Home or away? The relation between open or closed educational frameworks, parental distress, and child difficulties in the context of armed conflict

Abstract

ABSTRACT While Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) play a crucial role in children's and parents' ability to maintain routines, their impact during armed conflicts remains understudied. During a 10-day military operation in Israel involving missile launches, we conducted an online survey among parents of children aged 1–7, to assess the relationship between ECEC closures during the security threat and parental stress, family interactions, and children's difficulties. Among 146 families experiencing 'a few' alarms, results indicated that when ECEC were closed, parents reported increased distress, negative parent-child interactions, and heightened difficulties among children. Positive interactions and book readings, however, showed no significant differences. Additionally, linear regressions involving 474 parents revealed that open ECEC were associated with reduced distress, even when accounting for background characteristics and external threat levels. This underscores the importance of ECEC during stressful times, serving as a crucial 'buffer' to reduce stress at home and maintain a routine.