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There is something I have not seen addressed in this discussion. Many families can not economically afford to delay their child's entrance to kindergarten. Once a child is age eligible for kindergarten, many other no cost or scholarship based programs can no longer serve that child. For some families sending their child to school is the only option they have. No matter the date of when a child is eligible to enter kindergarten, there will always be a wide range of abilities with in the classroom. Kindergarten programs need to be responsive to this range.

My daughter's birthday was the day before cutoff for entering kindergarten. We were told we were lucky when she was born; she made it! She began reading when she was three (really!), so when her teacher told us when she was four that she was probably not mature enough to start kindergarten, we started doing research on our own. We also found out we were expecting another child who would, also, be born just before the birthday cutoff for kindergarten. Our anecdotal research left us with a kindergarten teacher who suggested letting her play an extra year, a relative who started kindergarten and had to repeat it who felt like a failure since he had "failed" kindergarten and eventually dropped out of high school, among others. Her preschool teacher said if we sent her, she would be ok, but if we held her back, she would be a leader. The only one who said to send her was her pediatrician, who said she would catch up in 6 months (yes, but would the others then be six months ahead?). We ultimately held her back, sending her to a more challenging preschool when she was five. We have never regretted our decision. She ended up as president of student council and is the ultimate overachiever. She enjoyed college so much that she is in graduate school, studying Higher Education Administration. As for the other child, the decision to hold him back was easy. He was able to handle school, but he did not know his colors, and he didn't care that he didn't know them. He is now in a prestigious engineering college, and I have never regretted giving them that extra year to play. Children will never have that chance again, and we owe it to them to give them all the chances for success that we can!

If children are born every minute of the year, then why is it "right" to group an entire grade on a single cut-off date? This practice insures a 364-day discrepency in classmates' ages in every class. Plus we educators see the (wonderful) diversity of development even in children with close or same birthdates--physical, emotional, social, artistic, musical, verbal, empathetic, logical, initiative, curiosity, etc.) The notion that rigid class placements based solely upon age is not supported by even the casual observer of children's development.

I must add a few more things regarding the importance of recognizing child development:
1. We get the parents involved in the developmental process in several ways from documentation commitment to interaction.
2. We place developmenton our web site http://www.twlsnc24hr.com
Again, I reread this article to make sure my 24-hour childcare was truly focused on the social, emotional and physical development, in play as well, and in having the parents understand this importance.

I had a 4 year old girl tell me she liked to work and wanted to work. Her concept of 'work' is having something written on paper. I told her parent, "Work is not only paper. We watch and guide the children through their developmental growth i.e. seeing their interactions with peers and how they handle good, bad or indifferent behavior."

It is up-lifting and encouraging to read so many intelligent and well-founded responses to this issue. I have been in early childhood education - birth through 2nd grade - for close to 45 years. There have been many conversations about going to Kindergarten during that time and I can honestly say that I have never had a parent regret waiting a year for their child's entrance into K. Many many have regretted sending their child on time or a little early. I consider it a gift of time to the child - time to play in the blocks or dress up area, time to paint and color and listen to stories, time to dance and have snack and take a nap - all of which to not seem to be included in the present K. classrooms. When the children from the joyful, relaxed, rich and varied environment of a early childhood program go to Kindergarten, many are disappointed, frustrated or sad. They like lunch time and recess, what little there is of it, and perhaps a once-a-week art or music, but worksheets, everyone doing the same thing and limited movement possibilities fill the rest of the time. It makes me disappointed, frustrated and sad too...that many schools have such little respect for the capabilities and interests and ideas of the young child.

