A new study from Stamford University is great news for the parents of our grandchildren. Increasingly both public and private schools want children to start school later. Parents are torn. They believe there are academic advantages to starting school later, but worry about the social aspect.
Now, in the study, “The Gift of Time? School Starting Age and Mental Health, ” by Thomas S. Dee, Hans Henrik Sievertsen, October 15,2015, the authors present the following abstract:
“In many developed countries, children now begin their formal schooling at an older age. However, a growing body of empirical studies provides little evidence that such schooling delays improve educational and economic outcomes. This study presents new evidence on whether school starting age influences student outcomes by relying on linked Danish survey and register data that include several distinct, widely used, and validated measures of mental health that are reported out-of-school among similarly aged children. We estimate the causal effects of delayed school enrollment using a “fuzzy” regression-discontinuity design based on exact dates of birth and the fact that, in Denmark, children typically enroll in school during the calendar year in which they turn six. We find that a one-year delay in the start of school dramatically reduces inattention/hyperactivity at age 7 (effect size = -0.7), a measure of self regulation with strong negative links to student achievement. We also find that this large and targeted effect persists at age 11. However, the estimated effects of school starting age on other mental-health constructs, which have weaker links to subsequent student achievement, are smaller and less persistent.”
So, what does this mean? It seems that what we believed, that delaying kindergarten gave great educational advantage, turns out to be a mental advance that leads to an educational advantage.
On the Stanford website,
We find “Study finds improved self-regulation in kindergartners who wait a year to enroll, ” by May Wong, October 15, 2015. We are told, “A new study on the mental health effects of kindergarten enrollment ages found strong evidence that a one-year delay dramatically improves a child’s self-regulation abilities even into later childhood. . . . “We found that delaying kindergarten for one year reduced inattention and hyperactivity by 73 percent for an average child at age 11,” Dee said, “and it virtually eliminated the probability that an average child at that age would have an `abnormal,’ or higher-than-normal rating for the inattentive-hyperactive behavioral measure.”
“Findings from the study, which Dee co-authored with Hans Henrik Sievertsen of the Danish National Centre for Social Research, could help parents in the recurring debate over the pros and cons of a later school entry.”
The study focused on the mental health benefits of delayed kindergarten.
“Large effects of significantly improved mental health were consistently found in the inattention-hyperactivity category, for both boys and girls, according to the study.” This is some of the most convincing evidence we’ve seen to support what parents and policymakers have already been doing – choosing to delay kindergarten entry,” Dee said.”
“The percentage of children entering kindergarten at age six instead of age five has steadily increased to about 20 percent in the United States, according to the study. Part of the trend stems from school policy changes, but most of the increase can be attributed to academic “redshirting” – a sports term for the practice of postponing a college athlete’s participation in competitive games. Many parents are opting to delay kindergarten enrollment for a year in the hope of giving their children a leg up in maturity and other social emotional skills.”
“The study will give comfort to those who have done it,” Dee said. “And for those who are making the decision, it’ll give them a chance to consider the benefits.”
There is another interesting aspect to the study dealing with the benefits of preschool and prolonging play.
“The study’s findings also align with other research that has shown an extended period of early childhood play – such as in preschools – yields mental health developmental gains. As a result, Dee said he hopes his research will lead to broader examinations on how kindergarten is taught. It could be pedagogy pointed more toward play rather than structured academics.”
“It’s not just a question of when do you start kindergarten, but what do you do in those kindergarten classes?” Dee said. “If you make kindergarten the new first grade, then parents may sensibly decide to delay entry. If kindergarten is not the new first grade, then parents may not delay children’s entries as much.””
Read the entire study here.
This Grandma is all for studies that reduce the stress and angst associating with parenting decisions such as this one. It even has an additional positive side. Delaying kindergarten has positive benefits for years. This Grandma always looks ahead a number of years and says the grandchild will love being one of the first in the class to get his or her driver’s license. The heavily weighted decision and intervening years melt away.
Joy,
Mema
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