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I like your title!

I think it would really depend on the kid, I would also take my MIL's advice since she was a 1st grade teacher for 30 years, but only if he was behind in milestones or maturity would I look at that as an option.

In California you won't have a choice anymore. They are transitioning the birthday cut off for kindergarten to be Sept 1st.

I wouldn't do it because of my husband's experience. He went to Primer after Kindergarten and before 1st grade. It was optional and since his bday is in July his mom didn't want him to be younger than everyone. He really hated his graduating class and didn't need to be held back academically.

As Californian's when the time is right, we'll sign our kids up when they are scheduled to start, which is switching to a Sept 1 birthday. We'll probably do a pre-school with our kids first to get them ready, but start them on-time for kindergarten.

I'd only do it if LO had some kind of special circumstance that made him truly unready for kindergarten.

My birthday was the cut-off date, so I was always the youngest in my class. I excelled academically and graduated high school within the top 10 of my class of 500 students. I was a bit more immature than some other students and may have suffered in terms of popularity, but I do not regret being sent to school on time instead of held back.

Honestly? As soon as our daughter is able to go to school, she will. We'll be paying $1100/mo for daycare. Getting that back sooner rather than later would be great. Oh and in NC, if kids are born after August 25th, they get held back anyways.

Oh, now I realize you're talking about Kindergarten to first grade. I still see no reason for holding them back other than if they are developmentally behind. I can't imagine holding hem back to give them an advantage in sports? That's ridiculous! Gah! Parents!

There's more to intellectual readiness when it comes to school preparedness, it's also about whether kids can sit still, follow directions, be in a structured environment for long periods of time.

I have a son with a December birthday, and I have no way to know now if he'd be ready to start kindy at age 4 turning 5. I will have to wait and see what happens. I think he's going to end up being one of those kids that goes in at age 5 and turns 6, he'll be older, but IMO that's better than being too young and not having the stamina to last the day. What I don't agree with is purposely waiting until kids are 6 to start kindy to give them more advantage in sports. That's not intellectually honest and could backfire if sports are according to age, not grade, as they are in some places before high school.

I would love it if all the states had the same cut off and made no exceptions. It would make things on parents a lot easier.

I know my aunt purposely asked my cousin's first grade teacher to make him redo his year because she felt he wasn't ready. Only in cases like that I would but I wouldn't cheat the system. I was the youngest in my grade and excelled rather well all the way through college.

We intend to put LO into school as soon as we are able (barring a truly legit reason not to). She will be going to a structured preschool (and pre-preschool) prior to Kindergarten, so it won’t be like Kindy will be the first time she’ll be in a “school” setting – socially or academically.

I think delayed enrollment into school for possible future sports performance is utterly and completely ridiculous.

YES, I will go against the grain it seems, and say I would. Just because a child is academically ok and mature at four doesn't mean they will continue at the same rate and be ok in middle school. I was the second youngest in my hs class, and the only younger one skipped a grade. For one, it sucked for me not being allowed to do anything at the same time as my peers. But on the parent side of the equation my husband and I want to be able to hand over certain responsibilities gradually in high school, not all at once toward the end. Giving a child the advantage of having a lot of play time before K can be good for the child especially due to the push down effect in schools.

As for the issue of sports, it actually can help a lot. I know guys who have done it and gone to college (at great schools) for FREE. I don't happen to know any girls though. Not every sports parents' objective is the pros. Letting a child physically and mentally mature so as to be more competitive during high school can be beneficial. The people I know happened to repeat the first year of middle school but switched to private schools, but there are other ways of doing it too I guess. It depends on the child's birth month/age, expected size, potential in their sport, etc. I don't look down on those parents because they are just giving their child every advantage they can, and I have seen it work.

It's funny, I posted something about this on WB yesterday, and last night, while walking the dog, my husband brought it up (makes me wonder if he isn't stalking my WB posts

His birthday is at the end of August, and his parents opted to have him start kindergarten a year later...so he was 6 when he started, as opposed to 5, when he could have started. He's crazy smart, and said he always felt a little bored in school.

Our LO is due in mid-August, and the cut-off here is 5 by September 1st. I honestly don't know what we'll end up doing. I think we'll wait and assess where they are developmentally when the time comes.

This won't be an issue for us since we are expecting in June, but if we did have a child around the cutoff I would not hold them back unless they seemed severely unready for school. DH and I both have Dec birthdays, were the youngest in our classes and started college at 17. Other than the annoyance of being the last in our peer group to drive, drink, etc, we suffered no ill effects and would have been bored had we not started when we did.

And like a pp said, not having to pay for daycare for another year is a very real advantage!

@Crisark: I agree with you. All children are different and learn at different paces. If your child needs to be held back, that is no reflection on your parenting. I just shows that your child has different needs and you're doing the right thing by helping her get what she needs.

I would hold my child back if I felt that they really needed it.

@Crisark: We all get mommy guilt for things that really aren't our fault. I cried for hours because I couldn't breastfeed. So my LO gets formula, she's healthy, and we're all happy. So what if your LO needs more time. Now she'll be able to get what she needs to succeed in school. And you're a good mother to recognize that and give her what she needs. I've learned not to listen to other's judgement, only you know what is right for your family.

I'm iffy. I actually know quite a few families who have enrolled their children (mostly boys, not sure if that is significant in any way) in kindergarten at age 6 instead of 5 because they didn't think their child was ready at 5. This I understand. Only you know what your child's needs are and whether they're mature enough to endure a school setting. What I don't understand is holding a child back with the intention of giving them an advantage.

Where I grew up, the birthday cutoff was December 1st. Since I'm a December baby, I was one of the eldest in my class. From kindergarten through 3rd grade I was under challenged, bored in class and frustrated with my peers. My parents and the school decided to skip me up to 5th grade the next year, and from then on I was more comfortable curriculum wise and excelled academically. In my case, I didn't have an advantage being a year older than some of my peers. I was unhappy and bored academically.

I don't want to purposefully give my children a hard time by enrolling them when they're not ready, but I want them to be challenged. I don't think it does them any favors intellectually to enroll them a year after they're ready.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm not opposed to delaying the enrollment of my child if I really feel they're not ready emotionally, socially or maturity-wise. I would not delay my child with the purpose of giving them an academic advantage.

@Crisark: can I ask you a question about what age your daughter was when she started kindy? I am curious if that had an impact, in your opinion.

I ask because my son has a december birthday, and I really think that he'll be better of starting at 5 instead of 4.

If I felt they weren't ready, yes. Just to beat the system and get them advantages, certainly not. I can't see how that helps the child in the long run.

I couldn't agree with you more, @Crisark, wrt to your comment about deciding before they are faced with the situation.

You really can't say what you'll do unless you have some context. Great if you have an opinion, but the decision shouldn't be final.