My DD1 is an April baby. When deciding whether she was ready to start Prep the year she turned 5, I spoke at great length with the co ordinator of her ELC (kinder), her teacher, the prep teacher and the head of the junior school. My kids attend kinder at the same school that they attend for P-12 - no doubt about what the school expects of children beginning Prep. To make a long story short, it was explained to me that school readiness is based on emotional maturity, social skills, verbal and communication skills and resilience. Whether my DD could write her name and count to a hundred (which she could) was completely irrelevant to whether she was ready for school.

Ultimately, we chose to start her at the correct time. She is now in Grade 4 and doing very well. The only downfall of starting her early has been (for us) that if she seems to struggle with anything new, I instantly wonder whether I did the right thing!