If SO MANY of us from across the country feel the SAME way about TOO MUCH emphasis on academics and not enough appropriate developmental activities in early childhood WHY are things not changing? Why can't we make the people in positions of power change the way we are mandated to operate? I am an early childhood specialist and I work with children with special needs. I also have a son that I did not send to kindergarten because he had an August birthday, and he was not ready for academic, all day kindergarten. He's 15 and freshman in high school and I have never been sorry I didn't send him sooner. Here in Nebraska we are changing the kindergarten entrance age to be age 5 by July 31st. This is a good thing, because the kindergartens are all day long and very academic. But, there will still be some children not ready for the rigorous kindergarten classrooms.
I feel that we are missing the human element in the push to make all children the same. No Child Left Behind has been a hey day for the people who love data and has made schools into factories where everyone is expected to learn the exact same thing on the exact same day in the exact same way. This is NOT about children or how children learn it is about how pencil pushers love their data. There has been a huge rise in the number of children with autism in the last ten years. Is it because we are heading into an era where people can no longer read social cues, because social skills won't matter anymore? Human beings are so complex and have so many areas where they can excel and it can't be all about academics. Little children need time to learn how to become kind, caring, compassionate, individuals who can get along well with others. This is HUGE and is being over looked in our current education system.

I think it is very unsettling how we have to have a blanket philosophy like this that the whole system buys into. This philosophy is very unhealthy to a great number in our population. Every child is different and has different needs and we really need to start thinking in this manner. Each child has a different set of circumstances that determines what is best for him or her. Some of the factors that play into whether a child is ready to go into school at a younger or older age or not are birth order, boy or girl, parents involvement, language barriers, previous social interaction. I have not taken the time to look at the sources people use to come to their philosophies but I have learned through my own experiences and education that you can find flaws in almost anyone's research. Often the population being looked at is not a very good sampling of the real population. There is likely a good portion of our population who have struggled because they did not begin kindergarden earlier but there is also a good portion of kids who were ill equipped to start kindergarden earlier. Unfortunately, our public schools (due to budget cuts) have become very factory like and we try to teach all children in the same manner. In order to do so, we have to have them all starting from the same point. This is impossible and the reason parents need to be involved in their own child's education. Not just communicating with the schools but sitting down with your child and making learning fun! We need to combine home-school philosophies with public education at all ages. This starts in early childhood education but needs to continue through to high school!

By 2003, in my work with/observation of No Child Left Behind, the elementary teachers were not enthusiastic with it.

Now, in my 24-hour childcare 2007-present, there is constant work on the development of the child. We video children who are having anxieties i.e. how we help them address, respond and move forward at their pace. We teach the parents that 'work' is not on paper. We are looking at how the child handles themselves emotionally and socially- where the mature and immature areas are. We give more emphasis to their play, which we observe.

I read this article and looked around my center to see what we were doing.

When their are negative social or emotional issues, we give the child awareness of the negative issue and 2 positive choices. This is then relayed to the parent. I had a parent state, "I thought when I first received daily messages of my child's social and emotional state as What are you saying about my child? Are you saying somethings wrong with my child?" She went on to say, "After talking to other parents and even my co-workers; I found what you are doing is a good thing. The messages help me to see my child for who she is. I didn't get that from her previous childcare center."

I implemented a program for the 3 and 4 year olds- Peer Intervention of Social Skills. The children are learning to talk through negative issues that happen, when it happens. They are given positive choices and are able to select two to help with the negative issue. They immediately sit down to start talking about it. If the teacher is not present when the negative happens, a child(ren) will make it known. The results of the intervention are relayed to the parent of that child(ren), again, we may video how the children work through to getting a positive result.

Having been a school counselor previous to my career as the Executive Director of Western Arkansas Child Development; this article saddened me. Why do we feel the need to make kindergarteners 'smarter'. What about all the 'smart' kindergarteners that cannot fix their own plates, sort their own laundry, initiate play on the playground or in the classroom - let alone take care of their toileting needs. Let's consider leaving the kindergarten children alone. Let's begin to think about the how old students are when they enter COLLEGE or the WORKFORCE!! In this culture, no 17 year old needs to be in college or in the workforce. Child care is not an employment option for a 17 year old caregiver. Countless 'young' people don't survive college not because of intelligence but because they haven't 'learned to play fair', 'initiate conversations and relationships', 'establish boundaries', 'do their own laundry', and countless other things that are important to successful young adults. Let's begin to establish statistics on college success based on age of entry and get off the backs of our youngest children who just need to learn to play together, work together and learn life's essentials ------ I could give more justification if anyone wants to sit long enough for me to share them all:)

