For Children, Falling Behind Starts Early. Getting Back on Track Can Start Tonight

Jan 04, 2026 Features / Columnists, News

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By Karen Abrams, MBA, AA, Education Technology Doctoral Candidate

(Kaieteur News) – In working on my dissertation, I am immersed in research that answers difficult questions: why children fall behind, how early it begins, and what actually brings them back on track. I write this week knowing that many of the parents who most need these words may never read them. Some are still learning to read themselves. Some are busy surviving. Some have no data or device. If you are reading this, I ask you to share it. Our children cannot wait for perfect conditions. They are falling behind early, and the longer we pretend the problem starts in Grade 6, the harder it becomes to reverse.

When educators say a child is “behind,” we are not talking about intelligence. We are talking about foundations. A child may struggle to recognize letters and sounds, blend words, understand numbers, or grasp simple relationships like more and less. These gaps appear quietly in nursery and early primary, then grow louder with each grade. What begins as difficulty with letters and numbers becomes frustration, low confidence, avoidance, and fewer options later on.

This pattern is not unique to Guyana. International research shows that learning gaps exist before formal schooling begins and persist without early support. Even in toddlerhood, children who hear fewer words and have fewer back and forth conversations develop smaller vocabularies and slower language processing. Once school starts, the gap widens. Strong readers read more and improve. Struggling readers read less and fall further behind. By around Grade 4, when schooling shifts from learning to read to reading to learn, children who are still decoding every word begin to sink. Long holidays without books or enrichment add to these losses.

Guyana’s data tell the same story. Early childhood and primary assessments show weaknesses in phonological awareness, vocabulary, decoding, and number sense. These gaps appear in Pre-K screenings and remain visible in Grades 2, 4, and 6 for far too many learners, with consequences that extend into secondary school and affect who ultimately matriculates. There are clear regional and socioeconomic patterns. Children in households with fewer books, inconsistent attendance, or limited access to early childhood education struggle more. Learners in hinterland and riverain communities face added barriers of distance, language, electricity, and connectivity. This is not about ability. It is about exposure, time, and whether teaching meets children where they are.

The good news is that we know what works. Earlier is better. Warm, frequent, interactive experiences matter. Daily reading aloud. Conversations that explain and wonder, asking why do you think that and giving children time to answer. Songs, stories, sound games, playful work with letters, counting everyday objects, comparing sizes and shapes. This is not expensive or complicated. It is consistent, responsive, and human.

For children already behind, guessing is not enough. Quick assessments are needed to identify specific gaps in sounds, decoding, vocabulary, number sense, or word problem language, followed by explicit daily instruction. Small group or high dosage tutoring delivered in short, frequent sessions produces strong gains in reading and math. Building background knowledge through science and social studies strengthens comprehension because learning is easier when children have context. Attendance matters. Lost days add up quickly. Motivation matters too. Children work harder when success feels possible and when adults notice progress.

I learned this long before I read the research. I do not know where Ms. Blair, my Second Form French teacher at St Roses, is today, but I remember her clearly. She passed me at recess and told me she knew I would do well on the quiz. She believed in me, even though I had no track record to support it. I spent lunch cramming French vocabulary and scored nine out of ten. Inspirational teachers change trajectories.

For Guyana, the policy path already exists. Strengthen early childhood quality and reach. Align the renewed Grade 3 and 4 curricula with frequent checks teachers can act on immediately. Expand small group tutoring in literacy and numeracy in the earliest grades. Ensure timely remediation as children approach Grade 6 so no one enters secondary school already struggling to stay afloat. Where connectivity is limited, blend paper-based practice with short, targeted digital sessions when bandwidth allows. Where language and culture differ, honor home language while systematically teaching the language of schooling. This is inclusion. The challenge is not the plan. It is execution.

Parents, here is the hard truth with a hopeful ending. Children who hear fewer words, own fewer books, and spend less time in conversation often start behind, but they do not have to stay behind. Ten minutes of reading aloud each day. Five minutes of sound games. Counting while you cook. Naming what you see on the minibus. Asking how do you know when your child answers. This is curriculum.

If you can, enroll your child in programs that diagnose specific gaps and teach directly to them. At Pathway Online Academy, our assessments show parents exactly why a child is struggling, and our personalized lessons target those root causes. Students in our online K to 12 programs are already seeing meaningful improvement because focused practice, feedback, and consistency work. If reading is the barrier, we start with success a child can feel. If fractions are the problem, we rebuild number sense. If attention is the challenge, we shorten tasks and build stamina. The goal is not to work harder in the dark. It is to work smarter with the problem clearly visible.

We cannot wait for perfect internet or a shelf full of books in every home. We can start tonight with one story, one conversation, one small skill made solid. Matched with systems that find gaps early and fix them quickly, this is how we stop the slide that begins before school and accelerates by Grade 4. This is how more of our children reach the end of secondary school ready to choose their future, rather than have it chosen for them.

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• Falling Behind, intelligence, Karen Abrams, technology

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