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All children learn certain task differently, and they should be taught according to how they learn. However, learning starts at home not in the classroom.

As someone who has been in the field of ECE for thirty years, I have seen this controversy many times. I also am a mother will two sons who had fall birthdays. One went to school as a four year old, and one was kept in preschool another year. Both decisions turned out to be the right ones for them. I think often the argument is that all children should go to kindergarten when they are old enough and the school should provide the appropriate curriculum for each child. There is a certain truth to that but it doesn't always work for each child. Even in school systems that provide a developmentally appropriate curriculum, which is becoming less and less common, the child who needs the gift of time to mature emotionally and socially can benefit tremendously from this. It is a very individual decision, one that should be based solely on an individual child's needs.

I so totally agree with the sentiments expressed in the article. I've taught pre-kindergarten for 27 years. I have met many children who struggle because they are too young socially or emotionally for larger group interaction. Those children tend to struggle throughout school as well. If a child is allowed the extra year, especially at home with Mom or in a small, loving, developmentally appropriate preschool they do SO much better in school. My experience has been that smaller hands-on learning groups are best for young children and all the research supports that as well.

Wow, this discussion could not have come at a more opportune time. Our 5-year old daughter is a bright, creative little girl who was born in the last week of December. Since she entered the school system (she was only 3 years old for almost half of JK) I have had concerns regarding her readiness at each level. In the spring we discussed keeping her in SK for another year but were talked out of it as "repeating" is not an action supported by most schools in our province. We worked with her over the summer to develop her numeracy and literacy and saw improvements in her skill level, so we sent her off the grade one.

Yesterday we had a meeting with our daughter's school to discuss returning her to the kindergarten classroom. Although the school counseled against it, advising instead a modified timetable in the grade one class, they respected our wishes and she will be having another year in SK. I truly feel this will be the best thing for our daughter. I do not see it as holding her back, but as giving her the gift of time to have another year to develop and mature so that when she enters grade on NEXT year she will have the focus, emotional maturity and skills to be successful and feel good about herself.

I am very pleased and grateful to all those who shared similar views and experiences in this forum

The writer made a comment that many kindergarten teachers don't have a background in early childhood development. It’s so easy to blame the teacher but what I find is that teachers are no longer given a choice of how or what they teach. In Michigan teachers are handed the curriculum and told they must teach the information exactly how it’s written. There is no more artistry in teaching. Teachers have to push the children through the academics so they are prepared for the standardized tests. It was reported to me a couple of years ago that a kindergarten teacher said to an administrator that what they were being asked to do was not developmentally appropriate. The administrators responds was, “I don’t want to hear about dap anymore!”

I know the administrator would like to be able to take the whole child into consideration but because of governmental expectations and competition for funding they have no choice but to push the curriculum down, in the hopes that it will improve the school districts test scores in the future.

Until the policy makers begin to look at and take seriously the wealth of research being done on children and how self-regulation and strong social skills relate to school success, I believe, it will be a long time before we again see play back in our kindergartens.

After reading and commenting on the previous article this week I questioned my own philosophy about "redshirting" children for K. While I believe the comments about brain development, I know K is first grade here in Stamford, CT. I do encourage children that are socially and emotionally not ready for kindergarten to repeat pre-K 4. It is up to pre K four teachers to meet these older pre K children needs. They can stimulate their brain development as stated in Exchange of September 29th "Delaying Kindergarten" and provide learning experiences to meet their needs. "Intentional" teaching should do this in a good pre K classroom already.

I want to say again and again, please look at the fact that the K entrance date varies from state to state and yet each state is concerned about meeting the standards of NCLB. I would like to think that each K class in the USA could teach children what they are "ready" to learn rather than expecting each child to meet national standards when the K entrance date is not the same in every state. When I attended college in the 1960's and took a child development course I remember the emphasis on "maturation readiness". I likened it to walking or riding a two wheeler, if a child is not ready no one can force this. This in my opinion is also true of academics.

My goal for any child in the preschool I direct is that each child leaves preschool with confidence in the individual ability and desire to try new things which is the beginning of a livelong love of learning. We all won't be rocket scientists but we all can be confident learners.

I'm glad to see this response to the article about not delaying kindergarten. As an Early Childhood educator and the mother of a son who spent an extra year in preschool before enterning kindergarten at the age of 6, I know there are valid reasons for waiting. The current push for academics in kindergarten and the lack of time for dramatic play and other standard centers in kindergarten classrooms, and teachers without early childhood training, create an environment that I don't think is optimal for 5 year olds.

My son had to wait to start kindergarten due to 9 days. He did great throughout elementary and middle school. Then, in his Senior year in high school, he turned "legal" could excuse himself. When he became bored, he just signed himself out. He was 1/2 semester short of graduating, needing to finish 4 classes. He went & took the GED test without attending any classes and passed scoring in the 93rd percentile of graduating seniors. He was simply bored and had outgrown school. All that over 9 days. I see the good it can do holding some children back, but I think there needs to be an individual basis concept, where a child who is close to the cut off date is screened along with the age eligible children and decided on a case by case basis. Some children end up bored in school and should have started.

Whether or not to send a child to kindergarten is sometimes more about where a child is socially and emotionally. And it's usually not until the child is in middle school that parents realize they should have given their child an extra year (I have had many cases of this in my former students)... or to be relieved they did!

