It's been five years since COVID-19 upended life for students and families in Central New York, experts say the impacts are still being felt in classrooms.
Michelle Storie, certified school psychologist, said gaps in academic and social-emotional wellness are still being discovered in classrooms from elementary to early high school. She said the gaps likely go back to the interruptions caused by pandemic era learning.
"I definitely see there being academic impacts, particularly for students who were in kindergarten or first grade during the pandemic," Storie said. "When you learn core phonics skills and you know, when kids are really, taught how to read and taught those basic early literacy and math skills."
Storie said beyond academic gaps in reading and phonics, students may be finding it harder to make social connections at school. She said students are increasingly communicating over electronics, not in person. Storie said caregivers can encourage clubs and sports to help kids socialize in person.
"I think extracurricular activities are key," Storie said. "And that doesn't mean just sports. You don't need to be athletic to be involved in extracurricular. I would say capitalize on areas of interest. If somebody is interested in art, you know, try to get them involved in art clubs."
Storie said taking a proactive approach by meeting early with teachers is one of the best ways to stay ahead of any learning gaps.
"I always am a fan of taking a proactive, active approach and voicing concerns right at the start of the year so that you might be able to put a plan in place to help the student be successful," Storie said. "If there's academic concerns, perhaps the student can stay after school one day a week. With the teacher, or, you know, get extra help during a study hall if it's social emotional concerns, perhaps there's a social skills group that the student might be able to join, or there might be a certain club that would be recommended for the student to be able to participate in."
