School readiness losses during the COVID‐19 outbreak. A comparison of two cohorts of young children

González, Mariana; Loose, Tianna; Liz, Maite; Pérez, Mónica; Rodríguez-Vinçon, Juan I; Llerena, Clementina Tomás; Vásquez-Echeverría, Alejandro

doi:10.1111/cdev.13738

Cited by 31 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 50 publications

(76 reference statements)

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“…Emerging studies have shown associations between COVID-19-related events (e.g., income loss, food insecurity, overcrowding, child care disruption), 7 , 8 as well as parenting and parents’ mental health, particularly for families with infants and toddlers 9 – 17 and those with limited pre-existing resources. 13 , 15 , 18 For instance, parent stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with harsh parenting 19 , 20 and changes in parent-child reading and playing routines, 21 – 23 resulting in adverse impacts on child cognitive-linguistic, 14 , 24 – 28 and psychosocial 29 – 31 development. These findings are consistent with conceptual models and pre-pandemic evidence suggesting that both exposure to stressors and limited resources are major contributors to disparities in child development.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pre-pandemic support for shared reading buffers adverse parenting impacts: an RCT in Brazil

Piccolo

Oliveira²,

Hirata³

et al. 2022

Pediatr Res

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Background To examine whether (1) a parent-child reading program (Universidade do Bebê [UBB]), conducted in Brazil pre-pandemic can support parenting and parent-child reading 6 months into the pandemic, (2) cognitive stimulation at pandemic onset mediates effects of UBB on these outcomes, and (3) UBB pre-pandemic buffers associations between COVID-19-related distress and parenting/parent-child reading 6 months into the pandemic. Methods 400 women, either pregnant or with children 0–24 months, were randomized to UBB ( n = 200) or control groups. UBB consisted of monthly parent workshops focusing on parent-child reading and a book-lending library. Assessments pre-pandemic (June-2019) and at pandemic onset (April-2020) included cognitive stimulation. Assessments 6 months into the pandemic (October-2020) included COVID-19 exposure/impact/distress, as well as parenting and parent-child reading. Results 133 families ( n = 69 UBB) contributed data 6 months into the pandemic. Participation in UBB pre-pandemic was associated with parent-child reading but not parenting 6 months into the pandemic. Indirect effects of UBB through cognitive stimulation at pandemic onset were observed for both outcomes. Increased COVID-19-related distress was significantly associated with reduced parenting/parent-child reading 6 months into the pandemic in the control group only. Conclusion Promotion of cognitive stimulation pre-pandemic may have reduced risk for effects of the pandemic on parenting/parent-child reading. Clinical trial registration The trial has been registered with the Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry RBR-29RZDH on 05/28/2018. Impact This is the first study showing sustained impacts of a reading aloud intervention beginning in pregnancy and early infancy implemented pre-pandemic. Findings suggest that participation in a reading-aloud intervention buffered associations between COVID-19 distress and parenting/parent-child reading 6 months into the pandemic. Novel empirical evidence suggests that promotion of cognitive stimulation prior to the pandemic may buffer its impacts on parenting and parent-child book reading following onset in low- and middle-income countries. Findings provide important new support for implementation of parent-child reading aloud programs and likely have implications for early childhood development beyond the COVID-19 pandemic for disasters generally.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pre-pandemic support for shared reading buffers adverse parenting impacts: an RCT in Brazil

Piccolo

Oliveira²,

Hirata³

et al. 2022

Pediatr Res

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“…Literature on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on early childhood development is in its infancy. A recent study showed gains in numeracy and executive function among children enrolled in Head Start, yet others found COVID-19 pandemic–associated declines in young children’s social-emotional development, communication, motor development, and attitudes toward learning . With closures and remote delivery of early childhood education (ECE) and developmental therapies, fewer families, and particularly fewer Black families, used these services .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early Correlates of School Readiness Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Linking Health and School Data

