CONCORD, California Aylah Levy had some catching up to do this fall when she started first grade. After spending her kindergarten year at an alternative program that met exclusively outdoors, Aylah, 6, had to adjust to being inside a classroom. She knew only a handful of numbers and was not printing…
CONCORD (AP) – Aylah Levy had some catching up to do this fall when she started first grade. After spending her kindergarten year at an alternative programme that met exclusively outdoors, Aylah, 6, had to adjust to being inside a classroom. She knew only a handful of numbers and was not printing her letters clearly. […]
The number of kindergartners in public school plunged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Concerned about the virus or wanting to avoid online school, hundreds of thousands of families delayed the start of school for their young children. Most have returned to schooling of some kind, but even three years after the pandemic school closures, kindergarten enrollment has continued to lag. For many families, kindergarten is no longer the assumed first step in a child’s formal education, another sign of the way the pandemic and online learning upended the U.S. school system.
The number of kindergartners in public school plunged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Concerned about the virus or wanting to avoid online school, hundreds of thousands of families delayed the start of school for their young children. Most have returned to schooling of some kind, but even three years after the pandemic school closures, kindergarten enrollment has continued to lag. For many families, kindergarten is no longer the assumed first step in a child’s formal education, another sign of the way the pandemic and online learning upended the U.S. school system.