Mumbai, Maharashtra, India:
The learning and development milestones for pre-school children across India have taken a severe hit due to Covid-19. Their first introduction to education – the pre-school format where children are taught socialization, numbers, language, and some life skills – has been halted. According to a recent survey conducted by EuroKids International, as the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the 2020 academic year, pre-school parents are quite worried about their children having lost out on learning as a result and believe that it is very important to keep a child’s education going during this pandemic.
According to the survey results, a high degree of parental concern towards education is evident as 95% of the parents have enrolled their child in some form of learning – online or home schooling, to ensure continuity in their learning. When asked how long children spend learning during a week, 43% of the respondents stated that children spend between one to three hours a week learning, while 37% stated that children spend more than three hours learning.
As pre-schools have been closed since March 2020, parents have found that online learning has been a viable substitute for their toddlers to avoid a near zero-learning year for their children. In light of the pandemic, an online pre-school offers children a structured learning program. When asked about the achievement of learning outcomes of their children, parents cited that their children were able to grasp pre-academic skills such as recognizing colours, printed names, letters of the alphabet, numbers, etc. more than any other skills. Additionally, the survey also reveals that many parents believe that while academic learning is being somewhat managed and learning outcomes therein are being addressed, parents are also worried about their child’s social and physical development.
With the second wave of the pandemic extending the closure period of pre-schools, parents are increasingly worried about the adverse impact of a two year learning gap on their child’s developmental milestones. As per the survey findings, 80% of parents who had enrolled in Home Buddy (an online pre-schooling app from EuroKids) saw delivery of clear learning outcomes and 75% of these parents were willing to recommend Home Buddy to their friends and families.
Speaking about the survey findings, Mr. K. V. S. Seshasai, CEO, Pre-K Division, EuroKids International said, “Global evidence over the years clearly state that the learning journey for children is the most rapid in the early years. The closure of early childhood education centers all throughout this pandemic has resulted in a widening gap in learning for most children. We understand the importance of uninterrupted learning and we want to encourage parents to consider remote learning for their children, so they can continue to achieve their developmental milestones. Children should stay indoors for the present but restart their learning with experienced educators and use scientifically developed methods.”
Over 70% of the parents surveyed stated that they would continue or choose online learning (led by the teacher and supplemented by the parent), in case schools do not reopen in the next six months, while 22% would seek a home schooling option, by the parent, perhaps with teacher support.
The EuroKids International survey was conducted by The Hearth Education Advisors across 10 cities with 1,082 parents. The research study was conducted in detailed Qualitative and Quantitative phases. Here, insights were gathered through the qualitative probes and to provide an understanding of what parents of toddlers feel about the learning pathway of their children.
As India’s leading Early Childhood Education & K-12 Education company, delivering the ‘Joy of Learning’ is at the heart of EuroKids International. By enhancing its pedagogy and consistently building a holistic, nurturing, and secure learning environment for children, EuroKids is coming closer to its vision of REINVENTING EDUCATION in the country. Over the last 18 years, EuroKids International has played an active role in the evolution of the education landscape. With its portfolio of brands – EuroKids Preschool, Kangaroo Kids Preschool, EuroKids DayCare, EuroSchool & Billabong High International, EuroKids is committed to delivering a robust foundation for future generations. The group’s ‘Child First’ ideology ensures that growth and engagement needs of a child are met in a home-like environment. Child safety focus and ensuring active engagement with parents during these crucial developmental years of the child is what makes EuroKids, a child’s Second Home. EuroKids, with its presence in over 350 cities with 1,100+ pre-schools and 35 Schools is achieving new milestones in education every day.
To know more: www.eurokidsgroup.com