I agree with Karen from PA. We spend so much time wondering why children are not ready for Kindergarten, but how much time do we spend on whether our schools/teachers and community are ready for the children? If all of us are grounded in what we know about how children develop and learn, then we should be advocating for implementation of appropriate classroom practices with all of the "leaders" who are making these decisions. Instead, we argue over red shirting and cut off dates. When we know that all children learn at different rates, why do we have the same expectations of them regardless of academic or social/emotional abilities? As a professional, it is never good practice to tell parents what they should do with their children. Give them information, talk with them about choices for the following year, help ease their minds with this transition, but don't tell them what to do. Use your consulting skills and let the parents ultimately make their own decisions about whether they want to send their children to Kindergarten or not. All parents do not have the same options or means for that following year. Schools and teachers should be ready for ALL to come. Thanks to "Ready Schools/Ready Communities in NC" and our "Power of K" teachers and schools, we are working towards this. It is a process! Don't sit on the fence with this issue! Fight for what you know is right! And, like Megan stated earlier, empower parents to make these decisions.

Articles such as this one challenge us as educators to take a second look at what we value as children arrive in our kindergarten classrooms. The questions we ask ourselves: Are we placing the children first? What is best for this particular child? I believe we should not hold children back, but we should not push them into something they are not quite ready for. Emotional and social IQ, are just as important and crucial to the successful completion of kindergarten as academics. The problem here is that kindergarten is suffering from an "identity crisis".(Will the REAL Kindergarten classroom please stand up!) Classroom teachers are trying desperately to hold onto the original identity of what kindergarten is supposed to look like and how it is supposed to function for our young children. I commend any teacher for being able to maintain this identity. (As for my own children, neither are suffering from being held back in Kindergarten or preschool, on the contrary they are doing quite well in middle and high school.)

If we are truly committed to developmentally appropriate practice then we cannot ignore the individuality of each child. Holding all children back in preschool or kindergarten is NOT appropriate. Observing, evaluating, assessing young children is part of being a professional educator.When you SEE a particular child is not ready for the next level, then yes.....do what is right for this child. As far as self-esteem is concerned, children take direction from us as teachers and parents. It is up to us to help them develop in this area and to embrace fully who they are regardless of whether they are spending another year in kindergarten or preschool. How adults present things to children and our own confidence level and committment has a lot to do with how they perceive, receive and develop self-esteem.

All of the comments have circulated at round table discussions in California for the 35+ years that I have been an early childhood educator, trainer, and college instructor. The comments that jumped out at me the most involved observations that kindergarten classrooms have indeed moved away from play-based learning and require more sitting at tables and writing than ever before. Developmental research demonstrates that most kindergarten-eligible children are not physically ready for these requirements and it does not support optimum learning. It is true that the majority of kindergarten teachers have NOT included early childhood development in their professional growth. This is critical for a classroom that should be prepared for children who have not had an enriched home environment and not had a rich, preschool experience. Kindergarten teachers need to be prepared for whatever arrives at their classroom door and meet the needs of those children, not what the school system needs. In California, kindergarten enrollment is not mandatory. So first grade teachers need to be ready for anything, not what the school system expects them to know before attending.

I held one of my own daughters back from kindergarten, (an August birthday) but not for an academic advantage but for a social and emotional reasons. She just wasn't ready. If we truely believe as educators that each child is an indivual; we can not expect that all children will be ready just because their age says they are. I have seen too many times where very bright children who may be academically ready their age but suffer because they lack social and emotional skills with their peers especially in elementary school. I believe we must look at one child and that we as teachers and parents should assess the child on all levels and figure out what is best for that child not just a one size fits all view.

