brains!”

Since many of the buildings have sat empty since March 15 when the province closed all schools and licenced daycares due to the threat of COVID-19, preschools are being told to flush out their water lines to ensure fresh water replaces the stagnant water in the pipes.

Once opened, staff must undergo daily screening for signs or symptoms of COVID-19, and parents must take their child’s temperature each day before dropping them off. Groups of staff and children must not exceed 10 people. If there are multiple groups, they must not interact or overlap.

There are also guidelines for shared toys, play spaces or equipment, cleaning and sanitation, and for entering and exiting the facilities. For a full list of the guidelines set out by the province, click HERE.