Suggestion on Texas rule for Sept 1 cut off date for getting admission in KG (Dallas: daycare, middle school)

[new_desi]

My daughter is Sept 4 born and she will be going to 4 years next month. I recently moved to Plano TX and learned that the cut-off date in Texas is Sept 1, my daughter will miss to get admission in Kinder Garden by 3 days. I live in Plano (Collin county). I have choices of lots of montessory schools. Can somebody suggest how do I can save her one year, I really want her to get into KG next year.

[TurtleCreek80]

Your only possible chance is a private school (non public ISD), although most privates are 1) full, since class starts in a few weeks and 2) abide by the 9/1 cutoff as well.

It's really for the best that you don't send a 4 y/o (barely 5 y/o) into kindergarten as most of her classmates will be 6 and turning 7 during the school year. Most parents hold back kids whose birthdays are January 1 or later. Emotionally and physically, it's best to make sure your kid is "middle of the pack" instead of the youngest/ smallest/ weakest. You may not notice it now, but come middle school & later, there is a NOTICABLE difference.

[FalconheadWest]

What you need to do is private kindergarten, and then next year you apply to have her in 1st grade. They will test her and it's up to the school if they think she's ready, but you cannot enter public kindergarten at age 4. My daughter will do Primrose's private Kindergarten and then go to public 1st grade.

[debtex]

Originally Posted by new_desi

My daughter is Sept 4 born and she will be going to 4 years next month. I recently moved to Plano TX and learned that the cut-off date in Texas is Sept 1, my daughter will miss to get admission in Kinder Garden by 3 days. I live in Plano (Collin county). I have choices of lots of montessory schools. Can somebody suggest how do I can save her one year, I really want her to get into KG next year.

I would wait. The trend is to send kids later to give them a leg up...google "red shirt kindergarten" to read articles debating the issue of when to start. TC80 has the ages wrong, but the direction right - most kids in kinder these days are 5 turning 6, and most start kinder with rudimentary reading and addition skills.

I was young for my grade in school and it was not ideal. It's really best to hold out and do pre-k for another year...

[FarNorthDallas]

You'll have to wait until 2nd grade to transition back into public school. There is a cut off for 1st grade, too - Age 6 by Sept. 1 - but no cut off for 2nd grade.

I don't know of any school - public or private - that will take a 4-year-old as a kindergartener.

(As you pointed out Montessori is the exception because they don't recognize grade levels.)

[FalconheadWest]

Primrose does it routinely. It's private, so they can do what they want. They then coordinate with the public school for the early admission for 1st grade. There are two other kids along with my daughter who will be doing early K and going into 1st at age 5.

[loves2read]

I think as someone suggested you will have to wait until 2nd grade for your daughter to enter public school as a 2nd grader

[FarNorthDallas]

I always just think of Primrose as a daycare not a school, but that's good to know. It's good to have options.

[FalconheadWest]

Originally Posted by FarNorthDallas

I always just think of Primrose as a daycare not a school, but that's good to know. It's good to have options.

It's definitely not just a daycare. My daughter is 3 1/2 and going into Pre-K with the 4 year olds at the end of the month, and will then do Kinder next year. They require a 2 week notice to run the necessary tests to ensure a smooth transition to public 1st, otherwise you have to go into public K.

And I think 6 is the max age where you have to either put your kid into K or declare home-schooling, otherwise your kid is truant.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by debtex

I would wait. The trend is to send kids later to give them a leg up...google "red shirt kindergarten" to read articles debating the issue of when to start. TC80 has the ages wrong, but the direction right - most kids in kinder these days are 5 turning 6, and most start kinder with rudimentary reading and addition skills.

I was young for my grade in school and it was not ideal. It's really best to hold out and do pre-k for another year...

No, I meant 6 turning 7 during the school year. A child with a January - August birthday who is held back (normal in many districts) will start at age 6-6.5 vs 5-5.5 if they had not been held back. I was a summer bday and entered kindergarten with about 1/4 of the class being 1.5 years older than me. These same kids turned 16 in the spring of freshman year, 19 at graduation, and 30 a long time before I did!

It's only gotten more common to hold back January-May (vs back in the 1980's when it was just the summer birthdays), especially in private schools and the competitive public districts.