Pandemic Response and Recovery Resources
Research
Seven Impacts of the Pandemic on Young Children and their Parents: Initial Findings from NIEER’s December 2020 Preschool Learning Activities Survey (February 2021). Steve Barnett and Kwanghee Jung conducted a second parent survey in December 2020 regarding children’s home learning activities and preschool participation during the pandemic.
Corona Pandemic in the United States Shapes New Normal for Young Children and Their Families (January 19, 2021). Steve Barnett, Rolf Grafwallner & GG Weisenfeld used multiple strategies to obtain information on how the pandemic has shaped policy and the ECE experiences of young children and their families across 50 states and D.C. beginning in the spring through the fall of 2020.
An Exploratory Study of the Use of Time Diaries to Understand Young Children’s Experiences During the Pandemic. (November 2020). Milagros Nores explores the use of time-diaries to deepen our understanding of the pandemic’s impacts on educational activities including differences across children and over time.
Young Children’s Home Learning and Preschool Participation Experiences During the Pandemic: NIEER 2020 Preschool Learning Activities Survey: Technical Report and Selected Findings (August 2020). Steve Barnett, Kwanghee Jung, and Milagros Nores conducted parent surveys to learn how the pandemic is impacting young children’s learning experiences on: (1) children’s home learning activities during the pandemic; (2) children’s preschool participation and program closures; and (3) services children and parents received to support emergency remote learning when preschool programs closed their classroom operations due to the pandemic.
Understanding and Responding to the Pandemic’s Impacts on Preschool Education: What Can We Learn from Last Spring? (August 2020). Steve Barnett and Kwanghee Jung conducted a nationwide survey of parents of children ages three to five to understand the impact of the pandemic.
Policy Briefs
Ideas and Inspiration for Targeting Federal American Recovery Act Funds to Early Childhood Education (June 2021) This brief provides state leaders and advocates with a deeper understanding of the possible uses of ARP Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding and new ideas on innovative practices and sound strategies to the address needs of children in preschool and early elementary grades. The brief considers how investments from the 2021 Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA) to state child care and development funds can be aligned and synergetic to strengthen the early care and education system. The brief includes links to many state and national resources.
Impacts of Covid-19 on Preschool Enrollment and Spending (March 2021). GG Weisenfeld looks at the pandemic’s likely future impact on funding for state preschool programs.
The Financial Impact on COVID Licensing Standards on NJ Child Care (October 2020). Karin Garver examines the impact of new and existing regulations on child care providers’ revenues and expenditures, and the subsidy rates required to financially sustain child care providers in New Jersey.
Review of State School Reopening Plans and Implications and Suggestions for State Funded Pre-K Programs (July 31, 2020, updated August 18, 2020). A review of all of the state’s reopening public school plans and an analysis of pre-K inclusion by GG Weisenfeld.
How Will The COVID-19 Pandemic Impact Pre-K? Lessons from the Great Recession (June 2020). Karin Garver revisits lessons from the Great Recession to answer the question how the COVID-19 pandemic will impact Pre-K.
Initial Ideas and Resources on Planning for Reopening Following COVID-19 School Closures (April 24, 2020). A summary of national and state resources compiled by Lori Connors-Tadros.
Recommendations for Safer, Effective Emergency Childcare for Children of Essential Workers (April 16, 2020). Guidance intended to inform policy and practice for childcare providers who remain open during the COVID-19 public health emergency to provide childcare services for essential personnel by Steve Barnett, Manuel Jimenez, Lawrence Kleinman, Alan Weller, and Patricia Whitley Williams.
Presentation/Webinars
Targeting American Rescue Plan Funds to Early Care and Education. NIEER, CCSSO, and NAECS-SDE sponsored a webinar on July 22, 2021 to explore the two recent policy briefs: Ideas in Inspiration for Targeting American Rescue Plan Funds to Early Care and Education and Using Every Student Succeeds Act Funds for Early Childhood. The webinar shared how state leaders can use American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds for early childhood education and highlight examples, including hearing from state leaders in Michigan. The webinar included remarks from early learning leaders in the U. S. Department of Education regarding using ARP funds for early childhood. Presentation (PDF) Supplementary Resources (PDF) Recording (YouTube)
Remote Preschool: What We’ve Learned (January 13, 2021). Session 6 in Rutgers’ Excellence and Equity in Remote Learning: A Series for Educators. In this session, New Jersey early educators and GG Weisenfeld discuss remote learning and preschoolers.
Kindergarten Entry Assessments: Considerations for Fall 2020 (August 18, 2020) webinar co-sponsored by CCSSO, WestEd, and NIEER highlighted the use of KEA data and how Ohio and South Carolina are planning to implement a KEA in the fall 2020.
Moving New Jersey Schools Forward Amid COVID-19 is an online forum to support the development of school district planning that responds to the challenges of COVID-19 (recorded webinars).
Planning for the Upcoming School Year: How Cities are Adapting Their Pre-K Program in the Era of Covid-19 (July 15, 2020). City Health and NIEER co-sponsored webinar.
Blogs/Commentaries
COVID-19: My time, your time, our kids’ time (December 10, 2020). Milagros Nores explores how preschool aged children used their time during the pandemic.
A Few of Our favorite Things to Support Preschoolers’ Home Learning (December 3, 2020). GG Weisenfeld identifies ways families can support preschoolers at home.
America’s Preschoolers Lose Important Learning Opportunities Due to Pandemic, Raising Concerns for the Future (July 24, 2020). America’s preschools schools failed to provide students adequate support after shutting down in-person instruction in March due to the coronavirus pandemic according to a nationwide survey by Steve Barnett and Kwanghee Jung.
Now is the time to invest in preschool education. Here’s why (May 6, 2020). Steve Barnett outlines three steps state and federal policymakers can take to enhance preschool and protect it from budget cutting mistakes similar to those made 12 years ago in response to the Great Recession.
Lessons from China to Keep and Teach Our Children Well, Especially the Youngest (April 9, 2020) Steve Barnett and Zijia Li discuss lessons that can be learned based on China’s experience with COVID-19.
Beyond Borders in a Crises: The Global Response to Support Children (March 24, 2020) Joan Lombardi on the global impact COVID-19 has had on children.
Into the unknown. Managing home-schooling and work in the age of COVID-19 (March 19, 2020) Milagros Nores explores the challenges of home-schooling and work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other Resources