ATLANTA — Parents with young children may want to pay attention to a bill at the state Capitol that would change the age of when kids start kindergarten.
The bill would keep many 4-year-olds out of kindergarten classes in Georgia.
State school Superintendent Richard Woods says he's heard from a lot of kindergarten teachers on this issue and that there are just too many 4-year-olds in kindergarten right now.
Many teachers say it’s because the school year starts so early now.
Under the proposed bill, in the 2015-2016 school year, kids would have to turn 5 by Aug. 1 in order to enter kindergarten in Georgia’s public schools. The following school year, students would have to be 5 by June 30.
“That would have left my child back a year, and she was definitely ready for kindergarten,” mother Amber Ackerman said.
Ackerman and other parents WSB-TV talked to say they're skeptical of the idea. They believe that it should be left up to parents to decide when their child is ready for kindergarten and that perhaps it's time to look at Georgia’s pre-K program.
“If they were to implement pre-K then these kids would be prepared for kindergarten regardless whatever the age is,” parent Ben Pierce said.
But Woods says the number of 3-year-olds starting pre-K and 4-year-olds starting kindergarten is creating challenges.
“With most of our schools beginning the first of August, if not now into July, it just makes sense as we look at the birthdays. We're asking younger and younger kids to come in, but we're expecting so much more as far as academics and standards,” Woods said.
“I think it depends on the child. I think we have a lot of kids that are starting later because they're not ready for it, and I think having a little bit of leeway for them would be good,” Ackerman said.
Woods says parents should not panic, because if the district has to grandfather in some students who are now in pre-K, it will.
WSBTV
