Harvard Study Shows the Dangers of Early School Enrollment - Intellectual Takeout

Every parent knows the difference a year makes in the development and maturity of a young child.  - Kerry McDonald

A one-year-old is barely walking while a two-year-old gleefully sprints away from you... 

They are increasingly required to learn academic content at an early age that may be well above their developmental capability.

• In 1998, 31 percent of teachers expected children to learn to read in kindergarten. 
• In 2010, 80 percent of teachers expected this. 
• Now, children are expected to read in kindergarten and to become proficient readers soon after, despite research showing that pushing early literacy can do more harm than good.

In their report Reading in Kindergarten: Little to Gain and Much to Lose education professor Nancy Carlsson-Paige and her colleagues warn about the hazards of early reading instruction. 

They write,

When children have educational experiences that are not geared to their developmental level or in tune with their learning needs and cultures, it can cause them great harm, including feelings of inadequacy, anxiety and confusion...