The Age Children Start Kindergarten Is Important

My children are in college and college graduates. Since they had summer birthdays, I thought long and hard about when to send them to school. It was a hot topic of discussion with other moms at the time. Over the years, I watched my children and their classmates and how they handled high school -- driving, drinking, dating and getting into and staying in college.
The point I would like you to express to parents is that the age that they send their children to school sets the stage for the age they will be when they face all the trials of high school, as well as college. Will they be mature enough for these challenges?
When you are a parent of kindergarten-age children, it is hard to think about them all grown up, but it happens in only 12 years. This is something to think about when deciding to send a very young child to kindergarten. -- Been There
Answer: Your letter really says it all. Many young children, not all, need some extra time before starting school. Once they start the educational process, there is no stopping. We wonder why so many parents want to push their very young children into kindergarten. It often pays dividends to let them enjoy being children longer without the pressure of attending our current more academic kindergartens. The school experience, at least initially, usually is more successful for older children.