Beginning fall of 2022 children who are five years old will be required to attend kindergarten in Louisiana. Baton Rouge Senator and Senate Education Chairman Cleo Fields who authored the legislation said it makes sense to have children learning earlier to get a head start with their education.
“All experts have opined that kids learn the most, or that the brain develops the most between the ages of birth and five years old. So, it just makes sense that our kids are learning at five,” said Fields.
Twelve other states already require kindergarten, and the Bayou State will soon be the thirteenth pending the governor’s signature. The bill did face opposition claiming mandatory kindergarten is an infringement of parental rights. But Fields said they were able to come to an agreement with the legislation.
“If parents want to keep their kids at home, they can do that through the bill through homeschool. We’ve just got to make sure that kids are getting an education at an early age,” said Fields.
Fields, a proponent of early childhood education, said making kindergarten mandatory is the first hurdle in creating more learning opportunities for children in the state.
“We’ve fallen further and further behind in the educational arena, and we have to educate our kids. We’ve got to give them a fighting chance,” said Fields.
The bill goes into effect for the 2022 school year to give school systems ample time to prepare for an increase in students. Children who turn age five by September 30th of the school year will be required to attend kindergarten.
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