Dear Dorie,

I’m a stay-at-home parent with two children under the age of three. I’m interested in delaying the school experience for as long as possible. When am I required to send my children to school? Most of our playgroup friends are entering preschool at age three, this seems awfully early to me. Can I wait until four or five without hurting my children?

Pause on Preschool



Dear Pauser,

Believe it or not, in the state of California, school attendance is not mandated by law until first grade. That translates to six years of age by December 2 of the year they start school. While most parents choose to enroll their child in kindergarten around age 5, you are not legally bound to do so.

Preschool, on the other hand, is a total parent choice. There is mixed research about the benefits of beginning at age three but most educators agree that if the philosophy and curriculum of the school is age-appropriate and developmentally sound, a few half days of preschool each week benefits the child primarily in the social/emotional development domain. By 4, the average preschool experience is five half-days per week and I know many kindergarten teachers that highly recommend at least one year of preschool.

You may also want to look at home-schooling as an option for preschool. If you google, “home schooling for preschoolers,” you’ll get about two million websites with information! Regardless of your friends’ decisions, each child is different and you will ultimately want to address the unique needs of your children and your resources as their first teacher. Good luck.

Dorie

Dorie Meek is director of the Infant & Family Support Program, provided by Saint John’s Health Center in partnership with the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. Submit questions to meek@smmusd.org.