In 2024, families are still feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s almost time for kids who were babies through the pandemic to start kindergarten – but are they ready? A recently published study by researchers from Cincinnati Children’s and Cincinnati Public Schools found that they may not be, and in part because the pandemic affected even those young children who may not have been in school yet.
The study looked at information from about 8,000 kindergarteners, including 3,200 kids who are patients at Cincinnati Children’s primary care clinics.
In 2021, only 3 in 10 Cincinnati Public Schools kindergarteners were fully ready to learn in school. This was a significant decline from previous years and was even more noticeable for kids who were from low-income families.
Other factors that signaled that a child may not be ready to learn in kindergarten:
- Child has failed a developmental screening at their pediatric well child visits between 18 months and 5 years of age
- Hispanic ethnicity (versus non-Hispanic ethnicity)
- The need for a medical interpreter during clinic visits
- Male vs. female child sex
- Parents who reported reading infrequently to their infants and toddlers at least once during their first six years of life
- Families that experienced food insecurity at times
While the findings paint a concerning picture, there is hope.
Many of the factors hindering kindergarten readiness can be addressed, as they are already being measured during primary care visits, which parents are advised to make and keep. There are tools and resources available to provide extra support for kids who need it and need it quickly. This includes resources such as speech therapy, legal aid, benefits assistance, food pantry or produce delivery, hands-on assistance in enrolling in preschool, high-quality childcare and Head Start.
There is great importance in partnerships across communities in promoting early childhood development. If you believe your child would benefit from support services to be fully ready when they reach kindergarten, please talk to your pediatrician at your child’s next appointment.
Be sure to check out the Young & Healthy Podcast for actionable steps to support every child’s journey into kindergarten.
