More Canadian Kids Are Struggling In Kindergarten Post-Pandemic

More Canadian kids are starting kindergarten with challenges than they were before the pandemic, according to a new report from McMaster University’s Offord Centre for Child Studies.

The report looked at more than 500,000 children in publicly funded schools across seven provinces and one territory. Researchers compared children whose data was collected before the pandemic with children whose data was collected after COVID disruptions began. They found that the share of kids who were having a harder time than expected for their age in key areas of development rose from 27.3 percent before the pandemic to 28.5 percent after.

That does not mean the pandemic is the only reason. The report says these rates had already been rising over time. But the post-pandemic group did worse across every area the researchers measured.

Where kids are struggling most

The biggest increase was in emotional maturity. In plain language, that means more children were having trouble with things like managing feelings, handling frustration, staying calm and behaving appropriately in the classroom.

The report also found an increase in kids struggling with hyperactivity and inattention, meaning focus, impulse control and sitting still were harder for more children. So were advanced literacy skills, like being able to explain what a book is about after the teacher reads it. The percentage of children not meeting expectations in that area rose from 17.4 percent before the pandemic to 20.5 percent after.

Other changes teachers were seeing

Kids are also missing more school. Before the pandemic, children in the study had missed an average of 8.2 days since the start of the school year. After the pandemic, that average jumped to 15 days. The share of children flagged as needing further assessment also increased, from 12.8 percent to 14.7 percent.

As in earlier Canadian research, boys were more likely than girls to struggle across all areas measured. The report also found that children in lower-income neighbourhoods were even more likely to have a hard time when they started school.

What parents need to know

While the report can't guess how your child will do when they start school, it does reflect something many families and teachers have been noticing: more kids seem to need extra support with emotions, behaviour, focus, communication and early learning skills. If your kid fits the bill, you're not alone.

If a child is having a hard time with attention, behaviour, language or classroom routines, it is worth raising those concerns early with their teacher, doctor or another trusted professional. Early support can make a real difference.

This article was crafted with the assistance of an AI language model. The final content was reviewed and edited by a human and reflects the editorial judgment and expertise of Today's Parent.