Massachusetts Preschools

Is my child ready for kindergarten? This is a question that that every parent asks themselves - but often with slightly different twists. Most parents that ask themselves this question fall into one of these general situations.

1. I think my child is ready for kindergarten but the age cut off in my town excludes him/her from attending. He/she will be bored in another year of preschool.
2. My child is old enough for kindergarten and is academically ready, but is still uncomfortable emotionally and seems a little less mature than other kids his age.
3. My child is emotionally ready for kindergarten but hasn’t been to preschool so I’m afraid he/she won’t be able to keep up.

Unfortunately their isn’t a single answer to these questions and the old belief that delaying entry into kindergarten was a “good thing because your child will be older then the other children” turns out to not be supported by research and is actually associated with problems later in the student’s academic life. So what is a parent to do? We’ve researched this problem in some detail at the request of several parents. Here is what we found…

Most Common Situation: My child is ready for kindergarten but missed the kindergarten age cut off in my town.

We were actually surprised by how common this question was. The Massachusetts public school systems institute age cut offs for kindergarten attendance that range from the child being five years of age by the August before kindergarten would begin to as late as November. The problem is that this kindergarten age cut off, out of necessity, is arbitrary and does not take into account developmental milestones achieved or academic skills developed by individual children. As one public school administrator (that would like to remain anonymous) put it to us:

“Can you imagine the complaints we would get if we allowed a child to attend kindergarten at a younger age because they were ready and excluded an older child that wasn’t ready? The screaming would never end. We know this isn’t the right decision for many children - but it is the only way to be fair to all children. We simply don’t have the time, staff or money to screen all children for kindergarten readiness. What you call arbitrary age cutoffs are the only workable solution for most cities. “

Short of instituting across-the-board screening for kindergarten readiness this situation will continue to effect all Massachusetts preschool children born in the second half of the year. What is a parent to do?

Indeed research demonstrates that many children that do not turn five until as late as December are fully capable of flourishing in kindergarten and actually greatly benefit from the experience. For decades, conventional wisdom was that holding a child back another year would allow the child to mature and therefore that child would be more likely to experience a stress-free transition to the formality of kindergarten. Longitudinal studies have shown this to not be fact. This research showed that children, regardless of variances around entry age, all achieved the same academic levels by completion of the third grade. However, the research went on to look at the success of children that entered kindergarten at or close to age six. This subset was surprisingly in that these students had remarkably lower success rates in high school and exhibited greater and more frequent “behavior” problems. In short, the unfortunate (albeit necessary) arbitrary kindergarten age cut off can result in a delay of kindergarten participation for many children that would greatly benefit from it. For many of these children, denying them of this developmentally appropriate practice can lead to problems in high school.

Unfortunately the only alternative for these parents is private kindergarten. Private kindergartens are not restricted by local town kindergarten age cut offs. As such, a child that misses the town kindergarten age cut off can attend a fully accredited private kindergartenand in many cases join the public school system in the first grade. We asked Ann Laquerre, Executive Director of Happy Hollow Schoolin Framingham, which offers private kindergarten, how the School handles children that are “too young” for public kindergarten.

“We consider kindergarten to be an important transition point and it is absolutely essential that it is a rewarding, successful and enjoyable preparatory experience for children. The risk we will not take is introducing a child to kindergarten when they are not ready. A child’s first experience of school will shape their feelings about school in general and sets the tone for their entire academic experience. Kindergarten is about building skills and confidence, but a child that is not ready for kindergarten could experience embarrassment and feelings of inadequacy.

This said, we often see children that are absolutely ready for kindergarten but who are forced to spend another year in preschool because of the town age cut off. For many of these children this experience, while stress-free, seems to cause a back slide because they are no longer challenged in a developmentally appropriate way. We consider and enroll many children that do not meet the chronological requirements for kindergarten in their particular town. However we do this only after meeting with these children and conducting a very simple evaluation. Based on this evaluation we enroll children based on two factors: First, will they benefit from the academic, social and structural environment of kindergarten. Second, will they be ready to join first grade upon completion of kindergarten.

For those children that are not ready for kindergarten we strongly recommend a “transitional kindergarten” program rather then relegating these children to another year of preschool . These programs go beyond the preschool curriculum and introduce kindergarten materials but without much of the formality and structure that is an important part of the kindergarten experience.”

Given that most towns offer kindergarten programs many private kindergarten programs closed in the 1970’s. Therefore, fully accredited private kindergartens are not as plentiful as one would hope in Massachusetts. However, our quick survey indicated that many towns do have a private kindergarten nearby.

Common Situation: My child is old enough but not emotionally ready for kindergarten.

This is perhaps the most difficult situation to solve but you’ve made the greatest advance forward by recognizing the possibility that your child may not be mature enough for the transition. Now is the time to seek third party advice. Many parents are too close to their children to see them with the same clarity that others may. Talk to your child’s preschool teachers. They have seen a wide variety of children and can give you an honest evaluation of your child’s development relative to his/her peers. Given that it is no longer a “no brainer” to hold a child back, seek out an objective evaluation and talk to your child’s prospective kindergarten teachers. They will be able to give you evaluations that consider your child’s developmental state (assuming your child does meet the town age cutoff). In the huge majority of cases, children that meet a town’s age cutoff are indeed ready for kindergarten and you should enroll them, monitor their progress and look for signs of stress. Only in the most clear cut cases should you opt positioning the child for success and place them in a transitional program that will challenge them appropriately rather than kindergarten.

Common Situation: My child is not academically ready for kindergarten.

We were also surprised by how often parents mention this concern. However, research suggests that children entering kindergarten have a huge variation in skills and that this variation does not limit any given child’s ability to succeed. In short, while you may feel “embarrassed” that your child can’t read like the girl across the street, it is a mistake in both the short and long term to hold a child back because they are “behind” academically. Research indicates that children quickly close this gaps and by the third grade differences in skills upon kindergarten entry are no longer predictive of success. Holding your child back will only delay this process and could bring about the negative ramifications associated with children that start kindergarten late.

In summary, if your child meets your town’s kindergarten age cut off there is a high probability that kindergarten will be a rewarding experience for them regardless of their skill development. The real difficulty lies in determining if your child is ready for kindergarten if the just miss the town age cutoff. If this is the case, seek out a private kindergarten that will appropriately challenge your child and build on their skills and maturity rather than holding them back with another year of preschool. In the long run, your child will greatly benefit from the investment.

Tags: developmental milestones, kindergarten, kindergarten age cutoff, kindergarten age., kindergarten transition, preschool-to-kindergarten transition, ready for kindergarten, transitional kindergarten