This is a question that I am very passionate about.
What is your opinion about sending kids to kindergarten who have summer birthdays (or those who are close to the cut off date)?
Cut-off Dates
As far as I know, every state has a cut-off birth date for children to begin kindergarten. The states I am familiar with place their cut-offs in August or September, but some wait until December.
For kiddos who don’t have a birth date close to the cut-off date the decision to begin kindergarten is not an issue. But for those who have birthdays near the cut-off, it may be hard to decide whether to send or “red-shirt” the child.
I am a firm believer that if you have ANY doubt about sending your child to kindergarten you need to wait and give the child another year to mature and grow.
Even though academically they were ready, we red-shirted our oldest and Little Man as well. Because of their due dates, I knew before these boys were born that they would be six-years-old before entering kindergarten. After telling our pediatrician this decision, she said:
I have never met a parent who regretted red-shirting his/her child.
I have met many who regretted sending their children.
For Your Consideration…
Read the rest of this blog’s most popular post with specific points to consider when making the decision.
