Abstract
In the spring of 2020, as a result of the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, many children dropped out of daycare and early education in Finland, and parents had to balance work and childcare for months. The wellbeing of families during the lockdown has been studied to some extent, but few studies have focused on children under school age. In May 2020, we sent a survey to the 82 families originally recruited in our study on supporting social-emotional development in early childhood education units, which had been interrupted by the pandemic. Twenty families responded to questionnaires about the impacts of the lockdown on the wellbeing of the children and their parents. Parents reported a decline in children’s prosocial behavior compared to the time before the pandemic and assessed that the children who stayed at home were lonelier than children who remained in daycare. Otherwise, being at home or in care was not associated with children’s physical or mental wellbeing. Parents had experienced increased mental strain and increased problems in marital relationships and the disruption of children’s participation in daycare was associated with deterioration in the parent–child relationship. Due to the small sample size, these results should be interpreted with caution.
Highlights
UNESCO estimates that the pandemic has affected the lives of around 1.6 billion school children in 190 countries [1] and globally, an average of two-thirds of the school year has been missed due to pandemic-related school closures [2]
The pandemic is a health crisis, and a crisis that will affect the possibility of reaching the United Nations Sustainability Goals, especially SDG 4, as has been pointed out in a recent review [4]
According to the Regional State Administrative Agency, only 27% of children participated in municipal early childhood education, in comparison with normal numbers [5]
Summary
UNESCO estimates that the pandemic has affected the lives of around 1.6 billion school children in 190 countries [1] and globally, an average of two-thirds of the school year has been missed due to pandemic-related school closures [2]. The pandemic has affected the lives of an estimated 93 million children in early childhood education and pre-school in 34 countries [3]. The pandemic is a health crisis, and a crisis that will affect the possibility of reaching the United Nations Sustainability Goals, especially SDG 4 (to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all), as has been pointed out in a recent review [4]. The schools and, in part, early childhood education, closed in the spring of 2020. Childhood education and care (ECEC) centers were kept open, but parents were advised to keep children at home if possible. According to the Regional State Administrative Agency, only 27% of children participated in municipal early childhood education, in comparison with normal numbers [5]
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