When is the Right Age for Kindergarten?

Every Wednesday morning, Medford Patch hosts "Moms Talk," where a group of local parents respond to a question related to a hot button issue.

Here's today's question:

What do you think of the School Departments consideration of changing the cut-off age for kindergarten? When do you think the appropriate age for kindergarten is?

Adrienne Szafranski: Most communities have a September cut-off for school age.  To me it only makes sense to bring the age cut off in line with other communities. If you moved to another town, and your child had a December 31 birthday, he or she would consistently be the youngest one in class. 

What decided me was thinking of that overly young student in high school making decisions he or she was just not ready for.  Yes, make the change and they'd be older going into kindergarten, but that wouldn't hurt them.  They'd be more socially and intellectually ready for the demands kindergarten would place on them. 

Bring Medford in line with surrounding communities on this.   Parents affected by this will end up paying for extra preschool or day care.  I say it's time to subsidize preschool.

Adrienne has two boys 4.5 and 6. She has lived in Medford 11 years.

Nancy Quinn: I think it is a good idea to be in step with surrounding communities (most of which have a September 1^st cut-off date), but I believe the change should be gradual enough to give parents of affected children enough time to prepare.

Most Medford Pre-School/Pre-Ks plan on a graduation date for their kids – knowing they will go to Kindergarten on a certain date.  Children with Fall/Winter birthdays who are currently in Pre-School need to be alerted now since these kids will likely need to repeat Pre-K or stay at home for another year. 

Openings in good daycare centers are hard to come by and it is necessary to reserve a spot far in advance. I think to ease the burden of this extra year of at home or daycare – a phasing in over 2-years is appropriate.

Perhaps move the cutoff date up to November 1 for year 2012, then September 1 for year 2013. Or require testing for K entry for 2012 for current Medford residents with kids in the affected age-range.  Anything that will provide parents with extra lead time to make arrangements would be most helpful.

Nancy has been a Medford resident for 7 years this Spring. She has two kids - 4 years and 21 months.

Tiffany Reevior: I think the right age for starting kindergarten varies widely from child to child. Some kids may be ready to start kindergarten at age 4, while others should really hold off until age 6. 

Most towns in the area require kindergartners to be 5 when they start school, and that's probably right for Medford too. Most 4-year-olds are not yet ready for the increased academic requirements in kindergarten these days. I do appreciate the cost concerns of parents who need childcare and whose children would just miss a September cut-off date for kindergarten. In those circumstances, it may be appropriate to start kindergarten at age 4 in a "younger" group, like the pilot program at the McGlynn.

However, it would be important to assess those children very carefully and allow them to stay in kindergarten an extra year if necessary. Younger kids who aren't ready to continue to first grade shouldn't be pushed to do so; that's a decision that could have a profound negative effect throughout their school years.

Tiffany Reevior has lived in Medford four years, she has one 6-year-old.

Maria Alcindor: I think the December cutoff date is preferable.  It is much easier to have a child repeat an early grade if he/she is not academically or socially ready to move on.

Many children who miss the September cutoff dates used by other towns are ready for Kindergarten.  By not beginning Kindergarten and waiting another year at such an important age, many children become bored and lose interest in school at such a important time in their development.

I know that age is just one factor in a child’s academic readiness and social maturity, but I believe that changing the required kindergarten entry age to 5 years old would help to improve the school experience in a couple of ways.

Maria has resided in Medford for 5 years, she has a 3-year-old son.

Stacey Hilliard: For many reasons, our kids’ teachers are presented with a wide range of academic abilities. Teaching to this range must be incredibly challenging, not to mention frustrating for the kids on either end of the academic spectrum (those who struggle to keep up as well as those who get bored waiting for something that challenges them). At least in the early elementary years, I would guess that kids closer in age would be closer in academic abilities.

Then there’s the social maturity part of it. My 9-year old son has an almost 11-year old classmate who last year (in third grade!) began sharing with his friends information (accurate or not) about sex and dating. This was not information my 9-year old would have sought out for or thought up by himself at that age, but now we must deal with it. I see my friends facing similar issues with their middle school daughter, who started kindergarten at age 4 and will be a 13-year old freshman at Medford High this fall.

I am glad that my younger son was born in mid-January… if he had been born in December instead, I’m sure I would have been tempted to send him to kindergarten at age 4, even though now I can see that he would not have been ready. I think changing the kindergarten entry age to 5 would, in general, be better for most kids and their overall academic experience.

Stacey has been a Medford resident for 13 years and has
two sons, ages 9 and 7.