A New Paradigm for Early Childhood Education: Opening Doors through Virtual Kindergarten

ABSTRACT

While the COVID-19 vaccines bring hope about the end of pandemic-related closures, leaders worldwide recognize that a fundamental shift has occurred in the way we work, live, and learn. Though we will always need brick-and-mortar schools, our "new normal" must include hybrid and virtual education options for students who do not have access to safe and healthy classrooms. The consequences of not making this shift will place an at-risk generation further behind their peers. At Pathways Early Education Center of Immokalee, in Florida, educators are constantly looking for new ways to engage the children and the families in the migrant farm-working community. As educators discussed strategies to safely bring the children back into the classroom, they considered the option of enhanced virtual classes for their pre-kindergarten students. They were seeking a way to keep students who needed to quarantine for two weeks from falling behind their peers. This article discusses the results of a pilot virtual pre-kindergarten program, which showed that virtual pre-kindergarten students had more positive gains in fine motor skills. Both in-person and virtual pre-kindergarten students will be more prepared with essential skills to succeed in kindergarten than children who have not had access to early education.