Early childhood is a crucial time for education. It’s when children develop the cognitive and emotional ability to grow into successful adults, and instill foundational skills to keep learning later in life. Schools are supposed to be a place for kids to grow and learn, but in the U.S., they’re quickly becoming an emblem of American children’s declining well-being.
According to a report on childhood well-being published Monday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, children are recording worsening educational attainment scores across virtually every indicator. The findings suggest the U.S. education system has yet to fully recover from the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on learning models, and represent a warning sign that America’s next generation of leaders may be primed to enter the workforce at a distinct disadvantage compared with their elders.
