Leaving the hospital with your newborn is a uniquely challenging experience. You find yourself aimlessly wandering your home, gazing at the freshly decorated nursery and the vibrant play mats, all while grappling with the reality of parenthood. Each morning begins with an anxious heart, instinctively reaching for your phone to check on your little one in the NICU, only relaxing once you receive confirmation that everything is okay.
I share this because we live just outside Philadelphia, where the cutoff date for kindergarten is September 1. Had our daughter arrived on her original due date, she would have missed that deadline. However, she didn’t, and we faced the dilemma of whether to redshirt her—essentially holding her back a year.
You might assume that given her rocky start, the decision would be straightforward. Surprisingly, it wasn’t. Though small, she exhibited a spirited confidence, proving to be both clever and ready for school. Sure, she displayed a bit of separation anxiety, but so did other children who were nearly a year older. Ultimately, it was her determination—evident from the very beginning—that influenced our choice. Thus, just a month after turning five, we sent her off to school as the youngest in her class.
Looking back, I believe we made the right choice. Now a seventh grader, she is thriving academically and socially. Yet, I can’t shake a lingering sense of doubt. Whenever she grapples with a math problem or walks alongside friends who tower over her, I ponder what might have been. Fortunately, a recent study published in the Journal of Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology has eased some of my worries. The research indicates that delaying school entry by a year does not improve academic outcomes for either preterm or full-term children. In fact, it may have the opposite effect as children age.
“Many parents feel pressured to hold back preterm children, especially those born in the summer,” noted co-author David Thompson. “However, our findings show that missing a year of educational opportunities correlates with lower standardized test scores by age eight for both preterm and full-term kids.”
This insight is liberating! While the choice to redshirt is deeply personal and varies from family to family, I can now dismiss some of the guilt I carry—at least for the moment. I might feel differently when she heads off to college in five years, though.
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In summary, the decision to redshirt your child is complex and varies by family. Recent research suggests that starting school later may not lead to better outcomes for children and could even hinder academic progress.