And when I began reporting this book, my older son had
just started kindergarten at the public school in the small town where we live.
In 1995 the delayed entry students were less like likely than students who
started kindergarten on time to have repeated first or second grade.
My boys have
n't started kindergarten yet, and their preschool really emphasizes healthy eating, so I haven't yet stepped into the fray, but I know it's coming.
These children, if they
did start kindergarten on time, end up being the youngest in the class and may be less mature than their classmates.
Children who
start kindergarten ready to learn are better prepared for the challenges and opportunities ahead, and all children should have access to high - quality early childhood opportunities.
According to this research, at 17, 16 percent of students who
started kindergarten later demonstrated extremely inappropriate conduct, while 7 percent of the average - age students exhibited similar inappropriate behavior.
Because kindergarten has become more academic and often mirrors what used to be first grade, children
often start kindergarten around the age of six.
Many children this age begin their entry into school
by starting kindergarten, although some children may already be familiar with the concept and expectations of school from having attended preschool.
That approach is based on the results of many earlier studies that have found attending preschool helps kids from disadvantaged
backgrounds start kindergarten on a stronger academic footing.
The school has even decided that he doesn't need an aid in the class anymore and he will be
starting kindergarten next year without one.
That means, for example, that even if a gifted
child starts kindergarten not knowing how to read, a full week spent on only one letter of the alphabet is unnecessary.
Children with birthdays in the latter half of the year, and particularly for boys, are often held a year
from starting kindergarten.
Neither
starting kindergarten late nor retention in kindergarten were shown to relate significantly to first - and second - grade school performance or adjustment.