Copeland,

Porter,

Gorecki

et al. 2024

JAMA Pediatr

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ImportanceMany known correlates of kindergarten readiness are captured in developmental and social screenings in primary care; little is known about how primary care data predicts school readiness.ObjectiveTo identify early Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) correlates by linking electronic health record (EHR) data with school district KRA data and to examine potential outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic using KRA scores between 2018 and 2021.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis was a retrospective cohort study linking a large primary care practice (PCP) with school assessment data. Linkage used patient name, date of birth, and address. The setting was an urban school district and PCP affiliated with an academic medical center. Students had a KRA score from fall of 2018, 2019, or 2021 (no 2020 KRA due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and at least 1 prior well-child visit at the PCP.ExposuresExposures included year KRA administered, reported child race and ethnicity, child sex, interpreter for medical visits, child ever failed Ages &amp; Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) 18 to 54 months, ever rarely read to, Medicaid status, food insecurity, housing insecurity, problems with benefits, and caregiver depressive symptoms.Main Outcomes and MeasuresKRA score (continuous), with a possible range of 0 to 300 (passing score = 270).ResultsA total of 3204 PCP patients (mean [SD] age, 67 [4] months; 1612 male [50.3%]; 2642 Black [82.5%]; 94 Hispanic [2.9%]; 244 White [7.6%]) were matched to their KRA score. Mean (SD) KRA scores were significantly lower in 2021 (mean [SD], 260.0 [13.0]; 214 of 998 [21.4%]) compared with 2019 (mean [SD], 262.7 [13.5]; 317 of 1114 [28.5%]) and 2018 (mean [SD], 263.5 [13.6]; 351 of 1092 [32.1%]), a pattern mirrored in the larger school district. In the linear regression final model (n = 2883), the following binary variables significantly lowered the child’s KRA score (points lowered [95% CI]) below a mean passing score of 270.8: child ever failed ASQ after 18 months (−6.7; 95% CI, −7.7 to −5.6), Medicaid insured (−5.7; 95% CI, −9.0 to −2.3), Hispanic ethnicity (−3.8; 95% CI, −6.9 to −0.6), requires interpreter (−3.6; 95% CI, −7.1 to −0.1), 2021 year (−3.5; 95% CI, −4.7 to −2.3), male sex (−2.7; 95% CI, −3.7 to −1.8), ever rarely read to (−1.5; 95% CI, −2.6 to −0.4), and food insecurity (−1.2; 95% CI, −2.4 to −0.1). Race, caregiver depression, housing insecurity, and problems receiving benefits were not associated with KRA scores in final model.Conclusions and RelevanceFindings of this cohort study suggest a deleterious association of the COVID-19 pandemic with early learning and development. There may be potential for PCPs and school districts to collaborate to identify and mitigate risks much earlier.

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“…In response to concerns about school readiness (holistically defined), we test the relationship between ECEC attendance and children's communication, problem-solving, and personal-social development. As data converges to show that children from disadvantaged backgrounds were more negatively impacted in this regard (Bakopoulou, 2022;González et al, 2022;La Valle et al, 2022), we also analyse the role of SES.…”

Section: Current Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Two and half years on from the first UK lockdown, as pandemic-era preschoolers enter primary school, we are starting to see the impact of the lockdowns and limited access to ECEC on children from diverse backgrounds. Mounting evidence from practitioner and parental observations (e.g., DfE, 2022;Early Years Alliance, 2021;Hogg & Mayes, 2022;La Valle et al, 2022;Nicholls et al, 2020;Ofsted, 2020;Tracey et al, 2022), as well as from quantitative measures from children, their families, and early years settings (BLINDED FOR REVIEW; González et al, 2022;Green et al, 2021), suggests that the lockdowns led to delays in key ECEC BENEFITS COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT 4 developmental skills, potentially affecting children's experience of starting school, also known as school readiness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a large cohort study of Uruguayan 4-to-6-year-olds, preschoolers living through the pandemic made less progress than their pre-pandemic peers in standardised, teacher-administered measures of school readiness pertaining to cognitive and motor development, attitudes to learning, and internalising behaviours. Losses were more pronounced in children attending low-SES schools (González et al, 2022). Using observational data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study (Centre for Longitudinal Studies, 2014), Green et al (2021) estimated that compared to parental care only between the ages of 26-31 months, centre and non-centre-based childcare was associated with improvements in school readiness and vocabulary, respectively.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Early childhood education and care (ECEC) had sustained benefits for young children’s vocabulary, communication, problem solving, and personal-social development during COVID-19, particularly for those from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Davies¹,

Gibson²,

Hendry³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings faced significant disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic, compromising the continuity, stability, and quality of provision. Two and half years on from the first UK lockdown as pandemic-era preschoolers enter formal schooling, families, practitioners, and policymakers are concerned about the impact of the disruption on children’s cognitive and socioemotional development, especially those from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. Using parent-report data from 171 children aged between 5 and 23 months in Spring 2020 (M=15 months) living in the UK, we investigate whether previously attested positive associations between ECEC attendance and the development of language and executive functions was maintained as early years settings navigated operational challenges over the first full year of the pandemic. In response to concerns about school readiness, we analyse the relationship between ECEC attendance and children’s communication, problem-solving, and personal-social development. ECEC was associated with greater growth in receptive vocabulary over the 12-month period, regardless of children’s socioeconomic background. ECEC was also associated with greater growth in expressive vocabulary, but only in children from less advantaged backgrounds. Our data suggest a similarly positive association between ECEC attendance and the communication and problem-solving skills of children from lower socioeconomic (SES) backgrounds, and between ECEC and the personal-social development of all children. We found no effect of SES or ECEC attendance on growth of either of our measures of executive function. Overall, results suggest that ECEC had sustained learning benefits for young children growing up during the pandemic despite ongoing disruption to settings, and also had specific benefits for children from less affluent home environments. As children progress to primary school, we discuss the importance of adjusting the expectations placed on pandemic-era children, and adapting curricula and learning conditions to enable schools and families to make the most of learning opportunities.

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School readiness losses during the COVID‐19 outbreak. A comparison of two cohorts of young children

Cited by 31 publications

References 50 publications

Pre-pandemic support for shared reading buffers adverse parenting impacts: an RCT in Brazil

Pre-pandemic support for shared reading buffers adverse parenting impacts: an RCT in Brazil

Early Correlates of School Readiness Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Linking Health and School Data

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) had sustained benefits for young children’s vocabulary, communication, problem solving, and personal-social development during COVID-19, particularly for those from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.

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