Hi newmom- I'm sure it varies by school, but most in our area take kids as young as 3yo. My DS9 started in a class for 3-5yo kids when he was in K; he loved it, though pretty quickly moved up into what they call juniors here. He liked that too, but the young class was exactly what he needed at that age- they always ended with a game, and there was a lot of emphasis on safety, focus, self-esteem, etc. They made sure the kids knew their address/phone, knew how to react in multiple scenarios with strangers, and even practiced a "polite greeting" to an unknown adult in every class (another parent chosen by the instructor.) All skills I wanted him to know, but received much better coming from someone other than mom, IYKWIM.
Thanks! Wow, that sounds great with all those safety lessons, definitely something we'd be interested in. We have a Karate school literally right next door to us so I might ask there when they start (I'm not sure if it's for kids, though...). There's also one associated with DD's school but I think I recall them start at age 5.
