The legislature’s vote last year to require children to be five by September 1 before starting kindergarten moved the state in line with the rest of the country and ensured children are developmentally ready for the academic and social emotional requirements of an elementary school classroom. Now some are calling for a year-long delay to this legislation.
CEA Kate Dias says she sympathizes with parents who may be facing the unexpected costs of another year of preschool but says there are other ways the legislature can appropriately support these families.
“Delaying implementation of the change to kindergarten start age is not the right move right now because districts have already worked out a solution for the fall at this point, and to change this now would create another layer of disruption,” she said. “We should allow districts to continue to work with their teachers and to continue to work with their families to craft solutions that really meet the needs of their community.”
The legislation that passed last year allows districts to permit children who are developmentally ready but not quite five yet to enter kindergarten early at their parents’ request.
Dias said, “Let’s push our legislature to fund preK and consider all options that would enhance and support families who are working and struggling to pay for this extra childcare.”
The legislature has a number of other options to support middle class families caught in the middle of this transition, Dias added, including measures like a tax credit to cover preschool costs.
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