What if my child enrolls school too early?

What if my child enrolls school too early?

[mme_highlight] For children with adequate development, neither delayed nor early entrance into kindergarten has been shown to yield substantial differences regarding academic success after the first few years of school. When parents believe their child is ahead of peers regarding intellectual, social or creative skills, early entrance may be an option.  [/mme_highlight]

Many parents pose a difficult question when the time of school entry comes: should they enroll their children in kindergarten as soon as they become age-eligible or may it be beneficial to academic success to wait an additional year? Some parents may want to decide for early kindergarten enrollment (at age four years) if their children seem to be ahead of their same-age peers regarding cognitive development and skills.

Should my gifted child enroll school earlier?

Some gifted children may benefit from enrolling earlier in school, as in most cases pre-school does not have nothing new  left to offer to enhance their capabilities. The definition of giftedness used by a govern entity in Australia: “Students who are gifted have the capacity for advanced development relative to their age peers in at least one ability domain (intellectual, physical, creative or social), to a degree that places them at least among the top 10% of their age peers”.
In fact this benefit is more likely among exceptionally gifted children, i.e., the top 2% of the population. For these children, enrolling earlier is an educational intervention that boosts their academic achievement.

What is the balance between benefits and possible harms in an early enrollment?

Although the effect size is very little, according to a study conducted by NICHD (Early Child Care Research Network) which analyzed data from more than 900 children, teacher ratings of academic mastery in second or third grade were slightly higher in children who were older at kindergarten entry. According to this study, there were no differences regarding social functioning.

In addition, a study which collected data from a large community sample revealed that the youngest children in the school year were at an increased risk of being incorrectly identified by teachers as having learning difficulties.

Some adverse effects of early enrollment may become evident as the children progresses to middle and junior high and when physical maturation differences become more obvious. These early enrollees may be more likely to develop socioemotional difficulties. A study revealed that the younger children in a school year are at slightly greater psychiatric risk than older children.

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Correlation between relative age and mean symptom score on strengths and difficulties questionnaire 

Adjusted regression coefficients:

–        According to teacher report: 0.51 (CI 0.36 to 0.65, P < 0.0001 ): moderate and statistically significant correlation.

–        According to parental report: 0.35 (CI 0.23 to 0.47, P < 0.0001 ): ): weak but statistically significant correlation.

Odds Ratio:

–        adjusted OR for psychiatric diagnoses for decreasing relative age: OR 1.14 (1.03 to 1.25, P = 0.009) – younger children in a school year have a risk 1.14 times higher to present a psychiatric problem.

 

CI – confidence interval; OR – odds ratio
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A study from 2011 addressed the impact of the age of starting education on obesity among adolescent girls and showed that early school entry may reduce girls’ likelihood of becoming obese in their adolescence.

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Association between body weight status and early school status among adolescents aged 12–19 years in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97)

1)      Within one month of cut-off date

–        One additional school year for girls decreased the risk of overweight (OR 0.78) and obesity (OR 0.73) in adolescence by approximately 30%.

2)      Within 6 months of cut-off date

–        One additional school year for girls decreased the risk of obesity (OR 0.84) in adolescence by approximately 16%.

 

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How should I decide concerning early enrollment?

As stated above, for children with adequate development, neither delayed nor early entrance into kindergarten has been shown to yield substantial differences regarding academic success after the first few years of school. Note also that children with normal development who miss the birth date cut off probably would not benefit from early enrollment, because being one of the oldest in their class may actually boost their success.

When parents believe their child is ahead of peers regarding intellectual, social or creative skills, early entrance may be an option. However, to enroll a child early in school should thus be a joint decision, resulting of the views of parents, educators and doctors. There may be an indication to consult a Psychologist of Psychiatrist so that the child is evaluated and can do IQ tests.

Summary

  • Age of school entry should not be regarded as a major determinant of children’s later academic success.
  • Most research findings demonstrated that, in itself, entrance age was not a good predictor of learning or academic risk.
  • Empiric evidence supports the enrollment of children in kindergarten at the age-appropriate time (which varies from country to country).
  • For gifted children, early enrollment may not only an option but an educational intervention to boost their academic success.
  • Some adverse effects of early enrollment may become evident later, namely some socioemotional disturbances.
  • If there is concern about a child’s school readiness, parents should discuss it with teachers and health care providers.

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References

  1. NICHD Early Child Care Research Network. Age of Entry to Kindergarten and Children’s Academic Achievement and Socioemotional Development. Early Educ Dev 2007; 18:337.
  2. Zhang N, Zhang Q. Does early school entry prevent obesity among adolescent girls? J Adolesc Health. 2011 Jun;48(6):644-6.
    1. http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/diversity/pages/giftedentry.aspx (accessed 07.12.2013).
    2. Frequently Asked Questions about Early Entry to Kindergarten – Cross Sectoral Information for Parents. Department of Education. Tasmania, Australia.
    3. Gledhill J, Ford T, Goodman R. Does season of birth matter? The relationship between age within the school year (season of birth) and educational difficulties amongst a representative general population sample of children and adolescents (aged 5-15) in Great Britain.Research in Education 2002;68: 41-7.

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