Some have severe discipline problems. They are not ready academically to handle our program. Teachers worry that putting too much academic pressure on young children can have detrimental effects. If kindergarten is not a positive experience, then the rest of school may not be positive. If you are told at age 5 that you can't do something right, by the time you get to third grade you may not try anymore.
Many educators lament the fact that most kindergarten sessions are only half a day long.
A study by UCLA sociologist Meredith Phillips concludes that the learning gap between poor children and those who are more affluent grows smaller when children are enrolled in all-day kindergarten. Children start kindergarten at a younger age in California than most states, which may contribute to the readiness problem. There is a growing movement to have the starting age for kindergartners be at least 5, to better meet the demands of today's rigorous classroom. It would have rolled back the entry age for kindergarten over a three-year period, requiring children to be 5 by Sept. 1 rather than the current deadline of Dec. 2. It would also have required schools to offer a kindergarten readiness program for children not enrolled in preschool.