The United States, especially with the "No Child Left Behind" being inappropriately implemented, has continued to think more, faster, earlier is better with no regard for child development. As an early childhood trainer, I tell audiences regularly how important success in the early years is to long term self concept and love of learning. It is the match between where a child is developmentally and the presentation of concepts. Once children enter many kindergartens the individual child concept is thrown out the window and everyone on the same workbook page or worksheet is the order of the day. I taught kindergarten in the 60's and early 70's and watched the developmental approach disappear then into preparation for first grade. We have many children in Florida who are not doing well in grade three and seven. I contribute much of this failure and struggle to children entering school before they are totally ready. The authors in the "Delaying Kindergarten" article seem to use a lot of "may" phrases. I am concerned about the social and emotional development more than academics. Well adjusted, happy children who feel confident do well. Children who are struggling often loose their love of learning. My own grandchild, who is in her freshman year at West Point, is a late July Birthday girl. She is obviously very bright and talented, but the extra year of age and maturity has paid off well for her. Our children today grown up too fast as it is...Why not give the young ones equal time to play. Many other countries do.

This article would make sense if Kindergartens were play-based and developmentally appropriate. However, here in Ct. , Kindergarten teachers will readily admitt that Kindergarten is what 1st grade used to be. We also have a December 31st cut off date, so our schools get children who are not yet 5. Children are being pushed to perform at high standardized levels. Kindgarteners are expected to attend all day school programs and are presssured to read and write at what used to be 1st grade levels. They are allowed very little time away from their seat work. They also get shuffled around to different classrooms and have to navigate crowded hallways and buses. Developementalists know that young children learn best through hands-on expereinces and play and a wide variety of expereinces with consistant schedules and care-givers. We understand that each child is unique and needs to be presented opportunities that match his or her development and abilities. Standardized programs which are conducted in large classrooms with little support and play-time cannot possibly do this. Parents are not "red-shirting" their little 4 1/2 year olds, they are recognizing that a 4 1/2 year old is not ready for such a demanding program. One of my sons has a December birthday and I delayed his Kindergarten entrance and feel it was the best thing I ever did. Socially and emotionally he just did not seem ready to take on the challanges of all day kindergarten with high academic expectations. By delaying I believe he was allowed more time to mature and become better equipped. He continually earned honors thorugh out his entire school career all the way through college. He continues to be was a confident and grounded leader. Isn't that the kind of success we want for all of our children?
Here at our preschool we often recommned delaying children with late birthdays. Many, many parents have come back to us to say that it was the best decision they made. Parents know their children. Children should not be challanged to the point of hopelessness and frustration. If we want to send 4 year olds to Kindergarten then make Kindergarten appropriate for 4 year olds!

I agree with the information but the real issue to me is that there is not a national K entrance date. All children in the USA are held to the same standards in NCLB. Here in CT it is December 31st of the September they enter. How can this be measure to states with September 1st cutoff? Redshirting has added to this issue.

As a parent of seven children and a long time educator, teacher, coach mentor and director for near twenty years I found this article to be a gross misrepresentation and a huge disservice to Early Childhood educators everywhere.

I have read many,many books on this subject and have witnessed children who were held back and children who were pushed ahead. I also have one child that was an August birthday that I pushed forward and a July child who I held back, so I have personal experience as well.

Not once did this survey mention the largest reason for holding children back, which is for social, emotional and physical growth. A child who is the youngest in birth order, and has hit their milestones late can benefit greatly from the opportunity of being a leader and being ahead of the curve. A child who is always at the tail end size, learning, skills etc has demonstrated challenges being a leader when its hard to excel in type of setting.

My oldest son who I pushed ahead seemed to do fine initially. Although I was nervous sending him on the bus to school across down at the age of five. I did notice as did his teachers, that his fine motor lagged behind and he did need special support with reading for two years. Emotionally and socially he had more challenges entering into peer groups and tended to be the one who kept quiet ( which different from his personality as the oldest of his seven siblings)

When my fourth son came along and was born in July and had to deal with asthma, he didn't say much until he was two, and was smaller than most children his age, his preschool teacher suggested he delay kindergarten entry.

