Sound It Out

Comments

My life circumstance provides a different reason for this being an interesting query, Joanne. I've been reading M. Gladwell's Outliers and one of the examples of not-immediately-apparent relationships he discusses is the advantage in some sports that accrue to children who are born just after a cut-date for age groups. When the cut date for youth hockey players is 1 Jan, then children born in Jan, Feb, and Mar wind up playing against age mates who are younger—and physically smaller!&mash;than they are. Thus, the Jan, Feb, or Mar babies have an advantage.

Mayhaps policy makers could address reading difficulties by changing the cut-date for entering Kindergarten? Teehee!

Our district's cut-off date is December 31, which means there are 4 year olds entering Kindergarten! At this time of year in first grade (early March), it is very evident in my classroom who the young ones are (no matter what their academic ability). These children stick out like sore thumbs because they're a lot more immature than their classmates. My question is, is there any research dedicated to 4 year olds entering Kindergarten? What age is too young? I am actually very interested in this, so hopefully someone could lead me in the right direction as to where I could read about this a little more. Thanks!

I have two sons with August birthdays and it is a dilema--the second one we held back b/c of school policy. The first was the youngest in his class (academically, he was great but it was easily to bully someone 11 months younger.) As a teacher I have seen how mean children can be. Hold a boy back with a summer birthday and make sure he attends a challenging K program where he will not get bored.

I have a son who's birthday is august 13th and we sent him to kindergarten, because the school district told us it would be difficult for him to get services speech ot etc. if we held him back. We totally regret doing so, and are definitley holding our daughter back from starting as she has a late september birthday.

Long ago schools in some cities started children in school at two different times during the year, fall and spring. This took care of the problem of having four year-olds in kindergarten with children nearing five. My cousin in San Francisco has a mid-December birthday and because of that was able to start first grade in late January. Schools simply ran a "high" and "low" level of each grade.

As a parent of two "red shirts", and a kindergarten teacher for 26 years, I believe that the parent knows best! Please do what you know in your heart is right to help your child succeed as a leader and a life long learner! I have no regrets! My oldest "red shirt" is graduating from law school in two months!

I understand the parent's authority to make a decision for his/her family. However, I wonder about the effects these red-shirted children have on the other children in the class. When the teacher is already teaching to a range of 12 months in the K classroom, it seems that red-shirting may have a postitive effect for that particular child, but then skews the class to higher expectations (academically, physically, socially, emotionally). Now the "summer baby" who wasn't red-shirted is not only expected to interact with students within the wide range of 12 months, but now even those students beyond- 13, 14, & 15 months older.

Our son had a summer birthday and we were given the option to either red shirthim or let him stick with his birth year classmates in K. We kept him with his birth year class, placed him in a competitive K program and he did well academically from K to 3. HOWEVER, we did notice that socially he was at a distinct disadvantage since he was easily 6 months younger than a number of his classmates. It was most obvious when you looked at the girls who always seem to mature faster than boys. While most educators acknowledge this difference, the early elementary years in most schools still favor girls or docile boys who are "easy to handle and teach" regardless of raw academic talent. Interestingly, we opted to red shirt him at grade 3. To us this made more sense because it allowed him the time to perfect his reading and mathmatical skills at grade 3 (as opposed to lingering in Kindergarten and perfecting coloring and the alphabet). We moved him to a highly selective boys prep school and had him repeat grade 3 in his new school. IT WAS THE BEST DECISION FOR HIM. His maturity now evenly matches his academic ability and he feels good about himself on all levels and is able to chanel is natural leadership abilities in a positive way. Again, this will not work for every family or child, but consider this if you plan to move your child to a rigorous independent school in the future...Again, trust your insticts, I'm glad we did.

Please read the position statement written by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) the professional organization for teachers of children birth to 8. http://www.naeyc.org/about/positions/pdf/readiness.pdf
"Redshirting" exacerbates the differences between children in the kindergarten classroom, making appropriate education for all children more difficult.

