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This question is for the parents/teachers of kids born after school admission cut off date in GA its Sept 1st
We are having trouble to make a decision whether to send DD to school for preK 2 or preK 1. She is december born kid which means she misses the cuttoff date by 3 months. Our situation is little bit different in a sense that she has been going to church preschool for 2 years at least now. and because of her birthdate she qualifies for Prek1 and not Prek2.
I know for the fact that no public school would accept her due to age restriction. but I may have a chance in private school that means I will be shelling about 5K each year for at least 3 years. until she goes to grade 2 and then cutoff date restriction does not apply anymore. Thoughts? suggestions?
For what it is worth I've never heard of a parent who voiced the opinion sending their child to school a year later was a mistake.
We kept ours (July birthday) back an extra year and today I am 100% sure we did the right thing 35 years ago. Oh yes, we did I'm positive.
But I have heard many a parent regret the decision to send their child early. It isn't just academics it's social development that matters too.
Of course, a few months may not seem like a lot of time now, and children develop and mature at different speeds, however, if you start your child early she will always be the youngest.
She may be the tall at age three but that may not continue. being young may even effect her skill at competing in team sports. She will be the last of her friends to get a drivers license, the last to turn 18. You will have to deal with things like curfews and social events where everyone is older and maybe more mature. It would even lead to sending her off to college at age 17 (if I'm calculating it correctly).
In stead of looking at just the short term, be sure to consider the long term effects of sending her to school early.
These are non-issues, not even on the radar for younger kids in the class. And what's wrong with sending a kid to college at 17? It's more common than you think. Some enter college at 16, and do fine. As one of those kids who was started 1/2 year early (January birthday), these things didn't cross my mind. I was as good at sports as other kids, better than some, and the OP's child won't be playing team sports until she gets older and has some good growth on her, anyway. If the OP starts the child in a private school, she likely won't be the youngest. There will be a couple of other kids in the class her age, if not younger (like me ). In later grades, some kids skipped from earlier grades will begin showing up, so they'll be the youngest by far. And why would a few months' difference mean anything anyway? The youngest by 3 months? It's insignificant, except in exceptional cases. This is much ado about nothing.
And what's wrong with sending a kid to college at 17? It's more common than you think. Some enter college at 16, and do fine.
My state has had a September 1st deadline for entering school for decades. While I could not find the statistics it is my educated guess that the number of full time college students, in my state, who have not turned 18 is probably about 1 or 2 per 1,000 students. I asked my adult children if anyone from their high school graduating classes were not 18 when they started college full time and they could not think of even one student, I was trying to think of any students in the HSs where I am a sub teacher and I couldn't even think of one. I think it is especially uncommon now that so many HSs offer AP classes. Many of the HSs in my area offer 20 to 30 different AP classes, far more than a HS student can even fit into their schedule.
Perhaps it is more common in your area to have a child skip a grade or to leave HS as a sophomore or junior and go directly to college but it isn't in my area. Now a teen can take classes directly from local colleges/Universities, not just AP classes while they are in HS (that is not that unusual, heck I did that 45 years ago) however, IMHO, that is different from attending college full time.
Three months too young?? I would just put her in a different preschool so she'll have a different experience. I haven't met a teacher yet that would recommend early entry into school. There's a reason for cut-off dates.
I agree. Most of these threads are about kids who miss the cutoff by days or weeks, not months.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nicet4
For what it is worth I've never heard of a parent who voiced the opinion sending their child to school a year later was a mistake.
We kept ours (July birthday) back an extra year and today I am 100% sure we did the right thing 35 years ago. Oh yes, we did I'm positive.
But I have heard many a parent regret the decision to send their child early. It isn't just academics it's social development that matters too.
Well, I have heard of it. One family sent two girls late, a June birthday and a July BD. The June kid was/is very bright and just didn't quite fit well by HS. The July kid actually went to summer school to get credits so she could graduate with her age-mates. But I would never send a kid who misses the cut-off by three months early; that's a different situation.
For what it is worth I've never heard of a parent who voiced the opinion sending their child to school a year later was a mistake.
We kept ours (July birthday) back an extra year and today I am 100% sure we did the right thing 35 years ago. Oh yes, we did I'm positive.
But I have heard many a parent regret the decision to send their child early. It isn't just academics it's social development that matters too.
THIS a thousand times over. NEVER have I encountered someone who regretted either delaying entry or their child being older than the others. FWIW, we decided at the last minute to hold our August birthday son back from entering Kinder...best decision ever made.
As a teacher, I can tell you on day 1 who has a birthday when in my classroom (5th grade). I have encountered many parents who wished they had held back/delayed entry. But once you're on the path, repeating a year can be hard on a child.
My state has had a September 1st deadline for entering school for decades. While I could not find the statistics it is my educated guess that the number of full time college students, in my state, who have not turned 18 is probably about 1 or 2 per 1,000 students. I asked my adult children if anyone from their high school graduating classes were not 18 when they started college full time and they could not think of even one student, I was trying to think of any students in the HSs where I am a sub teacher and I couldn't even think of one. I think it is especially uncommon now that so many HSs offer AP classes. Many of the HSs in my area offer 20 to 30 different AP classes, far more than a HS student can even fit into their schedule.
