Distance Learning in Early Childhood During the COVID-19 Crisis: Family and Educators’ Experiences

The COVID-19 crisis presented teachers and families with the challenge of educating young children online. This study explored the experiences with virtual education of 51 parents and 53 teachers of young children. The results have shown that families and educators were aligned in their goals for early childhood education. Nevertheless, teachers rated the online environment as significantly more effective at achieving these goals than parents did. Similarly, families rated online activities as significantly less effective than teachers at engaging young children in learning. Finally, both teachers and families indicated that the online environment was successful when promoting communication and support. Parents experienced more support than teachers during this period. Implications for the future of online education for young children are discussed.