When Should Kids Start Kindergarten?

How old were your kids when you enrolled them in Kindergarten? 

Did they successfully tackle the curriculum? Or did you feel they fell behind surrounded by older kids in class? 

The idea of kindergarten readiness is not a new concept, but one that has been pushed to the forefront over the past ten years. 

Some parents have resorted to redshirting: when a parent holds back a kindergarten student until age 6. 

Redshirting is due to a number of factors including birth dates and conversations with preschools teachers.

"I've even heard stories of parents who want their child to be older and bigger for a better chance to be on athletic teams," South Pasadena USD Superintendent Joel Shapiro told Patch. 

But there's also the flip side: Students who enter kindergarten too soon, with California having the youngest starting age of kindergarten students in the country. 

"When you compare state standards, we expect the highest level of rigor for the kids,” said former Glendora Unified Director of K-8 Curriculum, Instruction, Categorical Programs and Student Services Dr. Mary Suzuki in 2011, as the district prepared to implement . “However, we start the kids at the youngest age of any state.”

That's why a state law signed in 2010 changed the birthday cutoff for admission to kindergarten, requiring a student to turn 5 by November 1 for the 2012-13 school year. For the 2013–14 school year, the cutoff date is October 1.

The law also requires school districts to provide transitional kindergarten for children whose admission to kindergarten would be delayed.

This means: "the first year of a two-year kindergarten program [will use] a modified kindergarten curriculum that is age and developmentally appropriate," according to the California Department of Education. 

However, Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed to eliminate the two-year program to save $224 million.

But regardless of this new legislation, the question still remains: Is it fair to hold a kindergartener back? 

Whether or not a parent decides to do this is a "family decision," said Shapiro. "We have the responsilbity to educate all children ... when the state says they are ready." 

Patch Asks: What age did your kid start kindergarten? Was he or she ready for the curriculum? Is it fair to hold a student back?