From Pre-K through college, 2020 was a time for interrupted learning. Amid the switch from in-person classes to nearly all virtual, students and their families counted their losses by year’s end: Lost time with their teachers. Lost hours of face-to-face learning. Lost opportunity with friends to play and have fun.

To capture the impact, EdSource followed 16 families from across California, as well as entering college freshmen in an ongoing year-long project. This documentary illustrates the education struggles they faced and how some students put off the start of their college careers, so they could support their families when the pandemic claimed their parents’ jobs.