That was the best move I could have made. Being the youngest and only fourteen months younger than his older brother, and later on having challenges with dyslexia, he was always the oldest and around the same height as other children in his class.

Now a Freshman in high school he is a confident, leader who decided on his own to go to a difrferent school than his siblings. He made sure he introduced hiimself to each of his teachers and plans his outfits ( including ironing) every night. At the school open house, teachers pulled me aside to share with me what a pleasure and positive presence he his in their class. I get this often from everyone who knows him.

Had I pushed him forward would things be different? I strongly feel that they would..even the fact that he hit puberty late however at the same time as most kids in his class ended up being a plus.

Lets remember to look at the whole child prior to putting out undocumented research studies that contradict the many years and personal experiences of those who have witnessed the benefits of allowing children time to grow at their own pace.

Well, then Kindergarten Teachers need to be prepared to teach all children at all levels of development!

I believe we're always focusing on the wrong thing. The real issue is that we've made kindergarten an inappropriate place for young children. All young children who meet the cutoff should be able to attend and be successful. We should be fighting for schools that are about learning for everyone (including the adults) and true learning, with all that entails--not simply narrow academics. When we keep children "back" we're in many ways exacerbating the problem (although I understand any parent's concern).

I am glad I decided to read the responses to the article and learning that other people share my concerns. What about measuring happiness as factor determining quality of life and success? Are the adults who went to school early in the lives happier than those who stay a little bit longer out of school?

I strongly disagree with the authors of this article. The current "push down" of skills that are developmentally inappropriate for young children puts pressure and stress on young children and thier families. In many settings indergarten no longer includes time and attention to learing the routines of school, social/emotional development, contextual introduction and application of skills, or ample opportunities for gross motor movement. In my 30+ years as a teacher of and advocate for young learners I have never had a parent who decided to give their child extra time by delaying kindergarten, but I have had many come back and say' "I wish I had not pushed so hard." Allowing a child to develop on his or her timetable rather than rushing them ahead is a wonderful gift.

I appreciate Sam Wang and Sandra Aamodt for their insight into academics and wage earning. Still kindergarten readiness should be based on assessment by early childhood educators, parents, and support staff to insure children are developing not only skills, and rigor, but confidence, a life long love of learning, creativity and joy.

Additionally, I honor both paths to adulthood, and would love to hear more qualitative and qualitative research and reflections from young adults who were either pushed or red shirted.

And of course as an early childhood educator, I wonder if an extra year of play and school-readiness builds the brain and body in different, but just as important ways.

warmly,

Wendy Cole, MSW, MSED
Director
Maple Street School

This article is a perfect example of what is wrong with our school systems. We focus exclusively on the academic development of children to the exclusion of their social /emotional well being. The majority of parents who hold their children back are doing so not because they need another year of academic preparation - it is because the child is not emotionally ready to handle the pressure put on them so early in their lives. My son missed the cutoff for Kindergarten, and is therefore one of the older children in his class. He excels in academics, because he was able to work on his social skills before he went into public school. Someday, the school systems will realize that academics is only part of teaching children - that to reach the whole child, they need to care about the individual's needs as well.

I am surprised by the narrow vision of the statements made in this article. Frequently we advise giving a bonus year in preschool, not for academic "leg up" but for an opportunity for the child to mature and develop more appropriate social emotional skills, self regulation strategies, as well as critical school skills. Being able to focus, staying seated at circle and for table activities, mastering sharing, turn taking, and problem solving are important life skills that are needed in kindergarten. Often there is no time for coaching or teaching for these skills in kindergarten and children who cannot self regulate are targeted as challenging and difficult. They spend many years in elementary classrooms trying to fit in and do what's right, but are socially marked because of their behavior. Given the opportunity to have another year under their belts to practice these life skills they are better able to engage the academic material, be socially appropriate, and feel successful.

