As a former Kindergarten teacher, I still receive lots of emails from parents asking advice on various topics. I am always thrilled to share my opinion. Here is an inquiry I received recently from Katie from Mommy with Selective Memory: 
"Until very recently, my daughter could still wear size 18-24 month clothes. She'll turn four this summer, so you can imagine how small she is for her age. Ive rarely had to buy new clothes for her. Since I'm a bit of a cheapskate, this was a major bonus for me, but the novelty has recently worn off. Because of her summer birthday, I am realizing that she'll either be the youngest in her grade, or the oldest. It was adorable to have such a petite girl when she was a toddler, but now that we're beginning to think about enrolling in Kindergarten, I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't hold her back to give her time to catch up in size to the other kids. On the other hand, she's smart. How smart? Well, every parent thinks their child is very intelligent, but she could sing the alphabet song at age two. I'm not a teaching expert, so maybe that's no big deal, but her little brother sure can't sing the alphabet song and we had his second birthday last week. I've asked around for advice, and of course, everyone has differing opinions.Who should I listen to?"
TEACHER'S PERSPECTIVE
Are you struggling with the difficult decision to send your child to kindergarten - or to wait and “red-shirt” them? As a former Kindergarten teacher, my advice is to enroll your child when they are of the legal age unless you feel strongly that they are not emotionally ready and have been advised by their pediatrician and/or their day care personnel to consider holding them back. The Mayo Clinic has a link for Developmental Milestones for Preschoolers.
If your child needs Special Education services, it is best to have an early diagnosis and the services begin as soon as possible. The federal government has mandated that every child receive free testing if a parent requests it and free special education services for those who qualify. Call your local school district if you have concerns. Even speech therapy can begin before kindergarten and be of great benefit.
Is My Child Ready for Kindergarten?
The following are guidelines that include a range of social, academic and developmental factors to consider in Kindergarten Readiness:
- Enthusiastic and Curious toward learning: Eager to explore and discover, comfortable asking questions, persists even when task is difficult
- Language skills: Communicates needs and expresses feelings appropriately
- Ability to listen. Follows two-step instructions, listens to story without interrupting
- Desire to be independent. Can be separated from parents for the school day, take responsibility for personal belongings, uses bathroom by self
- Ability to interact with children and adults. Able or learning to share, take turns and problem-solve
- Strong fine-motor skills. Able to hold and use a pencil, cut with scissors, learning to print first name
- Basic letter and number awareness. Sings or recites the alphabet, recognizes some letters and numbers, counts to ten
Here is a FREE on-line 5 minute quiz to give you an idea of your child’s readiness: Is Your Child Ready?
The Advantages of Waiting
- Will give a late birthday boy time to mature
- May excel in sports and temporarily in academics
The Consequences of Waiting
- Your child may not be challenged enough academically and socially (see Welcome to Your Child’s Brain)
- Your child may be bored with school resulting in behavior problems
- Could lead to slowing down of maturity process by imitating those who are less mature
- The gap is widened between economically disadvantaged children (parents can't afford day-care) and their peers who were held back - which results in a wider range of academic levels in the classroom.
Is it Best to Delay Enrollment?
A report in Science Daily states that “any academic edge the child gains is short-lived: Older kindergarten students scored 24 percentage points higher than their younger peers during the first few months, but the lead narrowed to just 4 percentage points by the time the students were in the eighth grade.”
According to the Mayo Clinic: “Some parents choose to delay a child's entrance into kindergarten, believing that a child can gain an advantage in academics, athletics or social settings by being older than average for his or her grade. This is also common among boys who have birthdays near the cutoff date—with parents believing their child needs more time to mature. However, research suggests that children who are old enough for kindergarten but postpone enrollment for one year don't perform any better than children who enter at the usual age—particularly if the child remains in an environment where readiness wasn't being fostered. In addition, other studies show that a child who is old for his or her grade is at higher risk of behavior problems during adolescence.” For more information, click Early Childhood Research and Practice and The National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education.
How will you know how far you can fly,
unless you spread your wings and try.
