COVID-19 Pandemic’s Lasting Effects on Kindergarten Development
THURSDAY, March 13, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly set back the development of kindergarteners, according to a recent study published in JAMA Pediatrics on March 10.
Researchers found that post-pandemic kindergarten students, on average, scored lower in areas such as language and cognitive skills, social competence, communication, and general knowledge compared to children who were in preschool before the pandemic.
Judith Perrigo, an assistant professor of social welfare at the UCLA School of Public Affairs, noted, ‘The domains of language and cognitive development were most severely affected, likely due to school closures and the shift to virtual learning.’ The study highlights that these educational disruptions limited essential social interactions for children.
However, some positive developments have also emerged; kindergarteners showed improvements in emotional maturity and resilience during the lockdown. Researchers observed, ‘The increased exposure to adult stressors during the pandemic may account for the increase in emotional maturity among our sample.’
The study analyzed data from over 475,000 U.S. kindergarten students, comparing their development scores from 2018-2020 with those from 2021-2023.
While many developmental trends were already declining prior to the pandemic, researchers pointed out there was a slower decline in areas such as communication and cognitive development during the pandemic. They stressed the need for early childhood policies that address both preexisting challenges and new stressors brought on by COVID-19.
For More Information
The Children’s Hospital Association provides further insights on the effects of the pandemic on children’s health.
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