How early should kids be enrolled in school?
MSNBC is covering issues surrounding early education this week as a lead up to Sunday's two hour special _A Stronger America: Making the Grade_...
MSNBC is covering issues surrounding early education this week as a lead up to Sunday’s two hour special A Stronger America: Making the Grade. Today they tackled the question: At what age should kids be enrolled in school?
There exists a rift in ideology when it comes to this question. Some experts say it should be done right away, and others say that it’s better to wait. Barbra Willer, the deputy executive director for the National Association for the Education of Young Children , pointed out that the question often comes up when a child’s birthday comes close to the legal cut off date which would determine their grade.
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There is often “a sense you’ll hold your child back” Willer said, “but the thing to remember is that no matter where the estate or community sets the cutoff date, some children will always be older in class, and some…will be the younger.”
Statistics show that in 1993, 9 percent of children ages 6 and older were enrolled in kindergarten in the US. The same study conducted in 2001 showed that 16.4 percent of children started kindergarten at the age of 6 and over. This shows “a movement in the states to raise the age of entry,” said Willer.
Tune in to A Stronger America: Making the Grade live from Detroit this coming Sunday with hosts Tamron Hall and Jeff Johnson. Join the conversation @strongeramerica using #makingthegrade and find more information at www.facebook.com/strongeramerica
