Kindergarten: Should you redshirt summer babies?

Conceived in the 18th century, kindergarten (literally meaning garden of children), is a child’s first contact with organized education. But parents might wonder: Is my child ready?

A child entering kindergarten should know at least some letters and words, numbers, printing, and dressing.

Other necessary skills require more maturity: following 2-step instructions, playing well with other kids, listening, and willingness to learn.

Some parents of summer babies, who turn school-age just at the age cutoff, are ‘redshirting’ their kids, holding them back a year.

According to US News, estimates of redshirting rates in the U.S. range between 3.5 percent to 5.5 percent of children eligible to enroll in kindergarten based on their age. More than 70 percent of redshirted children were born in the summer months. It is twice as common among boys as among girls. About 6 percent of white students are redshirted, compared to less than 3 percent of Asian students and 2 percent or less of black and Hispanic children.

The practice is also more common in more affluent households where mothers are more likely to be stay-at-home moms or be able to afford another year of daycare.

The key question is why a parent holds a child out of kindergarten. Some parents believe their children are exceptionally small physically and should have a year to mature. Others believe their child will have an advantage in either academics or sports.

According to Michael Hansen, Senior Fellow and Deputy Director of the Brown Center on Education Policy, there is no reason to believe that redshirting a child gives him or her an advantage.

Hansen says the advantages of being the oldest diminishes with time. At college age, the child’s age-at-SAT is a minor factor.

However, a study of adolescents showed significantly higher levels of life satisfaction among boys that were redshirted, compared with those who had not been redshirted, according to a study by Suzanne Jones, PhD.