Our district has a Dec. 31 cutoff. My eldest son has a Sept. 13 birthday. He was academically more than ready to start at four but because of his ADHD, my sister (who is a school psychologist) begged me to allow him another year to mature socially. My sister-in-law, (a Kindergarten teacher on the West Coast in a district with a June cutoff) said it wouldn't even be a consideration, so keep him. My gifted/ADHD son struggles with boredom and the fact of being held back. My sister promises me that when he is 14 I will be thankful that I did it. For now my ongoing challenge is to help keep his attitude positive and his curriculum engaging enough. We don't have a gifted program, and they have never had a student with Dual Exceptionality, so it's a balance of pushing and pulling the cart along. My second son (two years apart) has a Nov. 21st birthday, I redshirted him as well and he has thrived, he is a leader in his class not the "baby" brother anymore. So far the results are mixed but I feel like I made the right decision in the long run.

I am so thankful I let my son (a July baby) start first grade at age 7 even though scholastically he could have entered earlier. He has an added edge of maturity than other college freshmen he is in school with currently. There is ablsolutely no need to push. We used that extra gift of time to work on character building , music, sports, and art. He is a very well adjusted young man.
I am a kindergarten teacher and the way our programs are advancing each year, it is even more important to start older.

My husband and I let our son spend another year in a wonderful preschool when he could have entered kindergarten. As all educators know (I've been a pre-school-college level teacher for the last 23 years), age does not indicate anything other than when a child is born. Child development is not linear. It moves in fits and starts unique to each child. The complaint that our son would skew the class and push his peers to develop inappropriately ahead has proven to be far from the truth. At 17 now, he is the last of his friends in his class to get his driver's license, last to date, last to push the envelope in many many ways. Things we could already see when he was 5. I agree with the comments posted: parents know their children best. Childhood is a precious time that is a critical yet small amount of their overall life. Let them revel in it!

I teach kindergarten and have had several students that were held that extra year. More so, I have lots of students that have July and August birthdays that are sent as soon as they turn 5. Kindergarten IS NOT the same as it was even 10 years ago. The students with the extra year to gain maturity are MUCH more successful! "Red Shirting" is used to gain a year of experience in college sports. What is wrong with giving a child an extra year of experience as well? Why risk possibly setting up a sense of failure at the beginning of their life? That is what lasts a lifetime!!!

I have taught school for over 35 years and have been a kindergarten teacher for 20. My husband and I waited to send our two children with summer birthdays until they were 6 years old. Our son is now 33, was accepted into West Point, is married with a family and we have never once regretted waiting for him to enter kindergarten. Our daughter ,23, just graduated with a BS in nursing is working at a large university hospital in Chicago and as our son has done well in life. The extra year that we gave them has helped them to be more mature and confident in themselves. I tell parents every year who face this question, that childhood only happens once and time is the most precious gift that you can give you child. What's the hurry? I was so glad to have had my children home that extra year before they went to college. Anyone who has spent any time in a kindergarten room in the last 5 years knows that it looks a lot more like first grade did in the past. Children are learning so much that it really is just unbelievable. They are such little sponges and now with the brain research supporting how children learn, early childhood is the golden opportunity for a child's learning. One of my favorite quotes is" Childhood is a journey, not a race" and as adults we need to remember this....

Two of my children are twins born mid-July, and out school has a cut off date at the end of July. It has been a difficult decision, because my boy twin has mild Autism Spectrum Disorder. I was eventually advised that it would likely help both to have one more year of Pre-K because although my daughter is average or above in many areas, she is immature compared to most of her class. Given they were not due until September I have opted to wait the year and do some more home schooling.
Ironically I began Kindergarten at 4, and excelled, but it did kind of bother me being so much shorter than everyone else :)

I am a Kindergarten teacher of 15 years and preschool teacher for 10 years before that. 2 of my 3 children were young as they entered school. Both went to private Montessori kindergarten so I felt they were prepared for first grade both academically and socially. They are grown and on their own now. The first did well but the youngest would have been better waiting a year. As a college student she had difficulty with stress.
Your child is ready for kindergarten if they are emotionally ready. Are they excited? Do they cry or hesitant about leaving you? CAn they sit still? Do they play well with others children? Also consider that they will with children who are reading and writing words. Kindergarten is not play time folks. It is very academic as we are pressured to "leave no child behind" regardless of whether they are ready to learn. My suggestion is to give them time to mature before entering school.

