Opinion: Babies Born During COVID Are Now in Kindergarten. Here’s What Educators Are Learning

They learned to babble to masked adults. They spent their toddler years on video calls with grandparents instead of at storytime in the local library. Many started preschool only to have it disrupted by quarantines or staffing shortages. Now, the first generation of children born during the COVID pandemic has entered kindergarten, and educators say they are meeting a cohort unlike any before.

When Lexia surveyed more than 200 kindergarten teachers  working with early learners last fall, we wanted to understand what they were seeing in their classrooms. The responses offer both a clear-eyed look at the challenges and a sense of optimism about the path ahead.

Nearly three-quarters of the educators we surveyed said today’s kindergarteners are behind in early literacy skills compared with students five years ago. Among those who described their students as behind, most pointed to phonemic awareness, the ability to hear and manipulate sounds in words, as the biggest gap. Others mentioned that children struggle to recognize letters or even to write their own names.

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Equally striking were findings around attention and confidence. Almost 90% of teacher participants reported that children’s attention spans during reading-related activities are shorter than before, and more than half said their students are less confident when asked to participate in those activities, to sound out a word, for example, or share during storytime.

But what stood out most wasn’t just the academic data. Eight in 10 educators said their students are less socially and emotionally ready for kindergarten than past cohorts. They arrive less practiced in sharing, self-regulation and cooperation. For many, this is their first experience in a group learning environment.

We often talk about “learning loss” as if it can be measured solely in test scores. But what educators are describing in these classrooms is a quieter, more complex legacy of the pandemic, one shaped by isolation, uneven access to early learning, and disruptions in routine.

When young children miss out on opportunities to play with peers or listen to stories in groups, they lose more than vocabulary. They lose practice in waiting their turn, following a sequence and engaging with other minds. These are the invisible threads that tie social-emotional development to literacy.

And yet, as sobering as these findings are, they also represent a moment of opportunity. Teachers are watching these 5- and 6-year-old children adapt, often quickly. Many describe their students as curious, empathetic and eager to learn, just in need of scaffolds that reflect their unique experiences.

When asked what would most help this generation of learners, educators were nearly unanimous: more family and home engagement in reading.

It’s a reminder that literacy doesn’t start at school; it starts in homes, in the daily rhythm of conversation and storytelling. During the pandemic, many parents of young children were juggling work, stress and uncertainty. Reading aloud may have taken a back seat. Now, as these families reconnect with schools, there’s a chance to rebuild those habits, not as homework, but as bonding.

Districts can help by making family literacy simple and inviting: Send home books. Offer short video tips for parents on how to ask open-ended questions after reading a story. Use communication platforms that make it easy to celebrate small moments, a child recognizing their first letter, a family sharing a favorite bedtime story.

The message should be that literacy is not just a school task; it’s a shared joy.

The survey also asked educators which school-based interventions can most help support today’s kindergarteners. Their top choice: personalized instruction that meets diverse needs.

No two pandemic experiences were the same. Some children spent their early years surrounded by adults who read to them daily; others spent long days in front of screens or in households where stress limited conversation. Adaptive digital tools and skilled teacher guidance allow instruction to begin at the right place for each child.

Schools can build on this by:

• Using data-driven tools to pinpoint skill gaps in phonemic awareness, vocabulary and comprehension
• Structuring small-group interventions that target those gaps with playful, multisensory practice
• Embedding social-emotional learning into literacy instruction, helping students persist through frustration and take pride in progress
• Offering teachers professional development focused on understanding and responding to the unique needs of post-pandemic learners

These are not radical shifts; they are refinements. But collectively, they represent a new literacy ecosystem — one that treats emotional readiness, family partnership and differentiated instruction as equally essential.

Every generation of educators faces a defining challenge. For this one, it is helping the COVID cohort reclaim what was lost and discover what they can become. The educators in our survey didn’t express despair; they expressed determination. They see that this group of kindergarteners has resilience, empathy and curiosity born of their circumstances. What they need now is consistent support, connection and time.

If we meet this moment with patience and creativity, these children could grow into some of the most adaptable learners our schools have ever seen. It’s not about what was missed, it’s about what’s possible next.