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I also know someone who had her daughter start Kindy at 4 (turned 5 in early Oct.)--she was teased mercilessly by the boys who were already 6 when they were started. Her parents pulled her out in 2nd grade to homeschool her.
Yikes! I hope that doesn't happen to my 2 friends! The cut off is Dec 1st & each of them sent their girls who are small & have Oct. b-days. K seems to have went okay. =) Or, they don't want to admit it wasn't great. I hope it's the former. =)
The district I lived in, the starting age for kindergarten was 5. My son was 4 but would turn 5 a couple months later for the cut off. My son was tested and academically was ready so I put him in with some reservations. He thrived in kindergarten and was the top of his class. Then the following year when he started first grade he was not mature enough and did not do well at all. 1st grade was more structured and serious and well he wasn't able to deal. He passed first grade and continued to have trouble in 2nd. We ended up moving and I chose to put him back into first grade. New school and that stigma wouldn't hurt him. I should have simply waited another year before putting him in kindergarten. I put undue pressure on him. Go with your gut. She won't know the difference because there will be a lot of kids the same age as your daughter.
Oh, I thought I'd add, though my son is immature, I keep asking his teachers how he's doing socially, & they have seemed surprised I was asking. I hope it doesn't change in 3rd grade. He did 'struggle' a bit at 1st in 1st grade, as it was all day, & K here is 1/2 day. Other than that, he's doing okay, that I know of. =)
I put my Sept bd son in Pre-K after his preschool teachers and I noticed he didn't seem quite there. To be honest, he wasn't quite there even with starting school a little later. He was smart enough, just a late bloomer and I can't imagine how unhappy he would have been if we had pushed him.
As someone whose kids have gone all the way through school, I will say that I do know some people who regretted holding their kids back. In one case, the student took summer school classes in high school so she could graduate when she should have. In another case, the school bumped a kid up (boy). Girls especially have some difficulty being held back if they start to mature early, in some cases two years or more before their classmates. I also know a number of people who sent kids to school young and did not regret it, including some parents of boys.
Students who are more than a year older than their classmates are more likely to drop out of high school.
Leaving a Child Behind Before Kindergarten (http://www.ncld.org/at-school/general-topics/early-learning-aamp-literacy/leaving-a-child-behind-before-kindergarten - broken link)
Some studies report that in the short run, redshirting can boost a child's confidence, improve academic learning, increase success with social interactions, and perhaps even boost popularity among peers. But the long term benefits of redshirting are not clear, and by third grade, there is no discernable difference between those children who had a late school start and those who did not.
When compared to their non-retained peers, children who were retained before kindergarten were sixty-six percent more likely to receive negative feedback from teachers during their later school years.
Students who are more than a year older than their classmates are more likely to drop out of high school.
However, it is a personal decision.
Interesting points - especially about the physical development aspect. I remember a girl in my class saying how self-conscious she was to be the only one with boobs. Although she was not older than any of us.
Fortunately our dd would not be "more than a year older" than her classmates if we wait a year. I really wish the article had cited the research they referenced. It's very easy to pick and choose certain details of research to discuss without giving a comprehensive picture of the results and conclusions. The article was clearly biased, and I am always leery of anything that does not offer a more balanced view. There are no one-size-fits-all answers, especially when it comes to children.
Thanks for sharing your experiences with the kids / parents who ended up regretting the decision. It's great that they were able to catch up in the end!
There is a link at the end of the article to "explore more resources". I didn't think the article was overly biased. You can google the issue and find a lot of articles.
As someone whose kids have gone all the way through school, I will say that I do know some people who regretted holding their kids back. In one case, the student took summer school classes in high school so she could graduate when she should have. In another case, the school bumped a kid up (boy). Girls especially have some difficulty being held back if they start to mature early, in some cases two years or more before their classmates. I also know a number of people who sent kids to school young and did not regret it, including some parents of boys.
Students who are more than a year older than their classmates are more likely to drop out of high school.
Leaving a Child Behind Before Kindergarten (http://www.ncld.org/at-school/general-topics/early-learning-aamp-literacy/leaving-a-child-behind-before-kindergarten - broken link)
Some studies report that in the short run, redshirting can boost a child's confidence, improve academic learning, increase success with social interactions, and perhaps even boost popularity among peers. But the long term benefits of redshirting are not clear, and by third grade, there is no discernable difference between those children who had a late school start and those who did not.
When compared to their non-retained peers, children who were retained before kindergarten were sixty-six percent more likely to receive negative feedback from teachers during their later school years.
