The state with the closest kindergarten entrance date to Indiana is Missouri with an August 1 date. Indiana's June 1 date causes difficulties for many families who move from other states to Indiana. Parents, who anticipate a move from Indiana, also express concerns about their children being so much older than classmates in their new state. Such delays may predispose children to later problems. A developmentally appropriate curriculum is based on research of child development, how children learn, and the strengths and needs of individual children.
Scientists emphasize how critical the first ten years of life are in terms of brain development.