A proposed bill to raise the age of children entering kindergarten has been killed by state legislators. The bill received the backing of the State Board of Education in December but failed last week to gain the support of the legislature's Education Committee.
Currently, children can begin kindergarten in September as long as they turn 5 by Dec. 31. The rejected bill would have pushed back the cutoff date to Oct. 1, making the 10,000 children born in October, November and December wait another year before starting public schools.
Lawmakers were concerned that these families would have pay for another year of preschool. "This is not the right time to put undue financial burden on families to pay for another year of preschool," says Sen. Toni Boucher, R-26th District, a member of the Education Committee who represents Bethel, New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston, Westport and Wilton.
In addition, the state budget doesn't allow for the expansion of preschool programs for low-income children. State officials have estimated it would cost about $37 million a year to provide preschool for about 4,400 low-income students who would have been affected by the change in enrollment age.
But timing aside, Boucher is in favor of the change because Connecticut has the latest kindergarten cutoff date in the nation. "We are out of synch with the rest of the country. ... We should be consistent with everyone else."
Dana Gorman, a preschool teacher at the Community Cooperative Nursery School in Rowayton, says the late date causes problems for some parents. "I have experienced the angst of parents who travel between states for jobs," says Gorman. "Parents want to keep their child in line with the age for one state, should they have to move back, causing them to withhold their child from kindergarten in Connecticut."
Some parents, especially in wealthier districts, hold back their children for developmental or physical reasons — a practice commonly known as redshirting. "It's a vicious cycle. Children are held back, causing older children to be in kindergarten, which in turn leads to a more academic kindergarten, coming full circle to parents holding their children back," says Gorman. "Of course, the parents who cannot afford that additional year of preschool have to send their children to a class that has lost much of its developmental appropriateness for 4-year-olds as it is now teaching 6-year-olds."
The legislative committee agreed to part of the bill that would help reduce the age range in kindergarten. Parents would be required to enroll children if they turn 6 during the school year, keeping 7-year-olds out of kindergarten classrooms. The revised bill does allow for waivers in special circumstances.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
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We need to think about what is right for children. Forget 'redshirting,' although it does exist, especially in schools with middle class populations.
ReplyDeleteKindergarten is no longer just cutting, pasting, coloring, circle time and learning to share. As a veteran elementary administrator, be assured that it is now all about reading, writing and numeracy skills - and many kids just aren't ready for that.
Time after time, when dealing with behavior or learning issues, the child has a November or December birth date. Connecticut should join with most of the other states in the nation and move the kindergarten start date back to August or September.
Agreed! I have one of those late birthday children and am not in favor of redshirting like so many of their peers have done. I also have one going into KG and NOT happy about the large age difference in some of these children. These older children are more mature in language and social behavior and demand much of the teachers' attention. I also agree, why not get this state up to par with the rest of the country, both with this issue and performance. Or perhaps, are they linked? Hmmmm..
ReplyDeleteI also agree! I kept both of my boys (with December birth dates) in preschool for an additional year because neither was ready for kindergarten. Was it a financial hardship? Definitely, but then school should be about what's right for kids, not free babysitting.
ReplyDeleteAge should not make a difference as long as there is a cutoff date and everyone follows it. When you hold your children back, all you are doing is ensuring that YOUR child is not the youngest!
ReplyDeleteThere will always be "redshirting" no matter the deadline date. If CT were to change to say a Sept. 1st date, then parents of children turning five in the three preceding months would keep their children back to avoid being the youngest in their classes. Thus, I'm only in agreement to changing the date to be on par with the rest of the country, which will help relocating families. And my daughter has a December birthday and it was the best decision to put her in kindergarten at 4.
ReplyDeleteI was in Kindergarten at 4 and my birthday was in January. What is the big deal?
ReplyDeleteWell, unless you are less than ten years old, it is a big deal. Kindergarten is not what it was when we were kids, or even when my children (in their 20s) were kids.
ReplyDeleteIt was 1/2 day, cutting and pasting, naps and sharing. Times have changed, and the academic demands are just too much for many four year olds.