NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – Now that all the kids in our area are back in school, those born during the pandemic, known as COVID babies, are now in kindergarten.
Due to the pandemic, many of those born in 2020 spent their important developmental years a little differently than expected.
Before the COVID babies stepped foot into their kindergarten classrooms, Norfolk was preparing for the incoming students two years prior, starting in preschool.
“We wanted to make sure that they were ready because we were hearing not just from our families but also from the schools, like, ‘Oh, we’re seeing different behaviors that we haven’t seen before.'” And so we really actively listened to that because, you know, they were used to kids coming in, more of them being potty trained—not all, but more of them being potty trained,” said Dr. Kelli Cedo, Senior Director of Early Learning and Title I with Norfolk Public Schools.
The two major improvements Dr. Cedo and her team worked on for COVID babies were social skills and self-regulation.
“So, when you’re little, you’re learning to play, you’re talking, you’re doing all those amazing things, and then, you know, when you’re in isolation, you’re not really getting as much of an opportunity because of some children, depending on their experience, are only with their parent,” said Dr. Cedo.
But one thing she noticed in these students was the jump in screen time, resulting in weakened communication.
“When you see an increase in screen time, it does have an impact, you know, on cognitive abilities. It impacts oral language because it’s not talking to you and you’re not talking back to it. It is an interactive game and so forth,” said Dr. Cedo.
She adds that each year, Norfolk’s preschool program was sending students to kindergarten more prepared and ready as they improved their literacy, math, social skills and self-regulation.
“It’s getting better each year. We have been, you know, filling those gaps along the way. Data is showing that. And so we’re going to continue this pathway because we know it’s making a difference for our students and our families,” said Dr. Cedo.
Now, as these COVID babies move into kindergarten, their teachers are using data Dr. Cedo and others collected.
“We added some additional resources that the preschool teachers had access to to build those early skills that the kindergarten teachers were saying that the kids needed a little more support with,” said Dr. Cedo.
One included knowing their ABCs.
“We said, ‘Okay, let’s do that phonemic awareness where they’re hearing the sounds.'” So we added more of that—those resources. And so, as each year has gone on, we have seen that our kids are going into kindergarten more ready,” said Dr. Cedo.
Dr. Cedo said it’s not just a child going into kindergarten, but the family. So, parental involvement really helps with their student’s development. Dr. Cedo said reading something out loud to your child can make a big difference.
Norfolk Public Schools said they have also started to engage with families outside of school. The school system started its Family Welcoming Wellness Center to support families and practice wellness components, focusing on nutrition and other skills.
It uses books like Breathe Like a Bear, which talks about writing and the importance of writing to help them with their feelings.
So, families can work with their child outside of school to improve their self-regulation skills, which Dr. Cedo said is when she sees the biggest difference in the students.