Pre-K Mask Madness

For some reason, likely because they have no voice and can’t vote, children have endured an unreasonably high percentage of the numerous COVID restrictions implemented since March of 2020.

From multi-week quarantines at home away from friends, remote schooling, eating lunches alone at desks many feet from peers to playing soccer and field hockey with masks on, outside!

However, as a parent of a 4-year in pre-school,  the recent news that 2 to 4 year old children are now required to mask-up at Pre-K centers and daycare facilities was a final gut punch to me.

Experts from Harvard Medical School have come out and indicated that ‘We lack credible evidence for benefits of masking kids aged 2 to 5’.

In spite of this information, our politicians and local health officials have pursued this strategy. My opinion is that this strategy, which is not being implemented anywhere else in the World, is being done to make the adults feel safer psychologically, and not for the benefit of the children.

Even if masks were proven to be somewhat affective in reducing COVID transmission, I don’t think we can ignore the negative consequences of masking 2 to 4 year old kids.

Covering a small child’s face can impact communication and language development, potentially cause breathing issues and affect social and emotional development. These factors should not be ignored.

The people implementing this mandate absolutely should provide evidence of a substantial benefit, which they have yet to do.

I’m recommending that all parents in a similar situation as myself contact their US Congress person, their State Assembly person, or County health official. Perhaps they will listen and provide a voice for these children and help get the face diapers removed from the children’s faces.

I know my 4-year wants the mask madness to end as he asked me today if he still had to wear it, and I’m sure there are many other kids feeling the same way, so we need the parents to stand up and end it for them.

– John Venditte