No one could have ever predicted the COVID virus and the destruction it has caused to people’s lives. It has affected people of all ages both physically as well as emotionally. How has this virus affected the under 5’s?
Some nurseries as well as schools closed in order to limit the spread of the virus which resulted with children who depended on nursery or school meals as their main meal of the day not receiving them. Some children received mini lunch boxes but it was reported that they were not substantial and not as nutritious as the meals that children normally received. Food banks were being visited by more and more people and what was scary were the food shortages in supermarkets due to panic buying, we all remember the toilet roll shortages!!!
By not going to pre school or nursery children’s education was temporarily stopped. Education is not only about learning but also socialising and children who struggled with both of these may have fallen behind and found it hard to catch up. Preparing pre schoolers for school was also stopped and by them not going to school or nursery their parents struggled going to work unless they were keyworkers. Children who were refugees also fell even further behind due to not only having to flee from their country but their education being stopped.
Mothers who were giving birth during lockdown had limited choices regarding giving birth and support. This would have lead to some mothers suffering from postnatal depression or other emotional distress. Babies will also have been affected as anti and post natal classes would have been on zoom resulting with babies not physically socialising as they used to.
Children from homes where they witness abuse to a member of their family or to themselves will have been less protected. The normal services who would have helped and protected their families were only able to offer a limited service which was very worrying. Some children even “fell through the cracks” and were not protected at all.
Children struggled with their health especially their mental health and anxiety. Children worried about catching and becoming ill from the virus as well as their parents and other members of their family becoming affected too.
Families struggled financially due to their working hours being reduced, being put onto furlough, being made redundant and other such things. This caused a lot of families to be under terrible stress financially which children would have felt and possibly witnessed.
Now that vaccinations have been rolled out and lockdown has for now finished things are looking to improve with nurseries and schools being open how they used to be pre covid. Lets hope things stay this way and our children are kept safe and well.