Presenter(s)

    Kaitlyn Hripko

    Comments

    10:45-12:00, Kennedy Union Ballroom

    Download

    Download Project (28.2 MB)

    Description

    Child executive functioning skills and school readiness have been greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, working to reduce rates of early childhood education attendance. This paper will delve into the relationship between early childhood education (ECE) and school readiness, including executive functioning (EF) development, demographic information, socioeconomic status (SES), and school attendance rates post-COVID for early childhood education, in relation to EF skill development. Previous research has claimed that individuals who have attended early childhood education typically yield greater results of executive functioning skills and school readiness in working memory, inhibition, and cognitive processing, and greater ECE attendance post-COVID, if individuals are of a dominant social group, and have a high familial SES. Participants and research methods include data collection and analysis of material (such as child assessments and KRA data) from child executive functioning skills in math, reading, and vocabulary, collected from the Preschool Promise Research Assessors Program. Once precise data analysis and computations are conducted, our findings aim to predict that children who score higher on school readiness and EF skill development, will likely have more access to resources in their environment, and further will be more likely to attend early childhood educational programs post-COVID. Findings in this study are applicable to many facets of early childhood education, recognizing some children may have systemic and demographic barriers that prevent them from developing proper EF skills. We must work to implement solutions and strategies to ensure resources are available to boost learning, school readiness, and ECE attendance post-COVID in all children, including children who may be experiencing systemic and demographic barriers. We aim to critically evaluate this dilemma through a culturally sensitive lens.

    Publication Date

    4-23-2025

    Project Designation

    Capstone Project

    Primary Advisor

    Mary Catherine Wagner

    Primary Advisor's Department

    Psychology

    Keywords

    Stander Symposium, College of Arts and Sciences

    Institutional Learning Goals

    Critical Evaluation of Our Times; Diversity; Community

    Preschool Attendance Post-COVID related to Child Executive Functioning Skills and School Readiness

    Share

    COinS