Let's Redshirt that boy!

 Let’s Redshirt that boy!

 

More and more parents are “redshirting” their young children.    College sports teams aren’t the only ones to “redshirt”.

Maryland law requires that kindergarten is the first compulsory year of school attendance.   But the law also allows for caregivers to ask for a maturity waiver.   Mostly this rule impacts boys who tend to mature more slowly than girls.  

Many families do not feel their child is ready for kindergarten.   But as in many benefits this bonus comes with several considerations.

First of all, kindergarten is free.  And that includes free transportation.   Providing your child with an extra year of child care is not free.   It is not unusual for day care to cost around $235 a week.  That’s a chunk of change.   Maryland’s Blueprint for Education will eventually provide free pre-school as well, but the roll out of that program is just getting started and limited free spots fill quickly.  Last year about 300 families in the Baltimore metro area took the maturity waiver.   Not surprisingly these were mostly upper income families.

Another consideration is the maturity of the child.   While Kindergarten begins at age 5, not all 5 year olds are ready to begin the more formal schooling.   This situation is particularly true today when kindergarten has become more academic centered and not play centered.  Summer birthday kids are particularly at risk.   Kids with winter birthdays turning 5 have almost a full year before they need to start kindergarten.   Whereas, summer birthdays are right on the cusp.

In making the decision, families need to talk with day care providers, sports team leaders and other trusted adults.   How is the child doing on focus, communication with peers and setting boundaries?

When thinking about redshirting, families need to consider the here and now as well as the future.   A child who is redshirted because of emotional immaturity may be academically on target or even ahead.    What will that mean for the child who then starts kindergarten even more ahead of his class peers academically ?   In an environment of pacing guides, teachers don’t slow down nor hurry up for differences in learning rate.  Being academically ahead of classmates becomes hard on the teacher and the child.

Decisions need to be made carefully.   And sometimes family economics make the decision.   There is no need to rush childhood.   And redshirting only benefits some athletes and kindergarten kids.