CNA 2022-25 vFINAL 09202022 MASTER COPY - Flipbook - Page 40
Child Care
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Loss of employment and the lack of day care slots.
Lack of socialization for children. Children are coming into the program lacking social skills due to
social distancing.
We have lost a lot of child care providers. We don't know where the children are now receiving care
and if it is safe for them.
Virtual Services
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During the pandemic, individuals have had limited in person services that they typically would have
had early intervention, therapies, and other opportunities have been limited.
Better access to services by having a virtual option. Less transportation options. Lack of income.
They have been able to continue to receive services with minimal effort on their part [because services
were virtual].
They have needed more technology [and more skills] to acquire and/or keep services.
Respondents also talked about changes specific to different age groups.
Children 0 – 5 and their families: For this age group, changes due to the pandemic have clearly had a
negative impact on developmental progress, because of both the lack of social interaction and an increase
in adverse experiences.
During the past two years of the pandemic, what has changed for young children in Pro Action's service
area?
▪ Children have had to learn how to
▪ Virtual options are not very conducive to
communicate and socialize with masks on as
helping children with developmental needs.
well as distance themselves from others. And
Now that we are moving back into in-person
with our program, we work on socializing the
services, I see a lot more developmental needs,
children and teaching them how to play with
particularly social emotionally, which I believe
others and how to understand their feelings
to be in part because of so much social isolation
and how to talk about them. This caused a big
at a young age.
change for children and their learning
▪ Wearing masks has seemed to affect children
development.
negatively in the areas of speech development
and recognizing others9 feelings based on
reading facial expressions.
▪ Children are growing up now with greater
speech concerns and higher sensory needs.
▪ Classroom: Masking has caused a lack of
awareness for emotions and an uptick in
speech concerns.
▪ Children experienced not only the trauma of
living in a pandemic, but of isolation and
increased adversity due to increased domestic
violence and child abuse.
▪ Self-regulation and delayed gratification are
lacking for many children.
▪ Children have not had the same opportunities
for socialization and are in homes with families
that are often burnt out themselves and have
adjusted their parenting styles to meet the bare
minimum of meeting children's needs.
▪ They need more engagement with kids their
age, they need to see smiles and learn to make
friends.
Children K – 6 and their families: Similar to younger children, changes due to the pandemic have clearly
had a negative impact on developmental progress for this group, because of both the lack of social
interaction and an increase in adverse experiences.
Pro Action of Steuben and Yates, Inc. Community Needs Assessment 2022 – 2025
Page 40 of 162
