Exploring the Experiences and Impacts of COVID-19 on Parents, Educators, and Programs for Young Children

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

While attention and significant research has been directed at the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on K-12 students, teachers, and parents, less is known about the effects upon very young children and their caregivers. The three papers each examine different impacts of the pandemic upon those caring for young children, and include the perspectives of parents and early care and education professionals. The first paper includes data from center and home-based early educators on their work environments and well-being, and how aspects of these environments have shifted since early 2020. The second paper uses data from home- and center-based program administrators in California to understand the impacts of COVID-19 on staffing, program operations and personnel decisions, especially in family child care homes. The final paper draws from national data to investigate pandemic-related child care staffing issues and causes, and how these factors impact both child care providers and families.

This symposium centers on the early childhood workforce, professionals who were largely considered “essential” during the onset and height of the pandemic, yet not typically compensated or supported in ways consistent with the crucial nature of the work they perform and who are still reeling from the effects of the pandemic. Each paper approaches this issue from a particular perspective -- center and home-based educators, administrators, and parents. Examining findings from these groups allows for the discovery of both common themes and disparate experiences across the many stakeholders engaged with the ECE system.

Sub Unit

• Social Policy

Chair

• Joan Lombardi, Georgetown University

Individual Presentations

• The Working Conditions and Well-Being of Early Educators During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Presenting Author: Marisa Schlieber, Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, University of California, Berkeley; Tobi Adejumo; Jenna Knight, University of California - Berkeley

• The Experiences of Family Child Care Homes During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Presenting Author: Anna Powell, University of California - Berkeley; Yoonjeon Kim, University of California - Berkeley; Elena Montoya; Wanzi Muruvi

• The Impact of Child Care Shortages on Caregivers of Young Children and Childcare Providers During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Presenting Author: Cristi Carman, Stanford University; Sihong Liu, Stanford University; Joan Lombardi, Georgetown University; Natalie Renew; Philip Fisher, Stanford University