The Class of COVID

Millions of children born during the pandemic are entering classrooms for the first time this fall. Newsweek speaks to parents and experts about their readiness for kindergarten

- by JOSHUA RHETT MILLER

FIVE YEARS AFTER THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC shuttered the globe, the bulk of the 3.6 million children born in the United States in 2020 are starting kindergarten, providing many youngsters their first foray into a structured classroom setting.

The atypical early childhood these kids experienced also left an indelible mark on millions of stressed-out parents as they navigated the uncertainty of lockdowns, mask mandates and child care.

But that upheaval and isolation also created some unexpected benefits, including quality family time, a crash course in the benefits of independent play and fewer illnesses due to a lack of visitors, parents of “COVID babies” told Newsweek.

"I think they're more than ready,” Dave Ruth, 44, said of his twin 5-year-old sons, John and James. “I am thrilled for them. I think they're going to thrive.” Ruth, of Stafford County, Virginia, said John already knows some Spanish, basic sign language and reads simple books—all before he has even set foot inside a school. “They never saw a day care class,” he said. “Aside from playing with other kids at the playground and friends' birthday parties here and there, for the most part, they were home with my wife and me for the first years until they started school.”

Ruth said his sons, who began kindergarten on August 11, benefited from workbooks at home and sessions on YouTube. He believes they may be even better prepared for kindergarten than his eldest son, David, 15, was, due in part to the extra hours together at home. “I think it was massive,” Ruth said.

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