Now is the time to plan for the next school year, urge paediatricians

With growing public fatigue over the pandemic and attention turned to vaccine delivery as a means to the end, the Canadian Paediatric Society is urging governments to keep the needs of children in youth in sharp focus.

Public health measures to address the spread of COVID-19 have disproportionately affected children and youth. School closures and disruptions have precipitated a mass of unintended consequences, as thousands of students rely on schools for physical and mental health services, nutritious food, safety, security and support.

Because school attendance is one of the only near-universal measures available to help protect the mental health and well-being of children and youth, it is critical that governments plan ahead to help safeguard the current school year, and ensure that students can start a new school year in September without delay or disruption.

“Canadian children and youth cannot afford another incomplete or disrupted school year,” said Dr. Sam Wong, CPS president. “If we want to ensure a return to normalcy for students in September, policy decisions need to be made now.”

The preliminary data about children’s mental health is troubling, and we are concerned about what is to come.  Since the start of the pandemic, almost 70% of parents surveyed in Ontario have noted behavioural changes in their child, including outbursts, extreme irritability, mood or personality changes, difficulty sleeping, and persistent sadness  Demand for Kids Help Phone skyrocketed to 4.2 million calls and messages in 2020, compared to 1.8 million the year before. In Ontario, the number of conversations about eating/body image has doubled.

Risk factors for child/youth maltreatment have increased significantly during the pandemic. As a result of school closures, teachers and other school personnel are less able to identify or assist those experiencing maltreatment.

In-patient admissions to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario’s eating disorder unit has seen a 63% increase during the pandemic. Our paediatrician members across the country are reporting a sharp increase in youth presenting with mental health problems, eating disorders, anxiety, depression and problematic substance use. These problems are only further exacerbated for children with disabilities and children from racialized, marginalized and low-income families.

We are calling on provincial and territorial governments to:

1. Take every action to ensure the continued safe availability of in-person learning for the 2020-21 school.
2. Implement and enforce strict preventive measures—such as restrictions on gatherings and travel—to ensure that Canadians’ behaviour during upcoming spring breaks does not result in extended school closures.
3. Recognize educators, school staff, mental and physical health support workers and child protection workers as essential, and prioritizing them appropriately within vaccine rollout plans. This is a critical step to ensure that we are ready to start the 2021-22 school year as normally as possible, without delay or disruption.
4. Provide schools with the necessary supports for effective infection prevention measures including physical distancing, cohorting, enhanced hygiene, masks and other PPE, and improved ventilation.
5. Fund research and data collection to provide a clear picture of the mental health and well-being of Canadian children and youth so that appropriate measures can be taken to support them now and into the future.

Many students have also been denied extracurricular and collective experiences—such as such as arts, music, and sports—that contribute to development and identity. At the same time, screen use now far exceeds all previously recommended limits.

Canadian children and youth need the educational, social, physical, emotional and developmental connections of in-person schooling. Fulfilling this obligation means acting now.

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About the Canadian Paediatric Society

The Canadian Paediatric Society is a national advocacy association that promotes the health needs of children and youth. Founded in 1922, the CPS represents more than 3,300 paediatricians, paediatric subspecialists and other child health professionals across Canada.