Preschool out of reach

Parental experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic had profound and widespread effects on early childhood education and care (ECEC) operations and practices in Iceland. Preschools went through periods of partial closures, suspension of activities, social distancing, compartmentalisation, and strict disease control and prevention procedures. Researchers have given attention to the experiences of preschool educators during this time and, to a lesser extent, to the perspectives of preschool children. However, little is known about the perspectives of parents of preschool children on preschool operations during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iceland. This article explores the experiences and perspectives of parents whose children were of preschool age during periods of lockdown and social distancing. The study is part of the Nordic research project EXPECT (Exploring Practices in Early Childhood of Tomorrow: Develop resilience in social sustainable childhoods after Covid-19), which is intended to generate knowledge of societal crisis preparedness by learning from the COVID-19 pandemic, building resilience at the preschool level, and supporting the welfare of young children.

Thirteen parents from the capital region of Iceland participated in semi-structured interviews and shared their experiences with the researcher. The participants’ children had been enrolled in preschool during the pandemic. Interview recordings were transcribed verbatim and examined through thematic analysis to identify common elements and patterns in parental narratives. The findings suggest that strict infection control measures brought significant changes for parents and strongly influenced their perception of preschool operations. Although most parents supported and followed ever-changing rules on social distancing, some regarded the educators as having unrealistic attitudes and resented the policy of sending children home with the mildest of symptoms. While most parents regarded the preschools as having successfully implemented disease control and managing to stay open in unforeseen and difficult circumstances, they sensed a drop in relational and operational quality. Parents reported a considerable decrease in their communication with their child’s teachers and other families, as they were in many cases denied entry to the premises. In addition, the preschools’ information dissemination increasingly revolved around updating parents on COVID-19 regulations, instead of reporting on pedagogical activities. This led to reduced parental understanding of the child’s daily activities in preschool. Alongside reduced attendance and diminished interactions, parents’ connections to the preschool community weakened. Some participants also perceived a decrease in pedagogical quality and ambition, as many activities remained suspended, even as regulations eased, and educators appeared to be exhausted.

The data indicate that, despite the many challenges posed by the pandemic for parents (such as being subjected to quarantines, dealing with preschool closures, and balancing working from home and providing care for their young children at the same time), its impact on family life was, in many ways, positive. Lockdowns and closures provided families with opportunities to spend more time together and engage in joint activities that would otherwise have been difficult to fit into parents’ busy schedules. Parents shared narratives of playing together, going on ‘teddy bear walks’, baking, doing puzzles, and playing various boardgames with their children. As a result, the parents reported stronger bonds and more intimacy with their children. The pandemic was therefore framed as a period of positive family memories. However, many participants reported returning to old patterns of working long hours, general busyness, and having less family time as the pandemic subsided. This study highlights weaknesses in the communication patterns between preschools and parents during the pandemic. It underscores the importance of preschools developing an intentional communication strategy that is both resilient and flexible to maintain their connection with parents in unforeseen circumstances.