A bill being considered by lawmakers would generally require every kindergartner in Wyoming to be at least 5 years old on the first day of school.

The current cutoff date is Sept. 15, so kids can begin kindergarten when they’re 4 years old, about to turn 5. Under House Bill 174, the new start date would be Aug. 1, effective for the 2021 school year.

“Wyoming’s [current] cutoff date is arbitrary and not based on the student’s development readiness,” Rep. Shelly Duncan, R-Lingle, the bill’s lead sponsor, said on the House floor.

If a child begins kindergarten before they’re ready, it can impact their education for years to come.

“When a student struggles academically, one of the first questions we ask is, ‘When is their birthday?’” Jason Hillman, principal of Parkside Elementary School, said in an interview.

Educators find that often — but not always — students who start kindergarten at barely 5 years old have a tendency to struggle compared to their peers, Hillman said.

The principal said he would be in favor of the Aug. 1 cutoff date.

“I just believe that gift of time does really benefit students,” Hillman said, adding that one of his daughters has a summer birthday and didn’t start kindergarten until she was 6.

Children who start kindergarten with grade-level skills typical of a 5-year-old or higher are ready for a successful education, Rep. Duncan said, “because they start ahead, they stay ahead.”

An amendment to the bill does allow for children to be screened for kindergarten readiness so they could begin early, if their birthday falls between Aug. 1 and Sept. 15.

“That was the compromise that we reached … rather than having an age, to have it be a developmental score and the parents and the administration to make that decision whether or not the child was ready to go into school,” said Rep. David Northrup, R-Powell, a co-sponsor of the bill.

Currently, a student who is 5 years old by Sept. 15 can automatically start kindergarten.

“Just because they can doesn’t mean they should,” Duncan said. “It is not advantageous for our most vulnerable learners.”

While some may argue that parents can choose when to send their child to kindergarten, that’s not always the case, she said.

“... Many families truly don’t have a choice as they don’t have the resources to pay for another year of preschool or daycare, so the only option is to send them to kindergarten, regardless of their readiness,” Duncan said.

For those who benefit from Head Start, she said the program won’t take kids who are kindergarten-eligible — which, under the current law, means any child who’s turning 5 by Sept. 15. That includes students who may be on IEPs (individualized education program) and may struggle compared to their peers, Duncan said.

“Wyoming’s kindergarten date is detrimental for many students because they simply aren’t ready to start, but their parents either have no other realistic or financial feasibility options — or their parents may not know any better and enroll their children just because they can,” Duncan said.

The Powell school district has looked at creating a KinderBoost class for 5-year-old kids who are not ready for kindergarten.

For children with summer birthdays, principal Hillman said it’s also important to consider how starting school early can affect them down the road.

“They’re going to graduate from high school when they’re 17 years old,” Hillman said.

That means they could be starting college, a trade school or whatever they choose when they’re 17 or barely 18, he said.

He said some kids are ready to start school when they’re just turning 5, but it’s important to look at the big picture.

“It’s not just if my child is ready for kindergarten … think long term and what the end of their academic career looks like also,” Hillman said.

While he’s heard parents regret sending their child to kindergarten too soon, “I’ve never heard a parent say, ‘I wish I would have started them earlier,’” Hillman said.

House Bill 174 passed the House on a 50-9 vote on its third reading Friday. Rep. Northrup voted for it, along with Reps. Sandy Newsome, R-Cody, and Jamie Flitner, R-Greybull. Rep. Dan Laursen, R-Powell, opposed it.

The Senate Education Committee unanimously approved the bill on Wednesday afternoon, sending it to the full Senate for consideration.