Like others who've already commented, I was curious about this editorial because, thanks to my Sept. birthday, I was usually the shortest, slowest, and definitely not always in-step socially, and often wished my parents had waited so I could feel less behind. On reflection, I think the diverse perspectives and experiences raised suggest what's missing in striving for one-size-fits-all policies: Can we look at each child and consider what would be best for him or her? Where is he at socially, emotionally, motorically, cognitively, etc.? What kind of kindergarten would she enter, and how well would it meet the child's current needs, compared to other options?

I disagree with the authors of the article, "Delaying Kindergarten" mainly because they considered only the Cognitive development, Testing and class placement of the child(ren) who were held back. I am the program coordinator and Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at a community college. I am also the mother of a son whose birthday falls one month after the cut off date in the local school system. My son never creid before going to school or being left at school. He was emotionally ready to face more unknowns. He also felt more in control of situations when he entered kindergarten. Since he was one of the oldest children in his class he was socially in demand. He drove before the other classmates and had more freedoms that his classmates because he was older and could handle more responsibilities. This brought out his leadership qualities and continued to allow him to excell socially through his college years. He is the leader that he is today because of his position as an older classmate from day one of school.

I kept both of my children in preschool for an extra year, not to incur any possible "academic advantage", not because I was concerned about readiness, but to keep them in a developmentally appropriate environment for as long as I possibly could. If our exisiting kindergartens were appropriate for 5 year old learners, that would be a whole different story. As a parent and educator, it is clear to me that young children benefit most (socially, emotionally, and academically) from a child-centered, process-oriented, developmentally appropriate program which affords children the opportunity to construct knowledge and understanding through experience, while supporting emerging social and emotional skills in a play-based setting. Kindergarten in my region offers none of this. I am not concerned that my children are not ready for kindergarten, I am concerned that kindergarten is not ready or willing to meet their needs as whole, growing children.

I think it is interesting that there is no mention of the emotional development of the child and taking that into consideration when making the decision to go or not go. I have a daughter born in October who was academically completely ready for Kindergarten but emotionally young and vulnerable. Are there no studies done on the emotional stress children go through when they may struggle to make friends and it, in turn, affects their ability to focus on their studies in school? I think we need to look at those pieces as well, especially as these now 5 year olds grow up and have to handle peer and other pressures as they enter middle and high school. With so many parents keeping their boys out of Kindergarten when their birhdays are in the summer, it was scary to think that if I sent my daughter to school at 4 she could start her high school year at 13 with boys that are already 15 years old! In a school where there are 28 children in Kindergarten, I don't expect the only learning my child will receive has to be in school, but I do expect that it would be hard to manage that number of children when some are emotionally young. The interesting thing was that the elementary school actually encouraged me to put her in early telling me that if necessary she would do 2 years in Kindergarten! Parents should trust their instincts and decide for themselves.

I gave my young five year old daughter "gift of time" by enrolling her in kindergarten. The diversity of children and families that she was exposed to in public school was amazing in comparison to the not-so-diverse expensive private NAEYC accredited (yet, wonderful) preschool. My daughter was very shy and apprehensive of trying new things which caused much discussion between my husband, myself, and her preschool teacher about keeping her in preschool as many of her friends families had decided to do. We chose to move her into kindergarten and we could not be more pleased with her developmental progress, socially/emotionally as well as cognitively.
Each family has individual needs and individual goals for their children. Unfortunately what I read by many early childhood professionals here is in order to give a chance at childhood one should have another year in preschool. Yes our school system is not without flaw, but kindergarten is more than just academics, at least in our experience. My daughter became an independent butterfly in kindergarten, and I believe the timing was perfect. It was a challenge for her and as supportive parents we were able to support her in her growth and learning. It was the right choice for our daughter.
Please empower parents to make the right choice for their child. Please stop pushing them to pay tuition for another year because they can afford it and your ECE program depends on their registration fee. I am a mother of three and been in the field of child development for over 20 years.

