The city of Lyon validated on Friday January 20 the creation of an open-air nursery in the 8th arrondissement, within the Mandela esplanade.
A new type of reception area for toddlers, aged between 18 months and three years, which should see the light of day at the start of the 2025 school year to welcome children "
outside and mainly in the open air
" "
with an educational project adapted accordingly
", indicates the municipality.
And this, even in winter when it is cold or in summer when it is very hot.
"
There is this Danish adage that says:
'
there is never bad weather, only bad equipment
'", confides to
Le Figaro
Steven Vasselin, the assistant in charge of early childhood in the city of Lyon.
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Read also“Let the children play outside”: the rise of outdoor nurseries
Concretely, in winter, the little ones will sleep outside, but very covered.
“
They will absolutely not be cold.
We also observe that the little ones sleep better outside
, ”continues the ecologist assistant.
Being outdoors from an early age has many benefits
Steven Vasselin, assistant in charge of early childhood at the city of Lyon
In total, four open-air crèches will soon see the light of day in Lyon and there will be more and more of them in the future.
“
We are going to promote this outdoor education in all nurseries with the aim of spending as much time as possible outside, even when the weather is not nice.
Better sleep, better immune defenses, better motor skills, being outside from an early age has many benefits.
It's also better for the development of fine grip because they touch the ground, sand, etc.,
” explains Steven Vasselin.
Valérie Roy, director of a daycare center in the 17th arrondissement of Paris and author of a book on early childhood and the outdoors, told Le Figaro in 2021
that “the earth is not harmful for children.
On the contrary!
The exterior strengthens the immune defences.
And
to add:
“
Outside, they are confronted with elements which are not designed for them but which they learn to know.
(...) We are not in the dogma of the outdoors either
.
Allowing children to play outside is more common sense than an obligation.
If they are bad outside or if they are too cold, we open the door to let them in.
A shortage of places in Lyon
These places, very inspired by the nurseries of the Nordic countries, are also more and more numerous in France and turn their backs on a “hygienist” vision of the reception of young children.
“
Crèche staff are often too confined to a role related to changing diapers or feeding the children,
” explains Steven Vasselin.
We think that they must also be associated with a real pedagogical awakening project.
»
Technically, each of these outdoor nurseries will be accompanied by a “shed” of 50 to 80 m2.
“
It will be light construction, ecologically exemplary.
We do not refrain from experimenting with the use of trailers that exist in nurseries in Alsace
, ”continues the deputy.
These places will be equipped with a backup room in case of bad weather, a break room, a kitchen and an activity room for children who want to be inside a bit.
In all, these open-air crèches will be able to accommodate between 20 and 25 places.
Currently, Lyon has 5,000 crèche places and two-thirds of requests for places are unsatisfied.
The community estimates that it would take 4 or 5,000 additional cradles to meet this demand.