Scrolling through Instagram, I am completely halted by yet another post of someone getting their driver’s license. I think to myself, Are you kidding me? I just turned 15, yet many other sophomores already have their driver’s licenses. Envious of my classmates’ freedom, I think about the other countless advantages that older students in my grade receive. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), older students are more academically advanced than younger students in the same grade. In addition, they are physically stronger and best of all, they can get their driver’s license earlier. The decision to delay the beginning of kindergarten for children, primarily boys, is mostly prevalent in wealthy communities, including Marin. Being held back gives young children a competitive edge and helps them excel amongst their appropriately-aged classmates. However, redshirting has a price.
Redshirting, delaying a child’s enrollment in kindergarten to allow them to mature for a year or two before being put into formal school, gives a competitive edge to younger children and helps them excel amongst their appropriately aged classmates. According to California Law, children can not start kindergarten until they are five years old. However, a child’s parents ultimately decide how late they start. Redshirting can lead to unfair advantages for higher-income families and put stress on low-income families.
Although anyone can redshirt their child, the playing field is not equal. Referencing a survey done by Care, a household service company, wealthy families are twice as likely to redshirt their children compared to less affluent families. This is because, unlike wealthy families, many low-income families can’t afford child care and are forced to put their kids to school as soon as possible. Virginia Magazine states that families spend 20 percent of their income on childcare, totaling up to around $18,000 or more. Daphna Bassok, a researcher on childhood education policy, also mentioned this in a study conducted about early childhood. She said that more affluent families can afford to keep their children in childcare or preschool, which is paid for by the family, while lower-income families don’t have this option.
The inability to afford to delay a child’s entry to kindergarten is a common theme. We are all aware of the advantages of older peers in our classes. The older brain can excel in classes with less effort than younger ones. This can be traced back to the early schooling stages when being held back allowed an extended length of maturity development. Richard Reeves, a senior fellow for Brookings, points out a study done, further proving this hypothesis.
“Based on studies about relative age effects in the classroom, the research shows that older children have higher academic achievement than younger children in the same grade. Redshirting gives a particular child an advantage in school by deeming that child one of the oldest in their class,” Reeves said.
Because of the unfair advantages associated with redshirting, stricter policies should be put in place by school districts and the government. Specifically, legislation should be implemented that states the age a child must be to start school unless given a valid doctor’s approval for absence. This doctor’s note should be based on mental and physical capacity suitable for a kindergarten. Districts should also have affordable, or free, childcare for students who aren’t old enough to begin kindergarten, leaving less stress on low-income parents.
In New York, a school district has taken these measures on equity grounds, banning redshirting and therefore giving lower-income families equal opportunity. To help with disparities, legislation should be set stating the mentally capable children need to reach before attending kindergarten, even if they are past the age of six.
However, redshirting does have some benefits. It is a tool to allow full maturity and development before beginning school. A survey conducted by Pew Research states that men are less likely to graduate high school, stemming back to a later maturity development than females, supporting the rise of redshirting to even out these statistics. Although this is true, it does not take away from the fact that by allowing redshirting, we are allowing income inequality to follow our children and eventually affect their future. Ultimately, redshirting is unfair to low-income families, giving advantages to wealthy families. All in all, school is meant to give equal opportunity for all kids to achieve, but with redshirting this simply isn’t the reality.
