BackHome
Refresh: OffView Personal Schedule
Individual Submission Summary
Share...

Direct link:

Child- and Family- Wellbeing Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Wed, April 7, 11:35am to 1:05pm EDT (11:35am to 1:05pm EDT), Virtual

Abstract

Introduction: On March 11th, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, beginning the lockdown of cities, states, and countries around the world, and with it, the shutdown of businesses, offices, schools, and early childcare centers. At this time, children in the ExCEL Quality randomized control trial study of two preschool curricula and professional development models were nearing the last few months of the school year. As centers closed in response to the pandemic, the children’s schooling and routines were disrupted and their parents’ lives were disrupted as they added childcare and teaching onto their regular duties, while many also faced furloughs and layoffs.
Study Description: The present study examines the wellbeing of children and families enrolled in the 53 Head Start and community-based childcare centers participating in the ExCEL Quality study amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The study answers the following research questions:
• How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the wellbeing of children enrolled in the ExCEL Quality study?
• How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the wellbeing of the parents of children enrolled in the ExCEL Quality study?

Methods: To answer these questions, a survey was administered electronically and over the phone in June through September 2020 to parents of children enrolled in ExCEL Quality. The survey included broadly-used survey instruments with acceptable psychometric properties, as well as items developed specifically for the study to understand how parents and children participated in remote learning activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Table 1 shows the constructs measured and the scales targeting each construct.

Hypotheses: The research team hypothesizes that children’s and family’s wellbeing will be adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with increased depression, anxiety, and stress, reduced opportunities for socializing and engagement with their center, changes in their routines, and reduced parental employment, bringing reduced household income, increased receipt of public assistance, food insecurity, and material hardship.
Sample: The survey was completed by 1,125 parents of children in the study. The families came from the four urban localities where ExCEL Quality was conducted: Columbus, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, and St. Louis. Families in the study sample came from predominantly low-income, diverse backgrounds, as shown in the description of the sample in Table 2.

Results: This presentation will summarize the data gathered from the surveys on how the children and families in the ExCEL Quality study were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Data collection ended shortly before the time of this submission, however, the team anticipates completing analyses by the time of the biennial meeting. We will report on descriptive statistics for constructs collected and examine patterns by locality, auspice, and select family characteristics (e.g., employment status, child race/ethnicity), as well as reports of food insecurity, material hardship, and increased receipt of public assistance, and how they are associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. The ExCEL Quality study will help the early childcare and education field understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the wellbeing of low-income families and children.

Authors