My daughter's birthday is December 31st. Thirty one years ago that was the cut off date for the state we were living in so she started Kindergarten at 4.6 years. She had been in child care with me since she was an infant. I thought for sure she was ready for school and she was, academically. No problems until second grade when she had a complete melt down over timed math test and again in high school when emotionally she was 6 months behind her friends who were becoming interested in boys and teenaged things. My son who had a late birthday, September 13, started kindergarten at age 5.11. He was right on track and exceeded in sports because he had the extra months to mature phyically. There was never any emotional problems. I have often heard parents say, I wish I held them back but I have never heard a parent say I should have send them sooner.

I have been the parent, the preschool teacher, and a Director for 25 years now. I believe children today are the same as they were 40 years ago when I taught. There is nothing wrong with the development of the child, but a lot wrong with the pushed down curriculum that is forced on children and parents. Most parents believe their child is far above average and expect them to perform skills they haven't even grown into yet.

As we try to maintain a developmentally appropriate program, the school districts are now aiming for all four year olds to attend, free transitional Kindergartens. Parents in their quest for kids to excell will accept this as a great idea, and our private centers will have very small if any pre-k programs.

The only answer is to educate parents on how children learn. Developmental programs seem to be challenged as non-academic. Actually, DAP is a method of teaching pre academics that respects the child.

Signe Howes

I agree with those that disagree with this article. There is so much more to be gained from staying out another year, especially if the child is enrolled in a high quality childcare/preschool program. If the child is not, well that is a whole other comment thread! There are far better teacher/student ratios and you are more likely to find true developmentally appropriate practices going on than in a public school kindergarten classroom. Early childhood educators know that mandatory paper and pencil testing is not appropriate for for 4, 5, or even 6 year olds. They need concrete 3-D objects to play with and explore, more dramatic play, and more opportunities to run and play, discover, and imagine. Social-emotional skills are given little attention due to the amount of materials the kindergarten teacher is required to force into the day, and in some cases it is only half a day at that! As was mentioned, many children are being labeled as behavior problems, when in fact, they simply were never taught how to self-regulate, problem solve, or "play well with others". Manners and social-emotional skills are the business of early childhood educators, almost exclusively it seems, and we are the ones providing them with the foundational tools to be successful, confident, lifelong learners. When the day comes that the parent believes their child to be ready to attend kindergarten, Pre-K programs that use a 'whole child' approach will have seen to it that, that is really the case. I believe the kindergarten teachers to be sincerely invested in the well-being of each of their children, but the system on the whole is flawed, making it very challenging for them indeed.

I have been in the field of ECE for over 35 years and have had the experience of working with children over extended years, from toddlers through elementary school in both my own and other's programs. This is another case where exact recipes for "educating children" need to be changed to meet the individual child's needs in areas of developmental and social areas along with chronological age. Some children need that extra year or "gift of time" to allow them to be ready for what larger classrooms, often inappropraitely structured days and activities that while may be okay for the four year old brain, may not be okay in the venue or timeline they are be presented in.

This is simply not an issue that can be dealt with "simply" by looking at age and test scores. I do agree that many schools encourage parents to wait another year as then their test scores are of course elevated and not a true representation of the age or stage actually anticipated by the test's intent, while others do so because they want to support the developing child and allow them to create a stronger social emotional foundation for which to build all their future learning on. Seems like a good idea to me!

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.

Sadly, this article completely dismisses the fact that maturity and self confidence in their abilities plays an integral part in a child's success in kindergarten. It's not all about academics~if a child is struggling to stay focused and has difficulty sitting in circle time they might not be ready to accept the challenges that kindergarten brings.

I started teaching 45 years ago, and my time as a kindergarten teacher spans 30 years. I now teach Childhood Studies at a community college. I have never had a parent hold their child back for an expressed concern that he/she get into a prestigious college or university or even high school.

It used to be that parents gave children an extra year IN Kindergarten, an extra year to grow in all aspects before sending them off into Grade 1 with its many demands for literacy and numeracy knowledge to the detriment of other areas of development.

