Kindergarten red shirt?

As February approaches many parents of some of our youngest students are weighing their options for Kindergarten enrollment. Regardless of the actual date of a district/state cut off for enrollment, the question of whether to "red-shirt" a youngster has been a debate among parents for decades. A "red-shirt Kindergarten year" essentially means waiting an extra year to enroll a child in Kindergarten. In most situations, the closer a child's birthdate is to the district's specified cut-off, the more likely parents are to entertain the idea of not enrolling a child, primarily because the child will be one of the youngest children in his/her grade for the entirety of their school years. Over the years I have had many conversations to help parents make this crucial decision.

For many parents, a driving force in this dilemma is the rising cost of a year of childcare/private preschool. When a child finally gets of age to attend public school, there is a feeling of accomplishment by many young families - we did it, we got through the childcare years! This is a true, real feeling and a component of this decision that cannot be understated or disregarded. Since we don't have a crystal ball we can't predict if a child who does not take another year before Kindergarten will ultimately take one in years to come, but what we can predict is that the expense of a future extra year will most definitely be more expensive than a year of private preschool/daycare. Examples of a future red shirt year might be reclassifying between 8th and 9th grade or 9th and 10th grade by switching to a private or parochial high school from a student's public school district or a post grad year at a prep school between 12th grade and freshman year in college. These options are very expensive endeavors. On the flip side, financially, a family may be in a more secure financial situation by that juncture than a family is in when they have young children. So, the financial risk may not be worth worrying about.

Beyond the financial implications, there are other important considerations worth discussing.

The question is often asked, "Is my child ready for Kindergarten?" Kindergarten readiness is easy to define. Most 4 and 5 year old children are "ready" for Kindergarten because to be "ready" means they are eager to learn and explore. I've never met a 4 or 5 year old that is not eager to learn and explore. I encourage parents to ask this question instead, "Is my child confidently exploring and learning independently and in the company of his/her peers?" If a parent or teacher can't answer yes to this question, I encourage further discussion about postponing Kindergarten enrollment.

Confidence is a game changer for students both academically and socially. Confidence can be quiet, loud, subtle or quite intimidating. If a child has identified a source of confidence banking (athletics, musical instrument, art, martial arts etc) then they are able to spend time building confidence that they can then bring into situations where they may feel less sure of themselves. I encourage parents to really consider their child's confidence and ability to bank confidence as they make a decision about Kindergarten enrollment. Confidence directly affects social interactions, decision making, academic performance and leadership potential. A child who begins his/her school age years confidently will find the road less bumpy than a child with lower confidence.

Most 4 and 5 year old children are impressionable - they can be easily swayed to do what other's want to do. Many children are impressionable AND they are able to say "no, I'm not interested" or "no thank you" if they don't want to do something that a peer is doing. Some children, even at this young age, struggle to say "no thank you" or "I think we should do this." If you have a child who struggles to say no to peers I encourage you to really consider an extra year to help your child gain maturity and confidence in standing up for themselves and saying "no thank you" or "I need to do this." A child who can self advocate with friends, teachers and peers has an easier time managing the social dynamics in the school age setting and beyond.

Many 4 and 5 year olds have a hard time being attentive and compliant in a classroom setting. Children at this age need to move and explore. If your child is wiggly and active an extra year won't change that but an extra year may give your child a reprieve from having to manage his/her wiggles in the more formal classroom setting. During this extra year a child may have the opportunity to develop and practice wiggle management skills in a lower stakes environment. We know that the expectations of sitting in desks and attending to tasks independently in Kindergarten and First Grade is significant. If an extra year helps a child be better prepared for this type of environment, I think its definitely worth a discussion.

Family dynamics are also an important consideration when making a decision about Kindergarten enrollment for a child. Giving your child the "gift of an additional year" may slow your entire family's trajectory out of early childhood years and into school age years down. It may mean one more year of keeping your family in the same early childhood/daycare program. It may mean one more year of shielding your family, not just your child, from the influences of the school age world. I encourage families to consider this because the early childhood years seem intense and long when you are in it, but as parents, you have those years as a family for such a brief period so taking your time to savor them is a gift to your family system as well as your children!