MINAMI-SOMA, Fukushima Prefecture--Children arriving for the first day of school on Oct. 11 at Aoba Kindergarten in the Haramachi district of Minami-Soma were greeted with more than just smiling teachers and classmates.
MINAMI-SOMA, Fukushima Prefecture--Children arriving for the first day of school on Oct. 11 at Aoba Kindergarten in the Haramachi district of Minami-Soma were greeted with more than just smiling teachers and classmates.
A sign was posted at the front entrance showing radiation levels measured that morning by kindergarten officials.
That showed the lingering concern, as two kindergartens and three day-care centers here resumed operations on Oct. 11, the first to do so in areas that were once designated as having to prepare for evacuations in the event of an emergency.
The facilities had suspended operations in the wake of the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant after the evacuation preparation designation. The central government lifted that directive at the end of September, allowing schools and other facilities for children to resume operations.
Work to decontaminate Aoba Kindergarten and surrounding areas after the Fukushima accident began from mid-August.
Kindergarten officials communicated with the parents of 218 children, including those who had planned to enter the facility in April. The parents of 50 children said they wanted to send their children to the kindergarten, while another 40 said they were still thinking about it. The other parents either decided to move their children elsewhere or declined the original approval to have their children enter the kindergarten.
Kindergarten officials said they do not plan to have any outdoor activities for the time being.
A teacher said they would do their best while being encouraged by the smiles of the children.