The Pandemic’s Toll on Low-Income 5-year Olds

The pandemic exposed grave inequities in education, leaving students at home with parents who either could or could not provide alternatives. It appears that the youngest students suffered the most.

Recently, the New York Times and Stanford University uncovered an alarming trend. Data from 70,000 public schools combined with parent interviews found that more than 1 million students did not enroll in school and a large proportion of those were 5-year olds in low-income households.

Many parents already had little trust in their local schools and so they either kept their kids home, or found low-cost alternatives in daycare. The implications are complex, ranging from underprepared 1st graders to parents who expect better.

Click HERE to read the full article from the New York Times.

TRiGroup’s Advice: Kindergarten enrollment is a major indicator for a District’s long-term financial health. More importantly, the public education system can and should provide the very best it has to offer. We have experience with and strongly advise high-quality programs including Full-Day Kindergarten, Multi-Age Primary grade classes, and After-School Programming.