Winnipeg daycares, camps keep wary eye on solar eclipse

Monday's solar eclipse is prompting the city's daycares and outdoor camps to come up with strategies to prevent children from suffering eye damage.

The Riverview Ashland Children Care Centre on Ashland Avenue has come up with two solutions.

Director Michelle Lange says preschool kids aged three to six will have a special "stay in, wearyour pyjamas day" on Monday. Childrensix to twelve will get to watch the event with special glasses purchased from the planetarium. Lange says programming and education has been geared towardteaching older kids about the solar eclipse and why they need to protect themselves.

Two or three children will be allowed out at a time with a staff person, Lange told CBC News.

• How to get the right glasses and where to watch the eclipse in Manitoba

The manager of the Norwood Community Centre says he will be meeting with staff to come up with a plan for children participating in outdoor sports camps on Monday. He iscontacting the city for anysolar eclipse policy regarding Leisure Guide camps.

Over at Lord Robert's Children Care Centre on Kylemore, both pre-schoolers and elementary age children will be kept inside.

"I mean, first of all, our children are fairly young and we really can't stop them from looking up. We have decided as a centre we are just going to keep them in and keep them safe for the two hours it takes," centre director April Kalyniuk, who isalso the president of the board of the Manitoba Child Care Association, told CBC News.

Kalyniuk says she hasn't seen a provincialdirective, but she says the directors at centres have been talking to one another.

I don't know how severe the risk is for eye damage but any risk is not worth it.- April Kalyniuk

"For safety reasons, it seems most will be keeping children inside," Kalyniuksaid.

Lord Roberts has 119 children in its child care programs.

"To try and get 60 pairs of safety glasses and try and make sure they all keep them on, we just aren't going to do that," Kalyniukadded. "Parents could certainly keep their kids at home if they want to get the glasses and do that kind of event with them. We would never want to put ourselves at risk that one of the school age children takes the glasses off. I don't know how severe the risk is for eye damage but any risk is not worth it."

In an email to CBC News, city spokeswomanKailey Barron wrote that Leisure Guide instructors will advise children at camps not to look directly as the sun.

Kalyniuk says for the preschool children at Lord Roberts, the decision was an easy one.

"Our preschool children are usually inside by that time anywayfor lunch and then nap, so that is perfect for us. Our school age kids do lunch at noon anyway so this wasn't a hard decision to make," she said.

CBC has not received a responsefrom the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg about its plans for itsdaycaresduring the solar eclipse, which is expected to happen between 11:30 and2:30 p.m.