Bill to Lower Kindergarten Age to Four Held After Lawmakers, Educators Warn of Developmental and Funding Risks

Despite not having expected amendments that would “drastically” overhaul proposed legislation to lower the mandatory entry age for kindergarten, Senator Alma Francis Heyliger kept the bill on Wednesday's agenda anyway, citing the “importance of having this frank discussion.”  Bill 36-0069 seeks to change the age a child begins kindergarten from five years of age to four. Senator Francis Heyliger told her colleagues on the Committee on Education and Workforce Development that she had been researching the educational structures and arrangements in other jurisdictions.  The proposed legislation came about following her conclusion that “we need to make adjustments as it relates to how we attempt to educate our students.” One of those necessary adjustments, argued Francis Heyliger, is mandating a “formal set of education from age four and not five.” She argued that enrolling them earlier could offer a “better chance, in my opinion, of potentially helping our students to get better scores....