Now, many parents are actually choosing to hold them back FROM Kindergarten because what used to be play-based programs are increasingly becoming teacher-directed "readiness for Grade One" programs and children are expected to sit in desks rather than choose play centres, and to sit for long periods of time at circle time (if there is a circle time) and to do paper and pencil work - staying in the lines, dot-to-dots, worksheets, follow-the-instruction crafts rather than play centres and open-ended art experiences that might involve the whole body and offer creative expression.

When children are in programs that follow an emergent curriculum based on children's interests and needs, with early childhood educators who are responsive to children, offer them the space, time, and materials to explore a topic thoroughly, and help them satisfy their curiosity through rich project work (in the spirit of Reggio Emelia or Pacific Oaks College) no one is bored - neither the children nor the educators.

I have been the director of a 300+ children national award winning preschool for 25 years. Through the years, many many parents have given their young five year old the gift of time for more social and emotional growth before entering kindergarten (the new first grade). I have never had one parent say they regretted their decision to delay kindergarten for a year, but have had more parents than I can count say they were sorry they sent a young five year old on to kindergarten.

I agree with many of you. 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 that 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 that 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.

There are so many false assumptions in the New York Times article that it makes me crazy. Number one is that test scores is our best measure of whether a child had a correct placement and/or proper start in school. The second assumption, is that children regardless of their age are in wonderful, child appropriate settings with trained teachers. In my city of New Haven, our cut off date for Kindergarten entry is Jan 1. Therefore four-year-old's are entering a Kindergarten that has zero learning centers (kids sit at tables all day long doing worksheets) and there is no recess. The other missing piece in the New York Times article is the data on kids expelled in K and/or prek because of "behavior problems," data on the kids over-identified as ADHD and on medication because of inappropriate expectations, not inappropriate behaviors, and data on the kids that drop out of school because they had inappropriate K and prek experiences that led to low self-concepts and subsequent feelings of failure.

Every time this topic comes up I wonder the same thing: Why on earth are we spending so much time worrying about when children will be ready for Kindergarten when we should be worried A LOT about making Kindergarten ready for the children. If you create a program for 5-year-olds that is so rigid and inappropriate that a significant portion of those 5-year-olds are harmed by it, why would you try to blame it on the 5-year-olds? Here is an example of developmentally appropriate Kindergarten guidance from NJ Dept. of Ed.

www.state.nj.us/education/ece/guide/KindergartenGuidelines.pdf

Over my almost 30 years of teaching preschool, I've encouraged several parents to give their child an extra year... it's not an issue of holding them back, but giving the child time to mature and gain social skills and self confidence. None of the parents who listened and did give their child that extra year have regretted it. It's true - kindergarten is the new first grade.

I have not experienced parents who keep their four year olds out of kindergarten a year to help them have A LEG UP on others. THe motive is not COMPETITION. Let's take a look at the report published by Alliance for Childhood, Crisis in Kindergarten which points out that kindergartens in my state (NY) are so inappropriate that 4 year old (boys particularly) are being labeled with behavior problems, ADHD, etc because they can't do sight words or sit in their seats long enough. In states like NY where the cut off is December 1st, many parents know intuitively thier 4 year olds are not ready for the programs being offered and keep their children out because a year of development will allow that first school experience to be a successful one. I take issue with this article which buys into the idea that education is a RACE. Let's also not forget the Gesell testing which considers 4/5 year olds developmental readiness to determine kindergarten success. This has nothing to do with competition, but with success of the individual child for school tasks.

As a former First grade teacher and a long time Director of Early Education
programs, I totally agree with nina. Years ago that might have been true, but
not today. The develpment of a child (especially boys) is to be considered.
Through the years I have heard so many parents saying how sorry they were
because they did not hold their child back and the struggle they encountered.
I have never had one tell me they regretted holding their child back.
I've been in early childhood education for over 40 years and this article is not
true to my experience.

With academics being shoved farther and farther down the curriculum (there's no such thing as kindergarten anymore), delaying school may be the only chance some children have at childhood...