Most state-funded preschools started the year online, as they are based on school district campuses that have been closed since March. And for tuition-based preschools that are opening for in-person learning, their classes look a lot different – with state guidance limiting class sizes and students’ interaction.
Preschools are finding creative ways to provide socializing opportunities for their students virtually or at a distance, from outdoor classes to live Zoom hangouts. But with many preschools closing and the potential for pandemic and state guidance significantly cutting enrollment of the schools that do remain open, some child care advocates are concerned about how children will be affected long-term.
Even before the pandemic, nearly half of the Orange County students going to kindergarten were not ready for it, said Tiffany Alva, the director of partnerships and government affairs at First 5 Orange County.
“If those children aren’t getting the support they need,” Alva said. “They will be behind.”
Per state guidance, preschools should give each individual at least six feet of distance as much as possible, by limiting group activities, rearranging furniture and play spaces and using materials such as yarn or masking tape.
At The Goddard School of Lake Forest, which serves children from 6 weeks old to 6 years old, that means the school is teaching about half its typical number of kids. State law stipulates the maximum class size of one teacher per 12 students for preschools, but the school is keeping its class size closer to a ratio of 1-to-8 to allow for more social distancing, said Parina Mehta, who owns and operates the school.
A specific chair and table are set aside for each child. Every toy is sanitized before and after use. No one except the students and staff is allowed into the school’s facility – and the children even have to change their shoes when they walk into the building, Mehta said.
And the school changed how it does collaborative projects. Having students in a class work together to build one big model car, for instance, is not an option anymore, Mehta said. So she said each student creates their own.
The school’s staff is also using a lot more outdoor space to teach classes ranging from yoga to sign language, Mehta said. “Whatever we do in a classroom, we can teach outside.”
Staff at state-funded preschools are also finding ways to teach children and promote social interaction, while starting the year virtually. Since children cannot be with their classmates in person, the focus is on promoting healthy interaction between the students and their parents, said Maria Villegas, director of early childhood education at the Anaheim Elementary School District
“We are developing the capacity of families as first teachers,” she said. “We are serving as guides for them.”
Teachers check in with families every day virtually and help them through the core curriculum, such as how to better understand and manage how their children are feeling, Villegas said.
At Orange Unified School District, its staff has put on webinars to help parents with children’s social and emotional learning, said Cheryl Sosa, the district’s early childhood education coordinator.
“Through the virtual environment, we had a different kind of connection” with the district’s parents, she said. “Our parents received things that they may not have asked for in the past.”
Laguna Parent Participation School in Mission Viejo, a private co-op starting the year virtually, is also focusing its attention more on the parents. Parents will be a part of small group discussions once a week when the school starts. The school’s staff will make videos of activities that parents can follow along with their kids, said Director Jackie Schofield.
“We are taking some lemons and turning them into some lemonade,” she said. “This is an opportunity people lose their sight of – it’s an opportunity to strengthen their family relationship.”
Still, Schofield acknowledged things are challenging for her school. Although her school can open for in-person learning, it’s not doing so because of the staffing needed to have the smaller-sized classes that allow for social distancing.
The school enrolls some 90 families in a normal year. To do so this fall would mean practically doubling its number of classes, Schofield said.
The school also has its parents volunteer in classrooms, helping teachers facilitate projects or clean up. That’s not really possible during the pandemic when schools are trying to limit who can be on campus, Schofield said.
Because the school is charging less for its online programs, teachers have taken pay cuts, and Schofield said expenses have gone down to the “barebones.”
“At least we’ll be able to stay functional and float.”
The Goddard School has kept its staff. But with reduced enrollment and additional costs to implement social distancing measures, Mehta said she doesn’t know how long the school can remain financially sustainable.
“Nobody has anticipated this to go this long,” she said. “I hope somewhere we get some kind of governmental help to get through this.”
State-funded preschools are doing better funding-wise; Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a state budget in June preserving most funding for early learning and care programs.
Still, Anaheim Elementary saw its early enrollment for preschool drop from about 1,000 to 500, though officials expected to ultimately hit about two-thirds of a typical year.
Alva said preschools – public and private – have been doing “amazing work” to adapt to the pandemic. Her organization, First 5 Orange County, has worked with nonprofits to provide funding to child care providers. The organization has also created a task force with the county’s child care council and other groups to help small businesses create a strategic plan to cope with the pandemic, she said.
Still, in Orange County at least 500 child care programs – many of which are preschools – have closed. Alva said she expects 30% to 40% of child care providers in the county will be closed by the pandemic.
Even before the pandemic, a recent report from the county’s child care council found that full-time slots were available for only 59% of preschoolers; state-subsidized slots were available only for 28% of preschoolers with eligible parents.
“As we start to look at how we reopen and build the economy back up, with the number of child care centers closed, the demand will be extremely high,” Alva said. “It looks like it’s going to be a struggle when we reopen our economy.”
