As a kindergarten teacher, what do you want to see in children (other than knowing their letters and sounds) for you to say "yes, they can come in my class a year early" (I don't know if you are in a situation where it would be up to you, but IF it was.) What do you want to see the child be able to do? For example, If they know all their sounds, and numbers, but don't pay attention or follow directions, or they can count high, know their abcs and sounds, they are bright, but don't have the motor skills. That sort of thing.
Will they fit in socially with the rest of the group? I was promoted to kindergarten a year early, because I could already read and was bored in preschool and becoming a behavior problem.
In my district students cannot start kindergarten unless they meet the cut off date regardless of abilities.
Same with my district-no early entry for any reason. We had a early entry test many years ago, and if the child passed, they were allowed to enter K. It was awful. I had children who were 4 and kids who had just turned 6. Even though they could pass the academic side, the 4 year olds just could not handle the social and emotional side of Kindergarten. They stopped the program after a year (maybe 2). Thank goodness.
I would agree to maturity!! I had an early k enrollment this year (actually 2 of them). One of the girls would run and hide and cry if she didn't like something that happened.
In Michigan you must be 5 by Dec.1st to enter Kindergarten. Some of the private schools will take younger kids. Last year I had a child who turned 5 in January start with me in March, after our 2nd count day. She'd been in a private school before that.
I just find that even the ones who are ready academically are not ready maturity-wise. I had one boy this year who could have gone into first grade, academically, and was perhaps a little bored. But I met him last year, and would not have wanted him in my K class. He was a holy terror! Now he is energetic, intelligent, and a wonderful addition to my class who likes to help the struggling kids. I find a lot of value in that. If he had been pushed ahead, his brightness would have been lost in his behavior issues.
We have birthday cutoff, if they are not 5 by Oct 1st they can not enter. I feel this is a useless and arbitrary way to do it. My DD with a Sept. Birthday made the cut off but she was not socially or emotionally ready, she ended up repeating 1st grade. My DS with an early Nov. birthday missed the cut off, he was always socially and emotionally mature and very bright. He became bored in K and was totally bored by the end of 1st. He became a behavior problem by 3rd grade. Each child should be observed with a group of other children in a classroom setting and Kindergarten admission should be based on the whole picture not just one factor.
