Senate Bill S3925

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S3925

SPONSOR: SEWARD
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act directing the board of regents and the state education department
to conduct a study and make recommendations on the readiness of children
to start kindergarten and adjusting the age of mandatory attendance

 
PURPOSE:

To undertake a study which would make recommendations about having one
statewide kindergarten entrance date of age five by September 1 in any
school year.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section One - The education law is amended to create a new section to
mandate that SED and board of regents conduct a study on the appropri-
ateness of creating a statewide kindergarten entrance age of age five by
September 1 of any school year.
              

Section Two - Requires that no later than one year after the effective
date of this act the board of regents and state education department
submit such study with recommendations to the governor and state legis-
lature.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The age for kindergarten entrance ages vary. In New York State, the law
currently states that the board of education of each school district may
maintain kindergartens, which shall be free to resident children between
the ages of four and six years; provided, however, such board may fix a
higher minimum age for admission to such kindergartens. In many New York
State regions, for a child to enter kindergarten most school districts
require that he or she must turn age five before December 1 of the
school year. A number of other states use September 1st with age five in
their laws for kindergarten attendance. The compulsory attendance law in
New York State requires that all children between the ages of six and
sixteen be provided with a program of instruction, at either a public
school or elsewhere.

A growing body of evidence suggests that delaying a child's kindergarten
starting age may be beneficial to the child's mental health. Some
studies suggest delaying kindergarten entry age may have a positive
effect on student academic achievement.

This bill would direct the NYS Board of Regents and the New York State
Education Department to conduct a study and make recommendations on the
readiness of children to start kindergarten and the appropriateness of
adjusting the age of mandatory attendance.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

S. 8413 of 2017-2018, passed senate.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediate