The Covid-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on childhood education. Schools across the country were forced to close their doors, leaving millions of children without access to formal education. This had a knock-on effect for parents, who had to home-school their children or find alternative childcare arrangements.
Numerous efforts have been made by schools and organizations like the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club to curb the learning loss that occurred for so many children during the pandemic. Ever since students got back into the classroom, educators have made concerted efforts via intervention & enrichment programs to help children rebound from remote learning challenges.
These programs have seen huge success on the learning front but there is still work to be done in other areas related to the lack of social interaction children had during school closures. Feelings of isolation and loneliness have negatively impacted children’s mental health to this day. Schools and nonprofit agencies all over the nation and in our own backyard are focusing on this issue by offering more support to children and their parents through increased engagement and resource sharing. Since 2019 United Way of Yavapai County has awarded funding to numerous nonprofits and schools that have worked tirelessly to mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic on childhood education.