The pandemic years have been hard for everyone but especially students, whose education transitioned to remote-learning as COVID-19 variants halted in-person gatherings.
According to a new report from the Angus Reid Institute, 36 per cent of parents reported that their child’s performance worsened during the pandemic with online learning.
Since the introduction of remote learning, parents tried their hand at math, science and social studies to offer some guidance to their children.
The report found found that two-thirds of parents feel that governments have not considered children’s well-being during COVID-19. This sentiment is stronger in parents with younger children than parents of teenagers or pre-schoolers.
However, despite the obstacles of remote learning, more than half of parents believe their children are coming out of the pandemic well.
More screen time, less sleep
The survey found 77 per cent of parents say their children are looking at screens more than they did pre-pandemic times.
But increased screen time isn’t the only downside of the pandemic, the questionnaire shows. It’s sleep.
While half of Canadian parents say their kids have similar sleep scheduled as they did before coronavirus, 36 per cent say their child’s sleep habits have worsened over the last two years.
Overall, nearly half of children are dealing with life about the same as pre-pandemic times.
But the parents are not OK…
Almost half of parents living with children reported significant pandemic-related disruptions. And their mental health isn’t any better. Three in five parents with kids said their mental health has deteriorated.
While remote learning has its perks, 71 per cent of parents said remote learning was difficult on their family.
For the most part, parents said they feel their relationships with friends and family have been unchanged; about 30 per cent say they’ve become a little worse.
