Waiting Another Year to Start Kindergarten

In every class, somebody has to be the youngest. But in increasing numbers, parents are contemplating whether their five or almost five-year olds are ready or mature enough to begin kindergarten, though they may be legally eligible to do so.

Keeping a child out of formal kindergarten for an extra year is known as "red-shirting." The term is used in college sports to describe the delayed start of an athlete to compete in a sport. It allows more time for growth, practice and improvement of skills. Likewise, parents hope the additional year might better prepare their child who has a later birthday for the rigors of school.

Nationally, the trend seems to be that kindergarten enrollees are indeed older than in years past, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. The percentage of kids that are older than five years when they start kindergarten has risen over the past 10 to 15 years, from roughly 14 percent to approximately 17 percent of all students in 2008.

Both in the Bedford Central and Katonah-Lewisboro School Districts, a child entering kindergarten must be at least five years old by December 1, while the Chappaqua Central School District's cut-off date is December 31.

Though kindergarten is not mandatory, New York State's compulsory education law requires full-time instruction for all children who are six years old by December 1.

Mary Lou Herr, who has been teaching kindergarten for 14 years at West Patent Elementary School in Bedford Hills - which services kids from Bedford and Mount Kisco - , feels that in certain cases waiting an extra year is appropriate.

"You have to know your child," she says. "Although most parents abide by the district's age guidelines, others need the gift of time—which may allow a child to mature a bit—both academically and socially. It is a difficult call."

Clearly for parents, it is a tremendously personal decision. "We consulted with my son's pre-school teachers, his pediatrician, and went with our gut feelings," says Tammy Eliades, who lives in Katonah. Two years ago, she let her October-born son wait to begin kindergarten until the September right before he turned six.

"I felt this would give him a solid start in life," she explains. "I just wanted to provide him with every opportunity to be able to make better decisions on his own down the road. This was our individual choice and we have no doubts that we made the right one for our son," she says.

To fill the need for that transitional year, schools like Jennie School for Little Children in Mount Kisco for several years, have had specific curriculums that were designed for the bridge year before kindergarten.  Director Barbara Esau says that due to low enrollment, they will not offer the class this year.  "Likely for economic reasons, parents who were on the fence about an extra year of pre-K are opting to try kindergarten—and will repeat it if necessary," she says.  

An extra year in pre-school may cost a family upwards of $5,000 at a full day program.

One local pediatrician counsels parents to do a complete screening of their child before coming to a conclusion about what age to begin kindergarten.

"We like to evaluate several things: vision, hearing, ability to follow instructions, the child's interactions with peers, their skills for simple counting and ABC's, to name a few," said Dr. Maria Zapson of the Mount Kisco Medical Group.

"I find that generally parents of boys are more apt to have concerns about school readiness. I advise them to consult with the child's pre-school teacher and also to understand that every kid comes to kindergarten with different levels of learning," she added.

Studies show that the long-term effects of "red-shirting" are generally neither positive nor negative in a student's overall educational performance.

Local experts agreed that the bottom line is that myriad factors that contribute to a parent's decision must be thoughtfully weighed.  Ultimately, parents tend to know best what is the right time for their child to be join kindergarten class.