WHAT AGE SHOULD A CHILD BE IN SCHOOL, HEADSTART OR KINDERGATEN AND WOULD IT HURT HIM TO START EARLY

hi Estelle
it depends on your child and when you think he is ready, when he is ready you will know.
Preschool. nursey kindergarten etc are all different whereever you go. why not visit a few settings where your child can go to see if you both like it.
A good setting will let you just pop in or make an appointment to go along to have a look around and ask all your questions to the manager or person in charge.
Its good for kids to mix with others and practice for school, ie get used to a more structured day for older children going to school september 2006 or if he's younger just to learn how to share, experience some aspects of the curriculum in a relaxed environment and feel safe and secure in other settings other than home. All settings vary and it largely depends on what you are looking for for your son but you will gain this info by ringing to arrange a series of visits to see which places suit yours and your son's needs. I do hope this answers your questions and gives you some pointers. good luck with that.

Children must be 5 by Oct. 15th in my state (I'm not sure if that is true everywhere.) As a former teacher, I can tell you that the more time they have to learn and develop before they come to school the better off they are when they get to school. Just learning to abide by a school routine, social interaction, and the ability to focus on various tasks, is very important. The more mature the child is when he/she starts the better. Experience shows that boys tend to mature more slowly than girls do.
Don't rush it! It is not free babysitting..........