By Jessica Flores

courtesy of Gymboree/special to the town crier Gymboree’s Level 7 at Rancho Shopping Center in Los Altos uses art, reading and music activities to teach young children how to interact with their peers.

Following the lead of school athletic coaches, many kindergarten parents have “redshirted” their children, starting their youngsters at an older age for academic advantage.

As in sports, where student athletes are held back a year to increase skills or maturity, parents are looking to gain an edge.

“I think we do live in a challenging community. There is a lot of competition,” said Laura Bence, assistant principal of the full-day Los Altos School District kindergarten program at Bullis-Purissima School in Los Altos Hills.

But Bence said she’s noticed that parents these days are holding back their children for reasons other than competition. As the national and California requirements for kindergarten mount, many 4-year-olds are too immature developmentally to handle the new, more challenging standards.

Parents often struggle with the decision of either putting their 4-year-olds in kindergarten or trying another route, such as placing students in pre-kindergarten programs to help them learn skills needed to meet the more stringent standards. If new legislation passes, this will no longer be an option or a struggle for 4-year-olds.

Currently, children must turn 5 by Dec. 2 to qualify for kindergarten, allowing up to three months of school for 4-year-olds. Newly proposed legislation, AB 1236, would make the cut-off Sept. 1 and mandate kindergarten.

Bence said while the legislation does address concerns that 4-year-olds aren’t developmentally ready for kindergarten’s standards, it would address the problem of parents putting too much stress on their kids to compete at a young age.

“I think that’s why the legislation would be great, because it takes the pressure off the 4-year-old,” she said.

For parents looking for an alternative to prepare their child for kindergarten, programs like Gymboree’s Level 7 at Rancho Shopping Center in Los Altos can add playtime and social development that would be reduced in kindergarten.

Level 7 is designed for children 3-5 years old and uses playtime to enhance seven skills ranging from confidence to curiosity.

The program uses art, reading and music activities to teach children how to interact with their peers.

Some local parents opt for these specialized preschool programs because their children haven’t acquired the social or cognitive skills needed before writing sentences can begin.

Samantha Cohen of Sunnyvale has been taking her boys to the Los Altos Gymboree for nearly five years.

She started her older son Joshua, who is now 7, in Gymboree when he was 3. Currently her 4-year-old, Noah, is in the Level 7 class. Joshua started kindergarten at age 4.

Although she noted that Joshua is doing fine in school, she said there is a difference between Joshua’s and the older students’ social skills.

“I would say most of his friends are a year younger than he in school,” Cohen said.

She isn’t sold on the new legislation that could take the power to choose early enrollment out of her hands.

“It would be nice if you could make your own decision,” Cohen said.

“I think we are putting a lot on the age of a child, and we should really be looking at the development,” said Leah Kidger, author of the Level 7 classes. “Do they have the ability to be on their own and interact with their peers?”