I'm not saying that parents have to send their child to Kindergarten if they feel they are not ready. However then the parents need to be providing some type of learning at home. Sending a child to Kindergarten early can help the child, even if they have to repeat Kindergarten. This will give them an advantage overall. The first year they are learning social skills, the second year they can focus on the academics.

I think some of the responses are a little off base. This article wasn't about sending kids to kindergarten early but rather following the school-set schedule for who is admitted to Kindergarten (which is actually a NAEYC recommendation). My daughter is a mid-August birthday so she will go to Kindergarten at age 5 (but only just!). This article is telling parents like me that I won't be damaging my child to send her to Kindergarten when she is supposed to go. It's not saying to send her if she is a mid-September birthday (early). Though I agree that Kindergarten needs more play dough and finger paint and will be choosing her school (we have open enrollment in our district) with that idea in my mind.

I sent my son to kindergarten too early. He has an August birthday. He was held back in the first grade and it had a negative effect on him. He lost his best friend as a result of the separation. He had other problems though that went unaddressed. Mainly ADHD.

I have been a licensed childcare provider since 1982. I have realized that there is nothing we can do to fight the new system. It's here to stay. There is too much pressure put on these kids today and there is no time for play. "They" think that Kindergarten readiness will prepare the next generation for greatness and help us compete in the "World Economy" of the future but in reality we are ruining another generation of children! Let them be little!! They are turning us daycares into perschools with all the new regulations and this new rating system. And by the way this new rating system is driving good daycares out of business! It is very sad for these kids. I have had many children including my own daughter who was raised in my low pressure, fun, free play daycare who was above average in school. She is a junior in highschool with a 3.8 grade point average!! It's time to stand up for our children and oppose the powers that make these rules! Maybe I'm just an old uneducated provider but I have 29 years of hands on experience to back me up!! But I guess I need a PHD to make a difference!!

"Red-shirting" children for kindergarten entrance has been strongly debated for the 35 years I've been in this profession. As long as we have folks within our profession who can't unite on this to work for the greater good, it will be a problem that continues until the end of time. It is too easy, and short-sighted to blame the kindergartens - or worse, the kindergarten teachers as not knowing anything about child development. The real issue is far more complex. At its simplest level, do we really need to have a 2-year age span in our kindergartens, when they are intended to have just one? If we are going to debate whether 4.5 year olds belong in kindergarten, we must add to that debate whether 6.5 year olds belong there either. We have little real evidence to support this practice and quite a bit that does not support it. Too many parents who are financially able red-shirt children for competitive reasons - not thinking about best opportunities for neurological development.

As a Kindergarten Teacher, I made two distinctions as I evaluated children's readiness for school:
1. What was their level of phonemic and phonological awareness skills?
2. What was their level of maturity?
Studies show that children who are held back, usually do not do as well as they did the first time round. Studies also show, that children who are immature in some areas even out with other's their age around third grade. So keep children with thier age-group.
Accommodating the curriculum to the needs of the child is a more needed reform than readying a child for earlier academic pressures. Classrooms that include dramatic and constructive play in the school day foster the development of self-regulation, social skills, language, memory, and symbolism. As children plan and act out their dramatic play episodes, they learn to plan ahead, negotiate, recall information, and resolve conflicts. Dramatic play is the main thing five year olds do, so they are intrinsically motivated to learn. A skilled teacher will guide children through their play, laying a foundation for academic learning without overemphasizing academics before children are ready. First grade teachers will be able to teach better and children will learn better if we go back to a play-centered curriculum in K. As Marie Montessori said, “What is the use of transmitting knowledge if the individual’s total development lags behind?”
The strong emphasis on academics in Kindergartens is a “hot issue” with me. The emphasis on state and national scores has become so important to schools and districts that the effects have trickled down to the Kindergarten classroom. To do well on standardized tests, schools have added as many as ten additional practice tests throughout the school year. To do well in third grade, when the scores will be compared nationally, schools start preparing as early as Kindergarten with rote drill and academic focuses that will prepare them for later testing (not learning). Parents may feel holding their child back will give them an advantage academically, but they are falsely convinced that early academic achievement assures their child’s later success.
After looking over other research articles on this subject I discovered that proponents and opponents of redshirting often use the same evidence but reach opposite conclusions. I would not advise parents to focus on academic readiness as much as I would their child’s developmental readiness. At most, redshirting will give a child an advantage over younger classmates in size and in psychomotor abilities; thus redshirting for sports!
Another facet of the Kindergarten readiness issue is the criteria used. I propose that parents and teachers should look at both the social and cognitive skills of a child, as well as previous school experiences. I just visited in an inner city Kindergarten, made up of fifteen students, all of which had never attended a preschool. In this classroom, they spent 90 minutes in reading followed by 30 minutes in writing. These children were not ready to sit for long periods, could not retain the information, and displayed disruptive behavior. Unfortunately, these families could not afford preschool and many of these children will end up repeating Kindergarten. Holding them back would perhaps help them avoid repeating the grade, but sending them on to Kindergarten probably is more advantageous. Truthfully, I would only advocate holding a child back if they are male and their birthdates are very close to the cut-off date. In this case, the male student has many social issues that factor in It's a tempting prospect for parents who don't want their boy to be the least mature in the room (or the smallest in gym class). I wish I’d realized that, as a parent, when I sent my son on to Kindergarten after turning five the day before the cut-off.
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