The First Day of School for a Generation
Last Wednesday marked a significant milestone for the Sussman and Frankel family. It was the first day of school at California Creative Academy, a charter school in Los Angeles, where 5-year-old Eli began his kindergarten journey. Mollie Sussman, Eli’s mother, admitted that the day was filled with anxiety. “We were super freaked out,” she shared, referring to herself and her husband, Brad Frankel. “We were really scared, and [Eli] was pretty scared” leading up to the event.
Mollie’s concerns centered around Eli, an only child, potentially feeling overwhelmed by the transition from a small preschool to a new elementary school that includes students up to the eighth grade. She worried about him crying, having a meltdown, or struggling with the structured environment of a kindergarten day without naps. However, after participating in a class activity where they traced each other’s hand outlines, the family left the classroom with no issues. “He was ready when we left. He did really well and he was super brave,” Mollie said, adding that the only one in their family who cried that day was her husband.
Mollie and Brad are not alone in their concerns. Eli is part of a growing group of children born in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, now entering elementary schools across the country. These children grew up in a world filled with masked adults and frequent use of hand sanitizer. Many spent their early years in isolation or limited social interactions, raising questions about the long-term effects on their development.
Research highlights the lasting impact of early childhood experiences on development and growth, as noted in a 2023 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics (JAMA Pediatrics). While positive experiences can enhance cognitive abilities and academic performance, early life challenges can lead to deficits in managing stress and self-esteem. This has led to heightened awareness among parents, experts, and educators regarding how pandemic-related hardships might affect this generation.
Dani Dumitriu, a pediatrician and neuroscientist at Columbia University, explained that being in utero during a highly stressful time had some developmental effects on infants. “They weren’t large effects but that was a very worrisome sign given that so many women gave birth during that period.” Dumitriu’s research, published in 2022, found that 6-month-old infants born during the early months of the pandemic had slightly lower scores on motor and social skills compared to those born before the pandemic. However, as the study expanded, it became clear that these children quickly caught up.
“Child development is incredibly malleable,” Dumitriu emphasized. “What happens at 6 months is not predictive of what happens at 24 months or 5 years.”
Eli's Journey and Speech Delays
Eli’s experience aligns with findings from a 2023 study published in Epic Research, which showed that children who turned 2 between October and December 2021 were about 32% more likely to have speech delays than those who turned 2 in 2018. The rate increased dramatically to nearly 88% for children who turned 2 between January and March 2023. Overall, speech delay diagnoses rose from an average of 9% in 2018 to nearly 17% in the first quarter of 2023.
Mollie noticed that Eli wasn’t speaking at the expected level and sought help through speech therapy. “The speech therapist said that they had seen an increase in the number of kids coming to speech therapy. Likely because of the lack of exposure to mouths and facial expressions, which is a big part of how you learn to talk,” she explained. By the time Eli turned 3, he was much more verbal and in a great place.
Pandemic Behaviors and Kindergarten Readiness
Other effects of the pandemic, such as increased screen time and parental stress, have contributed to lingering challenges for kindergartners. According to a study published in the journal Nature, children spent more time on screens during lockdowns, which can make them less prepared for school. Michelle Yang, a resident physician with Children’s Hospital of Orange County, highlighted the dangers of excessive screen time for children aged 2 to 5, noting increased behavioral problems, poor vocabulary, and delayed milestones.
School attendance and preschool enrollment levels have also declined since the pandemic. A recent study by the U.S. Department of Education found that chronic absenteeism averaged 28% across the country during the 2022-2023 school year. These changes in behavior and habits are reflected in test scores, with many kindergarten students arriving behind their pre-pandemic peers.
Kristen Huff, head of measurement at Curriculum Associates, noted that the percentage of 5-year-olds arriving kindergarten-ready in reading has declined by 8 points since 2019. Similar declines are seen in math, with disparities based on race and income. Despite these challenges, Huff emphasized that students are making strides and that the right resources can help bridge the gap.
“We know what works,” Huff said. “When the right support is in place, even schools in low-income communities can buck the trend.”