Education Policy Brief Latin America and the Caribbean #4: Remote Initial Education and Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Through a survey of 62,837 caregivers of young children in four Latin American countries, households were asked about their experiences with emergency distance education and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings suggest that the crisis will perpetuate and may even worsen existing inequalities in learning. Moreover, caregivers of children newborns to age seven report substantial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on their own mental health. The levels of distress are particularly elevated among mothers who shoulder most of the burden of supporting children's remote education. Caregivers report that the COVID-19 pandemic and associated containment efforts have substantially affected the mental health and well-being of their children. The findings suggest that detrimental mental health consequences are looming for children on an unprecedented scale.