Should you redshirt your child for kindergarten?

Named for the sports-related concept of having athletes who are kept out of college competition for a year wear a red jersey, academic redshirting refers to delaying kindergarten for a year. Why would a parent choose to redshirt their child if they’re old enough to start school?

            For some parents, there are concerns about their child’s academic, emotional, and social readiness. A 5-year-old child who didn’t attend preschool, for example, may have more attachment issues and be less prepared to be separated from their parents. Likewise, a 5-year-old boy who is especially small for his age may benefit from the extra year of growth—and confidence.

Who tends to redshirt?

            A joint study from Stanford University and the University of Virginia found a link between redshirting and ethnicity and/or socioeconomic status. Of the 4% to 5.5% of children who were redshirted each year, schools that served larger proportions of Caucasian and high-income children had much higher rates. It’s worth noting that when it comes to socioeconomics, the top 20% of families were 36% more likely to redshirt than those in the lowest 20%. Why?

            Oftentimes, it’s simply that they can afford to postpone kindergarten. In addition, poorer working families may need to put their children in school sooner due to daycare costs.

Should you opt to redshirt?

            There are a lot of factors to determine if you should delay kindergarten. You may need to weigh finances, confidence, independence, maturity, physical size, and even toilet habits. Still, one of the most vital factors­ to consider is academic readiness.

            Don’t assume that the difference between age five and six will mean huge leaps in academic readiness. Many children have the cognitive skills even earlier but are only limited by the school’s birthday cut-off.

How can an early learning program help?

            One way to help improve school readiness is with an early learning program. At LearningRx, our LiftOff® program helps kids as young as 4 years old build early learning skills through one-on-one games and activities. The custom training plan is designed to fit each child’s needs and every learner is paired with a dedicated brain trainer. This allows us to focus on the right skills and offer one-on-one feedback and encouragement to every child.

            Getting a head start on school readiness builds a foundation of strong learning skills at a young age to decrease the risk of falling behind their peers. These skills include:

            1. Paying attention, ignoring distractions, and basic multitasking

            2. Remembering key details during lessons and activities

            3. Imagining sounds and understanding spoken language

            4. Picturing mental images and processing visual information

            5. Basic problem solving, logic, and reasoning abilities

            Based on 35+ years of brain training research and practice, our LiftOff program uses principles of brain training to engage and young learners. Core features of the program include:

            1. Building skills in a logical, step-by-step order

            2. Starting with basic games and working up to more challenging activities

            3. Repeating activities to quickly strengthen early learning skills

            4. Providing direct feedback, encouragement, and rewards for completing activities

            5. Customization for each student

            We start every program with a Brain Skills Assessment to measure existing cognitive skills. Based on these results, we build a custom school readiness plan for your child. Most LiftOff programs include approximately three months of training.

            If you’re looking for a launchpad for early learning skills to prepare your child for kindergarten, start by contacting your nearest LearningRx center through www.LearningRx.com.