Kindergarten enrollment in Arizona is down about 14% from last year as the pandemic upends our daily lives and leaves parents to make tough choices about their children’s schooling. Last week, Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman told Capitol Media Services the consequences of having fewer kids in Kindergarten, though, could have long-term effects.
"Some of the most important skills that they're learning are the letter sounds and the letters and the names of the letters of the alphabet," Hoffman said. "They're learning even beginning to read from their first words, really simple words."
The Show spoke with Mindy Zapata, director of Early Head Start and Head Start for Southwest Human Development to learn more about the potential effects of this kind of enrollment drop.
