RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Class D families – with an average monthly household income of R$720 (US$140) – were the most negatively impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic when it comes to caring for children up to 3 years of age.
This group (class D) feels more sad, anxious, overwhelmed, exhausted, impatient and scared than the others.
Families highlight that the financial factor is a point of attention in the way caregivers have dealt with the pandemic.
The data is included in the survey Early Childhood – Pandemic Interactions: Behaviors of parents and caregivers of children aged 0 to 3 years in times of Covid-19, sone to be released.
The survey was conducted by Kantar Ibope Media, commissioned by the Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation, and interviewed families from social classes A, B, C and D, who live with and are responsible for children from 0 to 3 years old.
In all, 1,036 people participated in the interviews, which were mostly conducted online in March this year, through a platform.
“A quality early childhood with adequate stimuli provides opportunities for the child. Conversely, there is a negative effect when an adequate environment can not be provided,” says Mariana Luz, president of the Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation.
“With social isolation and the consequent socioeconomic crisis, we realize, through research, the worsening of these opportunities, the perverse effects of inequality, and how these environments and stimuli can make [the child’s] development advance or recede.”
Mariana explains that the first years of children’s lives represent a unique and decisive opportunity for the development of every human being. At this stage, connections are made that form the basis of brain structures and contribute to learning, as well as creating conditions for their health and happiness in the present and in the future.
Therefore, both early childhood, up to the age of 3, and infancy, up to the age of 6, need attention.
The expert also emphasizes the need to assist caregivers. “Caregivers and parents need to be well to be able to offer and be available for interaction to happen. Development happens through interaction,” she says.
In Brazil, it is up to the municipalities to provide basic education, which includes daycare centers for children up to 3 years of age.
Results
The situations experienced by families in the pandemic are distinct, and the perception around the work of taking care of small children also changes, according to the social class of respondents.
Those who were able to work from home, for example, reported more time spent with children by mothers, fathers, and caretakers during the pandemic. This was mainly the case of higher class and education segments: 51% of the AB1 class – with an average monthly household income above R$11,300 – reported that they were able to spend time with children during the pandemic.
This percentage drops to 33% among class D families. In this group, the majority, 52%, reported that there was no change in the time they spent together.
The research alerts that, although the time parents spend with their children hasn’t changed for class D, it may be more precarious due to the overload and accumulation of tasks.
The changes in routine also had an impact on children. About 1 in 4 (27%), from all classes, showed regression in this one year of pandemic.
This means that they receded to the behaviors of their younger years, such as crying, urinating in their clothes without asking to go to the bathroom, and talking less. The increased use of electronic equipment may also have impacted their development.
The access to information and public policies and the feeling of protection were also felt differently depending on the family’s social class.
Most (64%) of the Basic B2C class – which corresponds to families with an average monthly income between R$1,700 and R$5,600 who have completed high school – and class D (70%) had access to emergency aid.
The rate of home visits by social programs, such as Saúde da Família (comprehensive, community-based, primary healthcare program), stood at around 20% in all groups.
However, the benefits received provide a feeling of support mainly to the high education groups. In class AB1, 58% felt supported. The lowest percentage, 32%, is found in class D families.
As for the information received during this period, AB1 stands out as the class that received the most, while D had the lowest percentage registered, respectively 22% and 10%.