Delaying Kindergarten II

The September 29 issue of ExchangeEveryDay, "Delaying Kindergarten" gathered a near record number of responses — nearly all in opposition to the authors' position against delaying entry into preschool.  Here are two typical responses.  You can click on the title above to view all the responses

"I agree that red-shirting is not optimal for children, but the reality of public Kindergarten in the United States is one of skill drill and kill and too many teachers who may have taught for dozens of years, but have not taken one ECE course to understand 0-5 development.  When the easels, playdough, and dress-up box comes back to Kindergarten, the 4 years olds can come back — and everyone will be smarter, as well as mentally healthier." — Cathy Waite, JCUMC Preschool

"Holding a child back doesn't hurt them.  I have experienced children who have started Kindergarten later and they seem to do very well throughout their school years.  I have also seen children who are pushed into Kindergarten too soon and they struggle socially and academically.  My own son was one of the oldest in his class and he has done very well.  I am very glad I didn't push him into going earlier.  We encourage certain parents to keep a child out for an extra year if they are struggling developmentally and/or socially.  We have some parents who are really pushing the limits for the entry into Kindergarten just so they do not have to pay for child care anymore — not a good reason.  Some are ready academically, but many are not ready socially." — Marcy Guddemi, Gesell Institute of Child Development, New Haven, Connecticut

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