COVID highlights early education need in San Mateo County

“For many months, we were worried about income and the kids’ learning loss. I got really scared that I would have to provide their schooling for them full time on top of everything else,” Melendez said.

Izzi Early Education works with the county’s lower-income families to provide care, such as home-based visits and in-person preschool classes, to children up to 5. The organization began offering distance learning to children when the pandemic hit but soon realized they needed another approach.

“Instead the teachers began to meet individually with each parent every week and focused on a different domain, and we found that was much more effective,” Jennifer Pifeleti, director of operations at Izzi Early Education, said.

Many in-person child care services were able to open with modifications not long after shelter-in-place orders were issued but, between lowered capacity, limited access to PPE and general health concerns, many children remained at home. Inconsistent communication also made it difficult for parents and staff to plan accordingly.

“A lot of guidance that came from the state around COVID safety focused on the K-12 system. The guidance for early learning was always a little bit lagging and more confusing,” Nancy Magee, San Mateo County superintendent of schools, who also sits on the leadership teams of early child care initiatives such as the Child Care Partnership Council and The Big Lift, said.

Early education remains a vital component for child development, and access to these services such as high-quality preschool can be good predictors of long-term academic success. According to the latest data available, 29% of the demand for preschool services was unmet in the county in 2017, and 40% more infant care services were needed.

But among low-income families with infants, only 15% of care needs were met, and in 2019, 31% of children from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds were reading proficiently in third grade, compared to 59% of all the county’s third graders.

Angel Barrios, executive director of Izzi Early Education, attributes some of the access barriers to the characteristically expensive region. Because their subsidized services are largely funded by federal programs, only families that earn below national and state poverty guidelines are eligible in many cases, amplifying demand in high-cost areas.

“The cost for child care is extreme, especially living in the Bay Area,” Barrios said.

“We’re finding that both parents are really forced to work and having free or subsidized preschool and infant and toddler care has certainly been a very big need in San Mateo County,” she said.

While the pandemic’s effects on early education are yet to be fully analyzed, preliminary data from a survey of families with kindergarten to second grade-aged children in approximately seven county school districts suggests that roughly half have experienced job or income loss during the 2020-21 school year. Roughly 20% reported having trouble meeting basic needs.

Magee said better national and statewide coordination of services is also critical, along with equitable pay rates for child care workers on par with the county’s cost of living.

While these challenges existed before COVID-19, she believes that if not addressed, the consequences will be further compounded by the past year’s events.

“I think the effects of the pandemic are going to be lifelong for children, especially those who have the least amount of resources and support and therefore have had the least amount of engagement,” Magee said.

While the county has already demonstrated leadership in early learning investment prepandemic, she said, the area’s educational system is gearing up to provide additional layers of support for students as they enter elementary school and has already committed to the continuation of important services, such as summer programs, even if they have to be modified.

For early learning organizations like Izzi Early Education, the partial switch to distance learning has also underscored the impact of parent coaching, which can have long-lasting positive effects as children enter the K-12 system.

“Sometimes teachers feel like parents are too busy or that they have so many other things going on, but through [the pandemic], we’ve learned that parents are still really excited to learn. We want to continue thinking about that even if we go back to just providing in-person services,” Pifeleti said.

Likewise for Nora, the onset of COVID-19 and the subsequent pivots made by the organization have reinforced the central role that parents play as advocates. She recently completed a six-week workshop, which she credits with helping her understand how to better investigate tantrums and deal with unwanted behavior. Beyond practical parenting advice, though, it’s also shaped her views on the importance of access to these services, in-person or otherwise.

“The most unique aspect of [these types of programs] is that they’ve helped me find a stronger voice as an advocate for my children and continue to fight for early childhood education and make that available to everyone.”