To enter kindergarten or to wait?

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Jun 3, 2007

Q:I HOPE my input can help a parent debating whether or not to send a young child to kindergarten. I see the results of letting young kids enter early every day. By sixth grade, they really stand out like the proverbial sore thumb. They are usually at least one year below grade level in reading (and sometimes math), disorganized, immaturely behaved and socially out of place.

On top of all of that, they are often much smaller than most of the other kids. These traits result in very low self-esteem and usually poor performance. Many times they don't catch up with their peers until they're at least 15, if at all during high school. Of course, this affects their plans for the future, as well.

I remember telling my own son that because he was a big kid, much would be expected of him because people would think he was older than he was. By waiting the extra year, he would become one of the biggest and most mature in his class, able to meet those expectations. This would potentially help him be better at sports, get his driver's license earlier than most of his classmates and even have the girls like him sooner. He was always bigger. (He's now 6-foot-5). He did well academically in spite of minor learning disabilities, played sports and overall had a very enjoyable school experience.

I also have had a couple of experiences with sixth-grade boys who, after struggling through sixth grade with C's and D's, decided to repeat that grade so they wouldn't struggle for the rest of their school careers. It was a good decision for them, as both went on to have very successful high-school and college experiences. One is now a doctor; the other is a lawyer.

Our school system had a pre-first-grade program for many years, which addressed the needs of younger children who weren't really ready for the rigors of first grade. All of the children I had as sixth-graders really benefited from the extra year. I wish they would still offer that option for our younger students. Maybe we wouldn't have so many of them failing our state tests.

-- Sixth-Grade Teacher

A: Most decisions about whether to send a young child to kindergarten seem to be based on personal stories like yours. The only problem with this is that such experiences are limited to one or just a few young children. Parents need to remember that there are many younger children within every kindergarten class and every other class in school who are doing well academically, socially and emotionally. We just don't hear as much about these success stories.

There is no escaping the fact that every kindergarten class will have both younger and older children. Furthermore, the trend in some areas to hold young children, especially boys, back has widened the age range in many classrooms. Age should never be the sole reason for determining whether a child is ready for kindergarten. Think also of the child's social, emotional, intellectual and physical development.

Peggy Gisler and Marge Eberts are teachers. Send questions to Dear Teacher, in care of ANG, Box 395, Carmel, IN 46082-0395, or e- mail dearteach@aol.com.

Age should never be the sole reason for determining whether a child is ready for kindergarten.

Think also of the child's social, emotional, intellectual and physical development.