Back to ECE Safely with SAGE: Reducing COVID-19 Transmission in Hispanic and Low-Income Preschoolers

The overarching goal of this study was to determine the acceptability, feasibility, efficacy, and scalability of back-to-early childhood education (ECE) testing in young children (3-5 years). Whether outdoor garden-based education can help close the education gap experienced by children who have been out of school during the pandemic will also be determined. The subject population was comprised of three groups of people: (1) ECE-enrolled children, (2) their parents, and (3) ECE personnel. The enrollment goal for this study was ~800 children between the ages of 3 and 5, with the average age of 4 years to be evenly distributed by sex from 40 ECE sites in Phoenix, Maricopa County, AZ. One parent of each child, most of whom (~90%) will be women, were also enrolled. It was expected that most children and parents in the sample will be Hispanic and many to be Spanish language dominant. Approximately 40 ECE personnel were enrolled. An additional 800 child and parent dyads were recruited.