Is it good for the children?

Greetings

I recently attended a conference for a coalition of early learning providers and heard someone say that the group always asked the question "Is it good for the children?" whenever they make decisions affecting the children of their community. What a great idea! If we all could remember to ask that question before decisions were made, the world and our children would benefit.

There was a recent article in the New York Times magazine section that was titled
"When Should a Kid Start Kindergarten?" As I read this article, I kept thinking back the the question, "Is it good for the children?". Apparently "redshirting", the practice by parents to hold their children back a year from entering kindergarten, is increasing. Parents who do this want their children to be more socially and emotionally mature, enter kindergarten reading and knowing their numbers and letters and generally have an "edge". The vast majority of these parents are middle to upper middle income parents who can afford pre-school, high quality childcare and even private school for kindergarten and beyond.

So what about the kids whose parents have no choice? What if putting the child in kindergarten reduces the amount of money they have had to pay for childcare while they are at work? If their child has a birthday in August and is in a class with a child who also has a birthday in August but is a year older and has had enriched learning experiences prior to entering school, how does this younger child catch up?

I am not advocating that parents send kids to school if they think they are too young and won't have the advantage of maturity. Every parent should do what is best for her his child. However, the fact that "school readiness" has become more and more about having some basic academic skills instead of about children just having basic social skills has put a tremendous burden on the children and the parents. As the article states "Curriculum planners no longer ask, What does a 5-year-old need? Instead they ask, If a student is to pass reading and math tests in third grade, what does the student need to be doing in the prior grades?"

The article is fascinating and a "must read". Throughout it, I kept asking myself, "Is it good for the children?" I couldn't answer yes. Maybe the other question we need to keep asking is "What does the child need?" rather than "What does the child need to do".

Let me hear from you.

Jeanne