Perhaps it is more common in your area to have a child skip a grade or to leave HS as a sophomore or junior and go directly to college but it isn't in my area. Now a teen can take classes directly from local colleges/Universities, not just AP classes while they are in HS (that is not that unusual, heck I did that 45 years ago) however, IMHO, that is different from attending college full time.
IDK. Several of my friends in school were 17 upon entering college, and as a university academic adviser, I'd run into cases like that not frequently, but occasionally. It's not uncommon among private school students for various reasons (entering a year early, skipping a grade, or finishing HS early), but in public schools the cases would obviously be limited to those who skipped a grade. In adulthood, I've had several friends who started college at 16. I didn't ask how any of them did it.
These are non-issues, not even on the radar for younger kids in the class. And what's wrong with sending a kid to college at 17? It's more common than you think.
Quote:
Originally Posted by germaine2626
My state has had a September 1st deadline for entering school for decades. While I could not find the statistics it is my educated guess that the number of full time college students, in my state, who have not turned 18 is probably about 1 or 2 per 1,000 students.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth
as a university academic adviser, I'd run into cases like that not frequently, but occasionally. It's not uncommon among private school students for various reasons (entering a year early, skipping a grade, or finishing HS early), but in public schools the cases would obviously be limited to those who skipped a grade.
So, as a university academic adviser is "1 or 2 students per 1,000 students" starting college full time under age 18 "common" (more common than I would think)?
THIS a thousand times over. NEVER have I encountered someone who regretted either delaying entry or their child being older than the others. FWIW, we decided at the last minute to hold our August birthday son back from entering Kinder...best decision ever made.
As a teacher, I can tell you on day 1 who has a birthday when in my classroom (5th grade). I have encountered many parents who wished they had held back/delayed entry. But once you're on the path, repeating a year can be hard on a child.
Repost:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Katarina Witt
Well, I have heard of it. One family sent two girls late, a June birthday and a July BD. The June kid was/is very bright and just didn't quite fit well by HS. The July kid actually went to summer school to get credits so she could graduate with her age-mates. But I would never send a kid who misses the cut-off by three months early; that's a different situation.
My oldest daughter has a December birthday and she is super smart. I did check out the guidelines for starting K early, and they were pretty involved, and expensive. We decided not to pursue it. Instead, she went to preschool as a 3-year old, already knowing how to read, skipped pre-K as a 4-year old (we were traveling as a family) and started kindergarten at age 5 years, 9 months. She's tall for her age, old for her grade, and the smartest person I've ever met. But, you know what? As a 3-year old in preschool, she wasn't bored. Preschool is fun! She made friends, did crafty projects I don't do at home, played silly games. Just because she was academically very advanced, didn't mean she didn't belong with her peer group. One day I watched her class on the playground, which was simultaneously occupied by the 4-year old class. I was really struck by how much more mature the 4-year olds were.
When she started kindergarten, the school was very good at differentiating instruction for English Language Arts, so she was never twiddling her thumbs while the rest of the class worked on Level 1 books. They weren't as great as differentiating for math, and we did eventually skip a grade for that one subject, but I don't think starting a year early would have really made a difference there.
I'm glad she's with the class she's in (just finishing 4th grade). I didn't really want her pushed ahead when kids are expected to have their own cell phones, start the boy-girl drama, wear make-up. I liked having her be a kid, even if she is a smart one. I can supplement more at home, than the schools can do, anyway.
My oldest daughter has a December birthday and she is super smart. I did check out the guidelines for starting K early, and they were pretty involved, and expensive. We decided not to pursue it. Instead, she went to preschool as a 3-year old, already knowing how to read, skipped pre-K as a 4-year old (we were traveling as a family) and started kindergarten at age 5 years, 9 months. She's tall for her age, old for her grade, and the smartest person I've ever met. But, you know what? As a 3-year old in preschool, she wasn't bored. Preschool is fun! She made friends, did crafty projects I don't do at home, played silly games. Just because she was academically very advanced, didn't mean she didn't belong with her peer group. One day I watched her class on the playground, which was simultaneously occupied by the 4-year old class. I was really struck by how much more mature the 4-year olds were.
When she started kindergarten, the school was very good at differentiating instruction for English Language Arts, so she was never twiddling her thumbs while the rest of the class worked on Level 1 books. They weren't as great as differentiating for math, and we did eventually skip a grade for that one subject, but I don't think starting a year early would have really made a difference there.
I'm glad she's with the class she's in (just finishing 4th grade). I didn't really want her pushed ahead when kids are expected to have their own cell phones, start the boy-girl drama, wear make-up. I liked having her be a kid, even if she is a smart one. I can supplement more at home, than the schools can do, anyway.
Great post.
I think that a lot of people do not realize how much differentiating instruction /individualized instruction takes place in most public school classrooms. It is not unusual for there to be very, very beginning readers in the same kindergarten classroom as children starting to read 2nd grade chapter books and everything in between and six (or more) different reading groups. Reading and math are not "one size fits all" as was more common a few decades ago.
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). In later grades, some kids skipped from earlier grades will begin showing up, so they'll be the youngest by far. And why would a few months' difference mean anything anyway? The youngest by 3 months? It's insignificant, except in exceptional cases. This is much ado about nothing.