Students who are more than a year older than their classmates are more likely to drop out of high school.
However, it is a personal decision.
I read many studies that echoed what this study is saying when I debated having my daughter repeat kindergarten because of academic concerns (not maturity, which are different issues). She has a late summer birthday and at the end of kindergarten the school recommended she not move onto first grade. I agonized over whether to follow this suggestion or not. I found that older teachers kept telling me to give her "the gift of time" but that newer research showed this idea to be flawed. I kept reading that educators have found that more time does not necessarily help but instead specialized intervention should be used for academic struggles.
I followed this recommendation, and we moved her into first grade with intervention assistance. This worked very well for us. She is going into middle school now and has academically passed a number of older kids in her class who were given an extra year but nothing else. Again, I am focusing on academic issues, while most people here are talking about maturity, but it is definitely something to consider. If you google "redshirting," you will find a bunch of articles on the issue.
I read many studies that echoed what this study is saying when I debated having my daughter repeat kindergarten because of academic concerns (not maturity, which are different issues). She has a late summer birthday and at the end of kindergarten the school recommended she not move onto first grade. I agonized over whether to follow this suggestion or not. I found that older teachers kept telling me to give her "the gift of time" but that newer research showed this idea to be flawed. I kept reading that educators have found that more time does not necessarily help but instead specialized intervention should be used for academic struggles.
I followed this recommendation, and we moved her into first grade with intervention assistance. This worked very well for us. She is going into middle school now and has academically passed a number of older kids in her class who were given an extra year but nothing else. Again, I am focusing on academic issues, while most people here are talking about maturity, but it is definitely something to consider. If you google "redshirting," you will find a bunch of articles on the issue.
The body of research on this topic yields mixed results, showing some advantages and some disadvantages to delaying Kindergarten. There are also many factors that come into consideration when looking at the results of these studies (how long school entry is delayed, risk factors in the child's life, etc). This further supports my theory that there is no one-size-fits-all answer. It really needs to be taken on a case by case basis. There are stories of parents delaying Kindergarten for no other reason than giving their child an academic "edge." There is no evidence to support this particular practice. (This is congruent with what you are saying ellar).
As someone whose kids have gone all the way through school, I will say that I do know some people who regretted holding their kids back. In one case, the student took summer school classes in high school so she could graduate when she should have. In another case, the school bumped a kid up (boy). Girls especially have some difficulty being held back if they start to mature early, in some cases two years or more before their classmates. I also know a number of people who sent kids to school young and did not regret it, including some parents of boys.
Students who are more than a year older than their classmates are more likely to drop out of high school.
Leaving a Child Behind Before Kindergarten (http://www.ncld.org/at-school/general-topics/early-learning-aamp-literacy/leaving-a-child-behind-before-kindergarten - broken link)
Some studies report that in the short run, redshirting can boost a child's confidence, improve academic learning, increase success with social interactions, and perhaps even boost popularity among peers. But the long term benefits of redshirting are not clear, and by third grade, there is no discernable difference between those children who had a late school start and those who did not.
When compared to their non-retained peers, children who were retained before kindergarten were sixty-six percent more likely to receive negative feedback from teachers during their later school years.
Students who are more than a year older than their classmates are more likely to drop out of high school.
However, it is a personal decision.
Interesting article Kat. I have to wonder if the correlation with issues in high school are directly linked to being older, or are as a result of the issue that resulted in them being held back in the first place?
I do however completely disagree with the bolded, in my experience. I think the difference is huge between the younger and older kids in 4th, 5th, and 6th.
I have a sister who is dd & I have seen her work throught the school system since she is now 25. However, in seeing my mom stuggle with making sure her needs were met I truely belive that a mother knows best for their child. You are the one who spends the most time with her. Don't listen to the thought that she will resent you when she is older. I had a friend who was like that and in HS it was cool because she could drive us and we didn't have to go with mom and dad anymore. That is my two since...
The only other option on can think of is let her start on time and then just hold her back if you and the teacher feel its best for her. That way she is still getting education and you wont have feel rushed if she is not picking up on it and her IEP will get her the services she needs.
My son will be 6 2 weeks after school starts this year and so we got him in to all day K. His preschool teacher felt with some of his issues it would be best so he doesn't have go through the change of a new school one year and the chaged of 1/2 to all the next year. My son is on an IEP and I had to agree with this teacher and make the right choice for my son and our family.
Good Luck! I think you already know what you would like to do so just do it. no one else has to live with your choices outside your family.
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Mother knows best
That is my two since...
