Determining whether the age children enter kindergarten affects academic and social development

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the age children enter kindergarten has an effect on their behavior and academic and social development. This study examined age eligible children with summer birthdays who delayed kindergarten entry by one year and age eligible children with summer birthdays who started kindergarten on-time. It was hypothesized that the older kindergarten students or age eligible children who delayed kindergarten entry would perform better academically, have better social skills, and have less problem behaviors. The Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS) Rating Scale was used for this study. The SSIS assessed academic competence, social skills, and problem behaviors. Results indicated that delayed entry kindergarten students did significantly better academically. Results also indicated that there were no significant differences between delayed entrants and on-time entrants in terms of social skills and problem behaviors