I thought I knew about most things parent/baby/kid related but I didn't know that parents were intentionally doing this. Usually I hear the standard complaints from parents whose kids were born "too late" in the year and have to wait for the next Kindy start - which I understand would be totally frustrating.
On the one hand I can see how it may seem an attractive prospect for parents hell-bent on keeping their kids at the top of the pack but as the article explains, the strategy might not work out in the long run. Babe actually started at group daycare quite early and was the youngest by far at her program in Smithers. I actually found that she benefited a lot from being around older kids at such a young age. It didn't take long before the skills she had acquired at "school" outshone others her age who weren't exposed to older children and the subject matter they were working on with their teachers.
Of course, I still believe that in the long run...whatever early skills your child gained in the first couple years will even out by the time Kindergarten rolls around and most kids will be at about the same level.
Anyway, I found the article interesting so give it a read.
Holding children back a year in school is not the right start - The Globe and Mail
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