For years, parents and educators have debated the starting age for kindergarten, and it still varies widely — sometimes from state to state, and sometimes within different districts in the same state. Parents with children close to the cut-off date for turning five (as late as Dec. 31st) in some states have long agonized about letting their child be either the oldest (if kept back) or the youngest, if pushed ahead. California has now decided to end the debate by calling for all children to be 5 years old when they start kindergarten, and to create a new grade level for pre-k children.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, once the star of "Kindergarten Cop,'' has signed bill raising the age students can enter
The motivation in the cash-strapped state is surely helped by an estimated $700 million in savings for delaying about 120,000 children each year, according to the Associated Press. However, the plan signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger also adds another grade level before kindergarten, out of concern for parents who were counting on a free year of public school instead of having to pay for childcare or a private preschool program.
The move was applauded by the advocacy group Preschool California, and its president Catherine Atkin . The new bill comes after numerous studies have shown that younger children aren’t ready for the academics of kindergarten.
“Study after study has shown that these younger kindergartners are the ones most likely to experience difficulty in schools, Atkin told the Associated Press. “We know that when you give them an additional year of preparation it helps them become confident learners.”
The state will phase the change in one month at a time over three years starting next fall, in a move to make sure all children are 5 by Sept. 1 instead of the current date of Dec. 2.