Where are all the kindergartners? Pandemic creates rare gap year
While K-12 enrollment has gradually decreased in recent years, the latest kindergarten numbers are abnormally low.
Early Edge CA Executive Director, Patricia Lozano, was quoted by Politico regarding low kindergarten enrollment in California and across the US happening this fall.
Parents across the nation are skipping kindergarten in droves during the most tumultuous school year in generations. Frustrated by the thought of sticking their 5-year-olds in front of screens during the pivotal first year of school, they are sending their children to extended preschool, forming learning pods or foregoing formal instruction altogether.
“Some parents are leaving their kids in their current pre-K or child care programs but a lot of parents don’t have that option, so where are these kids?” said Patricia Lozano, executive director of Early Edge California. “Kindergarten is not mandatory so some parents think it’s not a big deal. It is. A year for a 5-year-old is a long time.”