This morning I read in the newspaper about House Bill 242, which would move the kindergarten deadline from September 2 to July 1.
Some teachers and others in favor of it the bill say that it would be beneficial to have the youngest children in kindergarten be five years and two months old, not five years old. But in a time when more children than ever are enrolled in preschool, maturity and readiness should not be an issue. We will always have a few kids who aren't ready yet, and a few who are ready a year early; it should be the parents' decision to hold them back or to try and get them in.
For working mothers, this change could mean paying for an extra year of preschool or daycare; for nonworking mothers, it could mean delaying their re-entry into the workforce by another year. For me, it would mean that my children would be three years apart in school instead of two, and that is not the way I planned it.
Whenever the deadline is, we will always have children in the same grade who are almost a year apart in age. This bill is worse than daylight savings--it changes nothing, and it is a huge inconvenience.
Please email or write your Utah House Representative and ask him to vote against House Bill 242. My representative (Logan) is Fred Hunsaker (fhunsaker@utah.gov). Find out who yours is, and write him today!
Sarah Houghton