It seems everyone has an opinion about whether or not children should be kept from Kindergarten and sent to school at age 6 rather than age 5.  The press has termed this practice “red-shirting” after the term used to gain a physical advantage by waiting a year before starting college.

When a parent asks me if they should hold their child back, I ask them to get clear about a few things:

• What prompted you to consider this action?
• What do you hope to gain by keeping your child home another year?
• What would happen if you did not keep your child home?
• How will you decide if you made the right decision?

Notice I didn’t ask any questions about the child’s development, skill set or social skills.  That’s because those things are not a constant.  The decision to keep a child behind or send them to school is not going to make or break the child’s career.  If there is frustration, certain acts can help alleviate it, but life will go on!