If your child is young, go into it with an open mind about repeating kindergarten. I am dealing with parents wanting their child to move on to first grade when they are not ready. Parents do know their kids but teachers know them as they compare to other students. I don't recommend retention lightly. I give it much thought. I know when children are just not ready to handle the rigors of first grade. I have yet to meet a parent that regrets retaining their child in kindergarten after the fact. The children are perfectly happy to stay another year and how parents handle it makes all the difference in how children feel about it.
Think about the teen years and college years and if another year of maturity would be benefcial and you will find your answer.

I have a summer baby in Florida. Florida is already one of the lowest academic standards in the whole nation. he started school at five, but just 2 weeks after his birthday. They have tried to insist that I red-shirt him every year. he's currently in 2nd and on the a/b honor roll. and still they are pushing for him to be held back. Most of the kids in his class are repeating the grade and this is their second year. and they are all twice his size. however socially he has been able to carry his own weight. he hates school, and is a little slower, but it is mainly his attitude. he will do his work fast for everyone but his teacher. I have had to fight to not red shirt him, and i will continue to fight. if he gets held back, he will be so board, he'll be looking to get into trouble, and the school system is to proud to admit a mistake, so once he's held back, thats it.I was a summer baby. I graduated at 17. so will he.

We redshirted my son in kindergarten and I am so glad we did. My husband pushed for it because he wanted him to have a physical and maturity advantage over the other kids in his grade as he got older. Now in high school, he does well academically (he could have kept pace with his age-level peers, so we didn't keep him out for academic reasons) and he stands out in athletics, which he may not have done if we had pushed him to start on time. It's a tough world, and if we can give our children any edge over those around them, I think we should.

I have a June 20th born son who is reading. However, he is very shy, and he looks awkward, almost in pain in peer situations :(. I am a special ed. teacher & I want to hold him, whereas my husband insists on sending him. My son receives speech services, and has only been saying sentences since he was 3.5, and it shows. I know redshirting is the best option for him. I have absolutely no hesitations about it, but will regret it if he is sent this Fall. Right now the thought is 1/2 day Kinder next Fall, and then full day Kinder in a private school the following year.

I am so glad I came across this blog. We have 3 children, ages 5, 3, and 1 this month. Our school district has a cut off date of May 31. This would make my April babies the youngest in the class. We have decided to hold our 5 year old another year before he starts school. He is ready to learn to read, but our hesitations are not academic. I keep reminding myself that if he would have been born a few weeks later, we would have no choice. He will be 6 and so will many of his classmates. Childhood is short and Kindergarten really is what first grade was when I started teaching 10 years ago. Thank you for your insights that confirm our choice.

I think those are very interesting facts about those who are redshirting. I think that the final decision, like you said, should be based on the child. If the child seems like he or she is advanced of his or her age, then let them continue on with their education path. However, if a student has not developed their social skills or language skills, I would keep them back. I think that it would be very frustrating for the child if they were far more advanced than most of the students in their grade. However, I also think that it would be frustrating as well if a child could not keep up with the rest of the class. Overall, I believe that it depends on the maturity level of the child and the knowledge they have received so far in their lives.

Is there anyone who has sent a child younger and been happy about it? There must be. My son barely makes the cutoff. His birthday is Sept. 22 cutoff Oct. 1. My first instinct was to send him but now I am doubting myself. He is academically ready, and maybe even socially NOW, but I worry about a few years down the line. I want to know if there are any parents who sent a young kindergartener and were satisfied with the decision? Is it really our kids who aren't ready, or is it us? The parents?