It is difficult to determine who in our field is currently engaged in inquiry related to the pandemic or to predict who might be sufficiently interested to become well steeped in the international and interdisciplinary literature. The first challenge was that the typical way of identifying contributors-by looking at their previous publications on the subject matter-was virtually inaccessible, given the recency of the topic.
Through a series of email conversations and a review of the Calls for Papers of other editors, we formulated a strategy. Springer Nature gave their immediate and enthusiastic support to the concept. When we proposed two distinct projects:Ī special issue of Early Childhood Education Journal and.Īn edited book on Covid-19 for the series, Educating the Young Child,
After reviewing these materials, as well as those published by leading professional organizations and other respected publishers, early childhood education was not well represented in the literature.
It is a source of professional pride that our publisher for Early Childhood Education Journal, Springer Nature, took swift and decisive action to disseminate information by making all their publications on Covid-19 available, free of charge. Although the information explosion associated with Covid-19 was first concentrated in the medical and health fields, it now spans disciplinary boundaries. Furthermore, the situation remains fluid, with some of the early assertions being revised or revoked as new evidence accumulates. Research is so recent that much of the material is published online and not yet available in hard copy.
Whether or not Covid-19 stays true to its categorization as a novel virus, nearly every article or book chapter on the topic has a 2020 publication. As concerning as these immediate and observable consequences of Covid-19 for young children are, even less is known about what the long-term effects may be.įrom a scholar’s perspective, we are now “participants in the biggest unplanned experiment that education has ever seen in our lifetimes” (Thomas and Rogers 2020, unpaged). Particularly for children who are living in poverty, chronically ill, have disabilities, experience housing and food insecurity, reside in remote areas, are marginalized by mainstream society (e.g., indigenous people and migrant workers), or are suffering from neglect or abuse, problems are exacerbated by pandemics. As Xafis ( 2020) notes, the most affected “are those individuals routinely disadvantaged by the social injustice created by the misdistribution of power, money and resources” (unpaged). When those adults lack the wherewithal to cope with the immediate, urgent, and multiple adaptive demands a pandemic places on families and when support systems do not exist, falter, or cease, it can result in unmitigated disaster for the very young. Covid-19 not only suspended normal childhood activities such as attending school, interacting with extended family and friends, playing outdoors, and exploring nature but also disrupted the consequent socio-emotional benefits that accrue from children’s engagement in these experiences.Ĭhildren are inherently vulnerable because they depend on adults to have their most basic needs met. Yet when we consider all aspects of young children’s development, the profound implications of this global pandemic are evident. Medical research suggests that, strictly speaking, Covid-19 is not a “children’s disease” because, up to this point, there are few confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the young and, even among children who contract the disease, the fatality rate has been very low (Spaull 2020). Worldwide, the Covid-19 has also pushed the early childhood education system to the verge of collapse and mobilized leading early childhood organizations to advocate for Covid-19 financial packages to protect early education programs (NAEYC 2020 Zero to Three 2020). More specific to early childhood education, this international health crisis has precipitated unprecedented, sweeping, and dramatic changes in the lives of children and their families, preservice and inservice teachers of young children, and early childhood teacher educators. Jaime Saavedra, Global Director for Education, describes it as the “largest simultaneous shock to all education systems in our lifetimes” (World Bank 2020). According to UNESCO ( 2020), nearly 90% of the world’s student population-over 1.5 billion learners in 165 countries-have had their learning experiences disrupted by precautions and policies implemented to quell the spread of the disease.
The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in monumental changes to education throughout the world.