Early Childhood Education in Times of Pandemics

The arrival of the pandemic prompted sudden and dramatic changes in the daily routines of families. In addition to their usual responsibilities, many parents were suddenly thrust into the role of primary educators-duties that had previously been carried out by early childhood professionals.

In recent years, numerous studies have examined the pandemic's impact on early childhood learning, with much of the data gathered from parents and teachers. From the parents ' perspective, the primary concerns have centered on the disruption of socialization processes due to the loss of contact with peers or other significant adults. Additionally, difficulties in emotional regulation have manifested in increased anxiety, tantrums, aggressive behavior, heightened adult dependence, and boredom, alongside delays in the development of school-related concepts and skills (^{Yildirim, 2021}; ^{Egan et al. 2021}; Kim et al., 2021; Wen Kok & Yang, 2021).

From the teacher's perspective, findings reflect that teachers had to rapidly adapt their pedagogical approaches, with a notable emphasis on increasing their digital competencies. This development has, in turn, enhaned their professional skils for interacting with students in a virtual environment (^{Gomes et al., 2021}; ^{Pramling Samuelsson et al., 2020}; ^{Mckenna et al., 2021}). However, these adaptations have also taken a toll on educators' emotional and mental well-being. Many teachers report feeling caught between the demands of delivering early childhood education and the risks to their emotional health (^{Park et al., 2020}; ^{Pramling Samuelsson et al., 2020}). Furthermore, internet connectivity and access to devices were identified as critical for effective pedagogical interaction, responsiveness, and the introduction of new solo or small-group activities (^{Gomes et al., 2021}). Nevertheless, the success of these virtual learning experiences has been contingent on parents' availability to support their children's participation in online lessons (^{Pramling Samuelsson et al., 2020}; ^{Otero Mayer et al. 2021}; ^{Yildirim, 2021}; ^{Fernández-Ruiz, 2021}).

While it is necessary to understand the perspectives of teachers and families regarding how children have experienced the pandemic in different aspects of their lives, it is even more relevant to hear from the children's own voices what they have to say. However, so far, the available literature on children's firsthand accounts remains scarce. A few publications can be distinguished at the global level (^{Pascal & Bertran, 2021}; ^{Nikiforidou & Doni, 2022}; ^{Castro & Valcárcel-Delgado, 2022}; ^{Zorec & Pecek, 2022}) and others in the Latin American region (^{Godoy, 2021}; ^{Etchebehere et al., 2021}). The purpose of this study is to amplify the perspective of Latin American children, highlighting their experiences since the beginning of the pandemic.

Globally, research shows that children have integrated Covid-19 into their lives, recognizing how their daily routines have changed. They also understand that these changes are not solely for their own safety but for the well-being of their families, especially their grandparents (^{Godoy, 2021}; ^{Nikiforidou & Doni, 2022}). Undoubtedly, these findings should be carefully considered as children return to the classroom, as their expressed needs allow educators to rethink and adapt their practices as necessary.

At the Latin American level, the findings of ^{Etchebehere et al. (2021)} and ^{Godoy (2021)} are similar in terms of how children perceive loss and gain during the pandemic. According to ^{Etchebehere et al. (2021)} in Uruguay, changes in routines and confinement have generated emotional ambivalence among children. In the research conducted with 159 children aged 3 to 5 years, children expressed feelings of joy, especially when linked to play and family activities. However, they also reported feelings of sadness, anger, and fear due to the loss of playtime with peers, inability to participate in outdoor activities, and the separation from family members. Similarly, ^{Godoy (2021)} iconducted a study with Chilean children aged 4 to 6 years, which revealed that children valued the opportunity to spend time with family, play together, and learn new things related to home routines. Nevertheless, the lack of physical contact with extended family saddened them. In addition, the children understood the need to stay at home for health reasons and acknowledged that school experiences had to be modified due to confinement.

These investigations demonstrate that there is growing evidence about children's position in research on educational experiences during emergency situations. In this regard, our research aims to contribute with both similar and distinct findings.

Positioning of Children in Educational Research

This research emphasizes the active participation of children in understanding their experiences throughout the pandemic. Hence, we consider it important to continue advancing the positioning of participatory research with children as a necessary paradigm to address issues that concern them. This epistemological and methodological approach seeks to promote participatory practices with children, which should consider the developmental specificities and experiences, and recognizing the child as a social agent (^{Rouyer et al., 2020}; Goulant & Rafael, 2020). This approach is also known as "research with children" (Barratt et al., 2013).

For the authors, the child is considered as "worthy of study", capable of collaborating in some parts of the research from an active role. Emphasis is placed on listening to their voices and ensuring that the findings represent their perspectives. However, children's levels of participation remain limited, as they do not have leadership in the development of research plans.

The ^{International Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)} and theoretical contributions from various disciplines (e.g., pedagogy, psychology, sociology of childhood), particularly from a postmodern perspective, recognize children as experts in their own lives. This understanding has led us to adopt the Mosaic Approach (^{Clark & Moss, 2001}) as our methodological framework. This approach shifts the perception of children as subordinate subjects in the adult world and instead promotes listening to their voices and fostering their active participation in the research (Christensen & James, 2000; ^{Brito & Dias, 2017}; ^{Melis et al., 2020}).

Methodologically, there are numerous strategies to ensure children's genuine participation. Examples include children-guided tours (^{Urbina-García, 2019}), educational and recreational workshops that explore their representation of the world (^{Carmona-Toro & Ospina-Alvarado, 2022}), and the use of writings, drawings, photographs, or models constructed with tangible objects (^{Green, 2015}). Additionally, interactive methods of data collection and analysis have been used, such as the creation of art, role-playing, constructing representations with natural objects, and making books(^{Green, 2017}).

Moreover, some researchers have successfully adapted traditional social science techniques to make them more accessible to children, particularly interviews and focus groups (^{Urbina-García, 2019}). These techniques have been enriched with photographs (^{Matsui, 2020}), drawings (^{Fermín-González & Domínguez-Garrido, 2021}; ^{Spiteri, 2022}), play-based methods (^{Koller & San Juan, 2015}), and maps (^{Beasley et al., 2021}). Recently, open-ended virtual interviews (^{Koller et al., 2022}) and game-like conversations facilitated by mothers (^{Posada, 2021}) have also been employed.

During the pandemic, various research methods involving children were used. These included face-to-face group interviews guided by both researchers and children (^{Etchebehere et al., 2021}); individual face-to-face interviews in outdoor settings, and drawing activities (^{Nikiforidou & Doni, 2022}). Additionally, Froebelian storytelling techniques and sequenced games were employed in observations (^{Pascal & Bertran, 2021}). In virtual settings, research methods included assembly-type group interviews combined with graphic representations (^{Castro & Valcárcel-Delgado, 2022}), individual interviews, drawings, and photographs (^{Godoy, 2021}), as well as semi-structured interviews with modality-specific questions (^{Zorec & Pecek, 2022}).

In light of the above, our research incorporates the active participation of children, multimodal strategies to listen to their voices, and adopting a multinational approach to interpret the educational experiences of young children in Latin America during the Covid-19 health emergency.