If you're a college sports fan, you may be familiar with redshirting. It's the practice of keeping athletes out of competition so they can improve their skills and extend their playing eligibility. 

These days it's also a term used when the start of kindergarten is delayed a year. More parents are considering holding their children back a year until they're more mature.

Parents often ask themselves whether their kids are ready for kindergarten when the time comes to make that big transition. 

No question, Sara Goldstein says, that her 5-year-old Kiernan was not ready to start kindergarten.

"That last extra year of preschool, he was that kid that was rolling around to get laughs. He was a character. He was a clown," said Goldstein, Senior Commerce Editor for the parenting platform Motherly.

"I don't know if it was because he is the firstborn, his own personality, being a boy sometimes it's stereotypical. It's tricky."

Goldstein isn't alone, joining a growing number of parents waiting to enroll their child in kindergarten even though the traditional calendar shows it's time.   

It's become so well-known over the last several decades it has a name borrowed from college sports. Redshirting means student-athletes are on the team but stay out of competition for a season to up their game.    

In the case of kindergarten, it means the child gets another year to mature emotionally and academically.   
   
"Some kids who are just go-getters are competitive. They want that extra competition and rise to the occasion. But you may have a child that is a late birthday, younger, a little more timid, and they could benefit from being the older child that has more self-confidence," said Dr. Daniel Huerta of Focus on the Family.  

According to the numbers, parents are more likely to delay their sons than daughters.   

"My daughter, and because she had an older brother who kind of showed her the way and just who she is, was born ready. She went to kindergarten and freshly turned 5 and she has had no problems academically or emotionally," said Goldstein.

"There's just a natural difference in the pace of development between boys and girls. Not that girls are smarter than boys, there's no evidence of an intelligence gap. But girls do develop those skills around the organization, forward planning, etc. somewhat earlier than boys do," said Richard Reeves of the Brookings Institute.   

Estimates on the number of students who are redshirted vary with a recent survey showing it has doubled since 1980 from 10 to 20 percent.

Still, the growing practice of redshirting can become controversial – if say, the motivation is because parents hope it might give their child an academic, social, or athletic edge over their younger peers.    
   
"There are some parents that really want their kids to have the advantage to have a college scholarship or be the number one, the best in sports. And an initial glance you go, but that's not a bad thing. But the amount of pressure developmentally that comes with that type of environment is not usually the healthiest for a child," said Huerta.   

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The numbers show that lower-income parents are less likely to hold a child back from starting Kindergarten due to the cost of preschool or daycare.

During the pandemic, more parents delayed the start of Kindergarten too with enrollment estimated to have dropped nationally by 16 percent in the 2020-21 school year. 

No matter the reason, redshirting can also create challenges for teachers now managing a wider range of maturity and ability levels in the class.   
   
While some studies indicate a small academic advantage, with redshirted kids more likely to attend college, others show no significant differences between those who start kindergarten later and those who start on time.

But experts agree a delay can be damaging for at-risk populations such as children in low-income families and special needs students who will wait an extra year to access public school services.
  
Though for many families, the extra cost of another year of daycare or preschool is too much of a financial burden. Some school districts, including New York City, do not allow redshirting, citing equity.   

Ultimately, parents who have the choice must make the call.  
   
"It's just important to strike a balance here between wanting the best for our kids and not coddling them too much," said Reeves.   
   
As for Kiernan, now 17 and college-bound, Goldstein has no regrets.    
   
"He's incredibly well prepared at this point. We have one more year with him to train him to do the laundry correctly and when he's out in the world he's had that one extra year to feel like he has all the tools he needs."