Bringing home your newborn from the hospital can feel like navigating a surreal maze. You find yourself pacing the house, eyes darting between the freshly decorated nursery and the brightly colored toys that now seem utterly pointless. Each morning begins with a racing heart as you reach for your phone, desperate to confirm that your little one is safe in the NICU.
So, why share this experience? Because we live in the suburbs of Philadelphia, where the cutoff date for kindergarten enrollment is September 1. Had our daughter arrived on her original due date, she would have missed that deadline. Thus, the dilemma of whether to redshirt (delay her start by a year) loomed before us.
Given her challenging entry into the world, one might expect this decision to be straightforward. However, it wasn’t. She may have been small, but her spirit was fierce and confident. Despite her petite size, she demonstrated precociousness and was ready academically. Yes, she showed some signs of separation anxiety, but so did other kids born almost a year earlier. Ultimately, it was her tenacity, which was evident from those early days, that swayed our decision. Just a month after she turned five, we sent our daughter off to school, making her the youngest in her entire class.
Looking back, I am confident we made the right choice. Now a seventh grader, she is thriving socially and academically. Still, I can’t help but feel a twinge of guilt. Whenever I see her grappling with math problems or walking alongside friends who are much larger, I ponder the path not taken. Fortunately, a recent study published in the Journal of Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology offers some clarity. The findings suggest that delaying school entry by a year does not necessarily enhance academic performance for either pre-term or full-term children and may even result in lower performance as they age.
“Many parents believe preterm children should be held back, especially if they were born in the summer,” noted co-author Sarah Thompson. “But our research indicates that missing a year of learning opportunities can correlate with poorer standardized test results by the time kids reach eight years old, regardless of their birth status.”
What a relief! While the decision to redshirt is ultimately one that each family must make, I can now rest a bit easier regarding this concern. Of course, I might feel differently when college looms in five years.
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In summary, the decision to redshirt your child is complex and varies from family to family. Recent research suggests that delaying school entry may not lead to the benefits many parents expect. It’s crucial to weigh all factors carefully and make the choice that feels right for your child.
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