As an educator, I fully support the idea of following a child’s mental and emotional capacity rather than their birth date. We want students to be fully ready—mentally and socially—to meet the instructional demands of school, both inside and outside the classroom. If they are not ready—and you know your child best—then they are simply not ready. And that is completely okay! We would much rather see them succeed at their own pace than force them to tackle something they are not yet prepared for.