The pandemic health crisis has dramatically changed today's higher education landscape. As colleges moved courses fully or partially online, students suddenly found themselves facing a very different college experience. And high school seniors have had to make their own considerations about if and how the pandemic may alter their ability to pursue education and training after high school.

A new report offers insight about the pandemic’s impact on current and prospective college students—and how COVID-19 is shifting their perceptions of higher education over time. 

Colleges and universities across the country are now racing to restore a sense of togetherness after a fall semester held under extraordinary—and deeply isolating—public health restrictions. Some campuses were almost vacant. Others housed modest numbers of students but taught remotely. Some opened up residence halls more broadly and taught mostly in person. Many used “hybrid” techniques that blended online and face-to-face experiences.

Weary of the disruptions, many students just yearn to return to the classroom.

The number of children under age four in Colorado is expected to increase by 22 percent by 2026. Yet, the field that cares for and educates the state’s youngest children can’t attract enough workers. 

Advocates say it will take a number of innovative, new postsecondary pathways for Coloradans to join that workforce and avert an even bigger crisis. For Vivian Darby, 36, the pathway to a pay boost, higher credentials, and a career in early childhood care turned out to be an apprenticeship.