Danielj Willis News Today

When Sunny Lees son was ready for kindergarten in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had just begun. His school in Pleasanton was holding classes online, like most others. Lee opted out, after seeing what distance learning was like...

Kindergarten enrollment statewide dropped precipitously -- 9% -- from before the pandemic, 2019-20, to 2020-21. Enrollment for 2022-23 was below projections.

Kindergarten enrollment statewide dropped precipitously — 9% — from before the pandemic, 2019-20, to 2020-21. Enrollment for 2022-23 was below projections.

The number of kindergartners in public school plunged during the COVID-19 pandemic

Breaking News, Sports, Manitoba, Canada

The number of kindergartners in public school plunged during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For many, kindergarten simply is no longer the assumed first step in a childs formal education, another sign of the way the pandemic and online learning upended the U.S. school

Kindergarten is considered a crucial year for children to learn to follow directions, regulate behavior and get accustomed to learning.

In the second year fully back in school after remote learning,  California school districts made negligible progress overall in reversing the steep declines in test scores that have lingered since Covid struck in 2020.

Parents against vaccinations found few options for their children as California laws became increasingly more restrictive. Some decided to home-school their children or sought independent study or virtual learning options, mostly provided by charter schools. Students who learn from home without any in-person instruction or school-related activities are not required to be vaccinated.