As a person who has given

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on May 12, 2008 - 11:06.

As a person who has given kindergarten screenings in the past, it is my opinion that academics are rarely the reason a child is not ready to enter kindergarten at 5. There are attenion, social, rule-following, problem solving and coping skills to think about- these are the skills that many children, who are not ready at 5, display to a greater extent at 6. Skills even out much more by 2-3rd grade.

Yes, children have a wide range of skills when they start kindergarten, either at 5 or 6. The student who is READY can manage the diversity of this environment, and can effectively deal with older and younger peers.

It should not be about "stacking the deck" or about "giving my child an advantage over others". The decision should be made on an individual basis -no matter when the birthday falls. If a student cannot be successful in both the academic AND the non-academic components of kindergarten, then they should wait to go.

Reply

Share your thoughts on this story. Please increase the credibility of your post by including your name and city, and by demonstrating respect for others' opinions. Comments will not appear immediately; all comments are moderated and will be posted in order of submission.

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

More information about formatting options