To the editor:

Re: Policy Change Adopted (Oct. 16 Capital News).

(Capital News education reporter) Kevin Parnell reported that parents in School District 23 will be able to enroll their children in full-day Kindergarten starting in September 2010.

When did education in British Columbia become a race? According to world-renowned family therapist and parenting author Steve Biddulph (www.stevebiddulph.com) full-day Kindergarten for five-year-olds is too long, and any younger is a big mistake developmentally. In support of Biddulph’s claim, a major review of British primary schools by Cambridge University included a report from the National Foundation for Educational Research, which stated the practice of allowing children to start school at age four was found to be stressful.

Yet authors Anna Riggall and Caroline Sharp found that in some countries where students start school up to two years later, many outperform their English peers. The authors conclude: “While the value of high-quality pre-school education is beyond dispute, the assumption that an early primary school starting age is beneficial for children’s later attainment is not well supported by the research evidence.”

Biddulph says the calendar is a poor guide for when a child should start school. Decades of research has shown that most boys (and some girls) are slower to develop fine-motor and language skills. Many of these children would benefit from an additional year in kindergarten—full-day senior kindergarten. They could begin Grade 1 at age seven, when their fine-motor skills are ready for pencil-and-paper work.

Biddulph writes in his best-selling book, Raising Boys: “This (later start) needn’t be done rigidly. It can be based on some simple screening of fine-motor skills and in consultation with parents and school staff. Many schools today have to dissuade parents whose attitude to education is to see it as a race, and wish to enrol children earlier and earlier as if they can get a head start!

“Thoughtful parents will understand the benefits of a delayed start for boys, once these are explained.”

Biddulph also goes on to say that a child’s starting age “can be made more flexible based on actual ability—a far more rational approach.”

Educators in several European countries such as Finland, Sweden and Denmark have promoted this idea for years, and it has paid off not only in happier children, but also in terms of academic success and far fewer drop-outs.

The Globe and Mail article by Marina Jiménez (Early Education’s Top Model: Finland, June 16, 2009 available online at www.theglobeandmail.com) reports that although all Finnish children have access to free, full-day day care (up to age five) and kindergarten (age six), they don’t begin primary school [Grade 1] until age seven.

Jiménez writes: “Finland has consistently been among the highest scorers worldwide in the international assessment for student performance—a study carried out by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

“In 2006, Finland’s 15 year olds scored the highest in science and the second highest in literacy of 57 countries. The World Economic Forum ranks Finland No. 1 in enrolment and quality and No. 2 in math and science education.”

It’s easy to understand why many parents would like full-day kindergarten, as it would be convenient for those who would otherwise seek out day care for the other half of the day. But kindergarten is more rigorous and task-oriented than day care, and most five year olds will find full-day kindergarten too demanding. In kindergarten there is less opportunity for free play, which is crucial for a child’s development.

Psychologist Kathy Hirsh-Pasek (Temple University) comments: “The philosophy of play is really about an integrated philosophy of learning. It’s about how human beings get information. We learn by being active, not passive…I think today we have a real problem in a misperception of play. I think we think of play as not work, and when we realize that, as [Jean] Piaget once said: ‘…play is the work of childhood.’ Piaget was one of the greatest living psychologists of our time.” (Listen to the interview at www.cbc.ca/ideas/features/hurried-infant/index.html)

Rather than using the $151 million set aside for full-day kindergarten, the government should be creating full-day senior kindergarten classes for those six year olds who would benefit, and restore the recent damaging cuts to programs and grants, such as the cancellation of the $110-million Annual Facilities Grant for school boards, and reduced funding for school sports and Parent Advisory Councils.

If a Canada-wide survey was done of parents who enrolled their own children in Grade 1 at age seven—especially parents who are teachers themselves—I’m certain the vast majority would say it was one of the best decisions they ever made as parents.

Children need good models and so do governments. At the very least, the Campbell government and Ministry of Education should put full-day kindergarten for five year olds on hold, and investigate the Finland model. Not to do so is to choose expediency over reason.

For more information, listen to an interview with Carl Honoré, (www.carlhonore.com) author of Under Pressure: Putting the Child Back in Childhood (www.cbc.ca/wordsatlarge/blog/2008/04/under_pressure_by_carl_honore_1.html)

David Buckna,

Kelowna