The COVID-19 pandemic upended education systems worldwide, forcing schools to close and shift to remote learning. As schools reopen, many children are making their way back, but data shows kindergarten enrollment decreased by 5.2% in the 2022-2023 school year compared with pre-pandemic levels, according to an Associated Press analysis.
Kindergarten is a critical year for children to learn to follow directions, regulate behavior, and get accustomed to learning. Children from low-income families and those whose first language is not English are typically disadvantaged due to the lack of early exposure. “Those children are sometimes behind in recognizing letters and counting to 10 even before starting school,” said Deborah Stipek, a former dean at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education.
However, some parents are reassessing the foundation year’s significance post-pandemic, citing their changing priorities. After years of all-day childcare, many parents must manage afternoon pickups with limited and expensive options for after-school care. Some worry their child isn’t ready for the structure and behavioral expectations of a public-school classroom. Many believe that whatever their child misses at school can be quickly learned in first grade.
Christina Engram from Oakland planned to enroll her daughter Nevaeh in kindergarten this fall until she learned that after-school care was unavailable at her neighborhood school, making pickups challenging as a working mother. She states, “If I put her in public school, I would have to cut my hours, and I basically wouldn’t have a good income for me and my kids.” Therefore, Engram decided to keep Nevaeh in a childcare center for another year. She receives a state childcare subsidy that she can use to pay for full-time daycare or preschool until her child turns six and must enroll in first grade.
Public school enrollment across all grades has also fallen by 2.2%. This decline stems from several factors. Some parents are still concerned about their children’s safety, resulting in increased enrollment in homeschooling and private schools. Others have moved out of urban areas, contributing to decreased enrollment in schools.
For families who remain enrolled in public school systems, after-school programs have become a crucial element of childcare since most parents’ work. However, limited capacity, safety restrictions, and high costs limit the options available to families.