Developmental Losses of Preschool Children Three Years into the COVID-19 Pandemic

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Public Health
• Education

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic and associated mitigation strategies have heightened concerns regarding early child development.
• Limited research exists on the long-term effects of the pandemic on young children's development, particularly three years into its impact.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the persistence of developmental losses in preschoolers due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To evaluate school readiness and developmental trajectories over a five-year period, encompassing pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-emergency phases.

Main Methods:

• Utilized census-like evaluations of school readiness for 5-year-olds in Uruguay across five cohorts (2018-2022).
• Included 180,984 teacher evaluations assessing cognitive, motor, socio-emotional development, and learning attitudes.
• Compared developmental scores from before the pandemic (2018-2019) to during (2020-2021) and after the health emergency (2022).

Main Results:

• Developmental scores across most domains significantly decreased in 2020 and 2021 compared to pre-pandemic levels.
• By 2022, developmental scores had returned to pre-pandemic levels.
• Recovery of developmental losses for kindergarten cohorts extended beyond two years.

Conclusions:

• Early childhood developmental setbacks experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic showed a recovery trend within two years post-emergency in Uruguay.
• The findings highlight the resilience of child development but underscore the extended period required for recovery following pandemic-related disruptions.
• These results are particularly relevant for countries with mild-to-moderate pandemic impacts, informing future interventions and support systems.