COVID babies are off to kindergarten

It meant fewer doctor visits. Fewer novel faces to see or voices to hear. Fewer social cues. Fewer peer interactions. With many experiencing little of the world outside of their homes during their first months of life and others in the care of masked caregivers, how did the pandemic impact this generation of babies?

Early warning signs not the whole story

As they grew from infants to toddlers, researchers saw that some children were experiencing language difficulties. One study found that children born during the first wave of the pandemic were more likely to be “late talkers.” Another revealed children with underdeveloped vocabulary and communication skills.

Yet, a group of Canadian researchers eased our worst worries about developmental delays. “Contrary to expectations,” they reported, “Most pandemic-born babies were on track for developmental milestones.”

‘A lot of significant improvements’

In fact, say the authors of one of the first large-scale US studies to measure impacts of the pandemic on young children, pandemic-related differences in milestones for COVID infants were relatively limited. Authors of the Johns Hopkins study acknowledge that although the “implications for children’s long-term development remain unclear,” there are reasons to be hopeful.

“In the last two or three years, we have seen a lot of significant improvements in children’s developmental milestones.”
- Dr. Ranjith Kasanagottu, Developmental Behavioral Pediatrician at Children’s Health in Dallas and Assistant Professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center, in an August 2025 article

Born to adapt

The early months and years of life are pivotal to development. Pediatricians and researchers had good reason to fear the impacts of pandemic lockdowns on our youngest children. And in the years since, some of their concerns have materialized. But many haven’t. Why?

Perhaps it’s because children’s brains grow, adapt, and change quickly that early setbacks can be overcome. With appropriate opportunities and supports, many young children are on course to reverse some of the troubling trends researchers identified in early post-pandemic studies.

Teachers as difference makers

Young children, like all of us who experienced pandemic lockdowns, face shifted trajectories. Yet, teachers greeting these now-school-age infants of the pandemic can continue to rely on the best early education strategies and practices to support each child to learn, grow, and thrive.

While the long-term effects of being born into a pandemic remain uncertain, we can be certain that early educators are uniquely positioned to be real difference makers during the preschool and kindergarten years. Here at Tools, we empower teachers to meet each child where they are and support all children in developing language and self-regulation.

We know what works

If COVID babies come to school this year lacking the foundational skills needed to pay attention or think before they act, if they have difficulty persisting in challenging tasks or managing their emotions and behaviors—they may not look all that different from previous years’ classes.

Most young children are still developing these skills.

Educators can support COVID babies in the same ways Tools teachers support all children:

• Support each child's self-regulation development
• Engage children in learning how to learn
• Facilitate children's interactions with peers