By Mindy Binderman and Stephanie Blank
Credit: Maureen Downey
Credit: Maureen Downey
Today, a child in Georgia must be 5 by Sept. 1 in order to enroll in kindergarten. The House bill under consideration would move that date to Aug. 1 for the upcoming school year – and June 30 thereafter.
Champions of this bill say it is necessary because many of Georgia’s 4-year-olds lack classroom experience and, therefore, are not ready to succeed in kindergarten.
The additional preparation months for late summer birthdays proposed in HB 100 will only make a difference if those students are spending that time in learning and language rich environments.
The formative years of birth through 5 offer the biggest opportunity to make a meaningful, lifelong impact on Georgia's children. Kindergarten readiness means more than blowing out five candles on a birthday cake, packing a lunch and buying a new book bag. The brain building that is the foundation for later school success begins when an infant or young child babbles, gestures, or cries, and an adult responds appropriately with eye contact, words, or a hug.
With that reciprocal human communication, and with continued interactions between children and their parents or teachers, neural connections are built and strengthened in the child's brain that support the development of communication and social skills.
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