Child Care and Early Education Research during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned and Future Considerations
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted all aspects of child care and early education (CCEE). Beginning in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused many CCEE programs to close temporarily.1,2 Programs that remained open or reopened during the pandemic functioned differently due to health and safety precautions (e.g., visitors were not allowed, children’s temperatures were taken at the door, masks may have been used, social distancing was observed).3,4 Staffing shortages at CCEE programs during the pandemic also forced programs to reduce the number of children they were serving and care hours (e.g., programs opening later or closing earlier).5-7 CCEE staff and families of children at CCEE programs also faced increased financial insecurity and tolls on their physical and mental health.8-11
During the pandemic, CCEE researchers, often in the middle of research studies, had to make difficult decisions about if and how to move forward with their projects. As part of the Child Care and Early Education Policy and Research Analysis (CCEEPRA) project with the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), Child Trends hosted a virtual convening in April 2023 with researchers from nine OPRE-funded research projects. See Table 1 and Appendix A for a list of these projects. The purpose of the convening was to learn about the implications of researchers’ revised research processes and methods during the COVID-19 pandemic for participants and study findings. Another purpose of the convening was to ask, “Which of the revised methods and processes make sense to continue into the future because they could improve the experience of participants and the quality of the research findings?”
The key themes and future considerations that emerged from this virtual convening are not comprehensive or representative. The nine projects selected for the convening are a sample of OPRE-funded CCEE research projects. This brief shares these researchers’ experiences and reflections to inform the broader CCEE research field’s work moving forward. Many of the changes researchers made to their processes and methods, as well as their ideas for future considerations for CCEE research about flexibility and increasing equity, are not novel or relevant solely to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, conditions in CCEE during the COVID-19 pandemic heightened the need for researchers to adapt their protocols in creative ways that have the potential to advance the CCEE research field.
This brief is part of the Child Care and Early Education Policy and Research Analysis (CCEEPRA) project. CCEEPRA supports policy and program planning and decision-making with rigorous, research-based information.
References
1 Lin, Y. & McDoniel, M. (2023). Understanding child care and early education program closures and enrollment during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. OPRE Report #2023-237. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/report/understanding-child-care-and-early-education-program-closures-and-enrollment-during
2 National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2020). Holding on until help comes. https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/our-work/public-policy-advocacy/holding_on_until_help_comes.survey_analysis_july_2020.pdf
3 Lin, Y. & McDoniel, M. (2023). Understanding child care and early education program closures and enrollment during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. OPRE Report #2023-237. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/report/understanding-child-care-and-early-education-program-closures-and-enrollment-during
4 Shaw, S., Franchett, A., LaForett, D., Maxwell, K., & Bultinck, E. (2023). Head Start’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. OPRE Report #2023-025. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/report/head-starts-response-covid-19-pandemic
5 National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2020). Holding on until help comes. https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/our-work/public-policy-advocacy/holding_on_until_help_comes.survey_analysis_july_2020.pdf
6 Shaw, S., Franchett, A., LaForett, D., Maxwell, K., & Bultinck, E. (2023). Head Start’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. OPRE Report #2023-025. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/report/head-starts-response-covid-19-pandemic
7 Tout, K. (2021). Child care and COVID-19: Support children by investing in early educators and program sustainability. Society for Research in Child Development. https://www.srcd.org/sites/default/files/resources/FINAL_SRCDCEB-ECEandCOVID.pdf
8 Lin, Y. & McDoniel, M. (2023). Understanding child care and early education program closures and enrollment during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. OPRE Report #2023-237. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/report/understanding-child-care-and-early-education-program-closures-and-enrollment-during
9 Patrick, S. W., Henkhaus, L. E., Zickafoose, J. S., Lovell, K., Halvorson, A., Loch, S., Letterie, M., & Davis, M. M. (2020). Well-being of parents and children during the COVID-19 pandemic: A national survey. Pediatrics, 146(4). http://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-016824
10 Shaw, S., Franchett, A., LaForett, D., Maxwell, K., & Bultinck, E. (2023). Head Start’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. OPRE Report #2023-025. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/report/head-starts-response-covid-19-pandemic
11 Tout, K. (2021). Child care and COVID-19: Support children by investing in early educators and program sustainability. Society for Research in Child Development. https://www.srcd.org/sites/default/files/resources/FINAL_SRCDCEB-ECEandCOVID.pdf
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