Why is redshirting so rare if it's so advantageous?
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Anonymous
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For those of you who don’t know, redshirting is the practice of delaying a fall-born child’s Kindergarten entrance until they’re almost 6 instead of almost 5. This is something I’m thinking about doing with my son, who will be 4 in November and will be eligible for Kindergarten in the fall of 2022. There are many studies that show that kids who are redshirted do better in school as well as later in life, and honestly, you don’t have to be a scientist to see why this makes sense. Kids who start older are going to be more mature and ready to handle the challenges of school. This means they’ll get better grades, get into better colleges, and get better jobs.
You’d think that based on this information, any parent with a fall-born child who could afford an extra year of daycare would redshirt without hesitation. But this is not the case. When I think of all people I know who have fall birthdays and are from affluent families, the vast majority started Kindergarten at 4. As tempted as I am to redshirt my son, I can’t help but feel that there must be a reason why so few parents do it. If you have a fall-born child who you could afford to redshirt but didn’t, why not? And if you could do it over again, would you redshirt? |
Anonymous
| Because I’m not a bad person |
Anonymous
| No, that is not red shirting when the cut off is September. Fall born kids turn 6 in K when they are on time. |
Anonymous
| I didn’t, because my kid is smart and mature. |
Anonymous
| Are you sure you’ve got this right with respect to fall born kids? My DS has been in two private schools in MD and there have been plenty of redshirted kids. But they have generally been kids born May-Aug. |
Anonymous
| My DS is turning 6 in November, and will be in kindergarten in the fall. Cut off is Sept 1 so no redshirting. |
Anonymous
| Some people say that it gives the child one less year to work and earn money - it leaves them at a disadvantage. |
Anonymous
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OP, are you in NY? It’s about the only place left in the US where a Nov. birthday has the option of going to K at 5.
Can you link the studies on redshirting? The ones I have read are much less clear on their being an advantage, but it’s been a few years since I looked. |
Anonymous
| Because caring for children is a nightmare and expensive. Parents send their kids as soon as they can. |
Anonymous
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Because parents of smart kids don’t do it. |
Anonymous
Why do people on DCUM feel this way? In real life, I don't know anyone who finds raising their children to be a "nightmare". Challenging? Yes, of course, but people seek out and enjoy challenging things all the time. |
Anonymous
Yeah, this. Some people still try to get their kids in younger. I have two summer boys I’m red shirting (late August and late June). It’s two full extra years of daycare. Ouch. |
Anonymous
| I still see lots of red shirting. The redshirted kids can be more mature and have more executive functioning skills compared to the others in the early years, but this advantage wanes over the years and can also backfire if the kid feels bored. |
Anonymous
But someone who does better in school will go to a more prestigious university and get a higher-paying job. In the long-run, someone who starts a prestigious career at 22 is going to be much better off financially than someone who starts a mediocre career at 21. |
Anonymous
This. Op must live in nyc. Redshirting means holding back a kid born in August or earlier. |