No more 4-year-olds in kindergarten: CT lawmakers end waivers for underage students
Younger students can request a waiver to attend kindergarten early. But waivers will be phased out by 2027 under "emergency" legislation approved Thursday evening.
More Stories
Connecticut lawmakers are scrapping waivers allowing hundreds of 4-year-olds to enroll in kindergarten before they’re eligible.
The move puts Connecticut in line with most other states, but parents are worried about added childcare costs.
NEW CUT-OFF DATE
Taina Lukianova had to wait an extra year to send her daughter to kindergarten – because she was born a few weeks too late.
“I don’t mind because she was [born] in January and it’s better,” she said. “Later is good, but I know the parents want the kindergarten earlier because it’s extra money.”
Connecticut moved the kindergarten cut-off date to Sept. 1, starting with the 2024-25 school year. Before then, kids could enroll if they turned 5-years-old by Jan. 1.
State lawmakers moved the date up after pressure from education advocates.
“Children that enter before age 5 on average do not do as well in third grade as those that are more mature,” said Fran Rabinowitz, executive director of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents.
But there are exceptions.
Parents can apply for a waiver if school leaders deem it “developmentally appropriate.” And many of them have. In the law’s first year, 300 families requested waivers from Stamford Public Schools.
NO MORE WAIVERS
Those exemptions are about to end.
Connecticut will phase out kindergarten waivers beginning this fall, under a massive legislative package that received final approval on Thursday evening. The bills received “emergency certification,” meaning they bypassed public hearings and committee votes.
School superintendents said the waiver process is too inconsistent and that many 4-year-olds simply aren’t ready for kindergarten.
“It will be better if we just stick with the 5-year-olds,” Rabinowitz said.
PARENTS CONCERNED
The change has many parents worried about paying for an extra year of day care. But that could change in 2027, when Gov. Ned Lamont’s Universal Pre-K Program starts offering free or reduced-cost child care to all families.
“Thankfully, Gov. Lamont put together the blue-ribbon commission and put a tremendous amount of dollars into pre-school,” said Rabinowitz.
Families also have time to adjust. School districts will keep the option of issuing waivers for one more year. But starting in Fall 2027, waivers are banned altogether.
“I was in that boat with my own children,” said state Rep. Jason Rojas (D-East Hartford), the Connecticut House Democratic leader. “Younger than they otherwise [would be], but they were ready for school.”
Lukianova understands the concerns about waivers, but thinks children should keep the option to start early.
“Because some kids are very mature and smart,” she said.
