Giving Children an Academic Advantage

Frequently, you write about parents holding children out an extra year before beginning kindergarten. A recent writer was upset because she didn't hold her son out. He began school with students who had been held out and had many advantages over her son. What you neglected to mention is that some parents hold their children out for a year because they are not emotionally, developmentally or academically ready to start in a structured environment. It is not necessarily to have the child far ahead of his or her peers.
As a veteran first-grade teacher, I have seen both sides of the decision. Children have one childhood. If they are not "ready" to begin the academic environment, let them be children for another year. A child will have 12 years to "compete" with his peers. Why would you put a child in a situation where he or she is going to struggle? As I explain this to parents: "You cannot make your foot grow any faster, nor can you force maturity either." - Veteran Teacher
Answer: Thanks for sharing. Teacher's opinions always help parents make important decisions. Ideally, all kindergartens would provide a curriculum appropriate for each child's developmental level. Since this doesn't always happen, parents do have to think carefully about their children's readiness for kindergarten.