• Increased confinement and decreased social interaction have negatively affected children’s mental health and physical activity (Viner 2022, Neville 2022).
• Almost three-quarters of high school students reported at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE) during the pandemic, and those with 1-2 ACEs show poorer mental health and increased suicidal behaviors (Anderson 2022).
• Fourth- and eighth-grade math and reading scores were lower compared to prior years, with the former being the greatest decline in over 30 years; widening gaps were observed among learners in the lower 25th percentile, among Black and Hispanic students, and those without computer access (NAEP Report Card 2022).

Ongoing studies focus on the pandemic’s far-reaching impact on areas such as children’s physical and mental health, risk behaviors, and learning loss; however, additional investment and investigation is critical. Further, iterative implementation and evaluation of pandemic mitigation strategies are needed to better understand what can be done now and in the future to help children recover and thrive. Given California’s geographic, socioeconomic, and racial and ethnic diversity, as well as substantial variation in the implementation of policies and programs, there is much more to learn.

To help address these critical areas of need, in early 2023, CPR³ released an RFP calling for California specific research related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and adolescents (including health and social determinants of health), and the role of intersecting social, structural, and economic factors at household and community levels.

Download Closed Children & Adolescents RFP