I am a kindergarten teacher and at the end of each school year we do developmental assessments on the upcoming kindergarten students. There is a large amount of controversy in my community about whether child with summer birthdays should start at 5 or 6. As an educator I feel strongly that children should be as close to 6 as they can be when entering kindergarten due to the more rigorous curriculum and expectations. Many parents feel differently. In my state a child may enter kindergarten if their 5th birthday falls on or before September 10th. Many parents say that they did just fine at 5 in kindergarten so their child should be too. I don't think parents understand how much kindergarten has changed. What is your opinion on the matter? If you (or may someday) have a child that this would effect, what would your decision be?