Age cut off dates for school enrollment (Star: appointed, fit in)
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I was looking into getting my daughter enrolled in pre-k this year but the CMS website states the child has to be four by August 31. Originally, I was told the cut off date was October 16. My daughter will be four on September 10th. Does anyone know if there are any type of exceptions or alternatives? Has the cut off date changed state wide?
I am pretty sure that private pre-schools don't adhere strictly to these guidelines, though. Kids move up typically when they are old enough and there is room. Something to consider. Not sure which schools will do this, so you'll have to call around.
Edited to say: even for kindergarten check the private schools for how that works. It may be more difficult to get them in to kinder when "younger" vs pre-school but still possible.
Last edited by chicagomichauds; 07-30-2009 at 12:43 PM..
Reason: more info
I serve on a board of a church with a preschool. The state law change has impacted our preschool in the respect that there will be some of the older Fours that normally would have advanced to Kindergarten who will need spend an extra year in preschool. It has created a bit of a bottleneck for this one year, but it should level out. It will probably make it more difficult to find an opening in a Four-Year-Old program this year, however.
Thank you for the responses and info. In a way it seems silly but honestly, I'm really upset by this and now I think we will have to pay for private school at least until second grade. I also understand private school is not just a show up, pay your money, and you're in type of process. Starting school at 6 years old is just not sitting right with me. I guess with the old cut off of Oct 16th, I was one of the ones that just narrowly passed the cut off date and was always one of the youngest kids in class. Even still, I graduated high school at age 17 in the top 5% of my class, as a North Carolina Scholar, National Honor Society and Vocational Honor Society member. So in my mind, it's very HARD to convince me that it's easier for children to do well LATER if they start school later.
It also depends alot on the maturity of the child. Some 4 yr olds (going on 5) are more mature than others....when you have a mature "younger" child, it makes it easier to fit in.....
I am having this exact problem. We just moved from VA and I was informed the day before school that my 4 yo daughter (to be 5 on 9/9) will not be able to start K because she will not be 5 by Aug 31st! She has had a full year of PreK and is more than ready for K. Have you found any loopholes?
I had a long talk with the principal about my 4 yr old... Cutoff is 12/1 and his bday is 12/22. Since he's a 2nd child he advanced so much faster then the oldest. For example, he writes all his letters / numbers because he made us give him "homework" while our older son did his. We felt that he was ready for K and wanted to see if we could start him "early" (we're not even talking 3 weeks). The principal was great and understanding - explained the process to request it... essentially put a written request to the board.
That all said, we continued to talk and he related his experience with starting one of his sons "early". At the time it seemed like a great idea, 1 year less of paying for child care or a pre-K program. But now the child is in college and starting him early put him in college with his older brother. So he has TWO kids in college as opposed to 1 at a time. This is a major financial drain to him... Additionally, he felt that he took away a great opportunity for his son to excel more in sports because he was always a bit behind in size and speed through all of HS. Also, there's a growing philosophy in education that the Kinder dates need to be rolled back significantly... they're seeing a trend with special needs relating to age. 6 months or even 3 months are a huge difference in development when talking about a 4-5yr old.
These 3 things really hit home for me and we will be following the Dec 1st guideline for our son.
I had a long talk with the principal about my 4 yr old... Cutoff is 12/1 and his bday is 12/22. Since he's a 2nd child he advanced so much faster then the oldest. For example, he writes all his letters / numbers because he made us give him "homework" while our older son did his. We felt that he was ready for K and wanted to see if we could start him "early" (we're not even talking 3 weeks). The principal was great and understanding - explained the process to request it... essentially put a written request to the board.
That all said, we continued to talk and he related his experience with starting one of his sons "early". At the time it seemed like a great idea, 1 year less of paying for child care or a pre-K program. But now the child is in college and starting him early put him in college with his older brother. So he has TWO kids in college as opposed to 1 at a time. This is a major financial drain to him... Additionally, he felt that he took away a great opportunity for his son to excel more in sports because he was always a bit behind in size and speed through all of HS. Also, there's a growing philosophy in education that the Kinder dates need to be rolled back significantly... they're seeing a trend with special needs relating to age. 6 months or even 3 months are a huge difference in development when talking about a 4-5yr old.
These 3 things really hit home for me and we will be following the Dec 1st guideline for our son.
My youngest went to TK (transitional kindergarten) the year we thought he should have gone to kindergarten. I cried, I railed, I was not a happy camper. I was also dead wrong in the end
That extra year served him well most of his school career - ESPECIALLY once he hit middle school and the hormones kicked in. He was always more mature and focused than his classmates who had not attended TK and did not get off track like so many of them do in the middle school years. He was almost immune to peer pressure and became in fact a leader among his classmates. He was about to turn 19 as he graduated from high school and was so emotionally ready for college that he has had HUGE success with grades, jobs and girls (just had to throw that in there, but it is true, girls love a more mature guy at that age!)
I would tell anyone disappointed about this kindergarten thing not to sweat it - no matter HOW advanced you think your kid is and and how "ready" he is for kindergarten the reality is (studies have shown this) waiting serves them well.
North Carolina is not the only state doing this August 31 cutoff, by the way. I know of at least 5 other states off the top of my head that do this.
So even if you do not get your child in now, know that the trend is heading in the direction of slightly older.
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(just had to throw that in there, but it is true, girls love a more mature guy at that age!)
