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So I live in NYC and they do not have a birthday rule like many other states if your born that year you can start kindergarden. My son goes to catholic school and like so many other private schools here they do have the birthday rule. So he just finished pre-k even though he will be turing 6 this fall but his birthday was after october 1st. Well now I'm moving to another part of the city and the school is pretty good here and I want him to go to public school. They informed me that he will be going to first grade. I tried to fight it at the board of ed and they said that I cannot do that. How can he just skip kindergarten? Wont be be more disadvantaged than the other kids. I don't mind putting him in another private school but I find this so irritating.
I honestly don't think it's a big deal, especially considering he has been going to school already. Kindergarten is supposed to be the great equalizer. It catches up the kids who are behind or have never gone to school and reenforces learned topics/skills for those who have. Since he's been in pre-k, he probably has a leg up on letters, numbers, sight reading, writing etc. Kids learn so fast at this age, so even if he seems a bit behind at first, with a little extra help from you or maybe a tutor, he should catch up quickly. He can always repeat the first grade if he lags behind, then he'll be where you wanted him anyway .
I honestly don't think it's a big deal, especially considering he has been going to school already. Kindergarten is supposed to be the great equalizer. It catches up the kids who are behind or have never gone to school and reenforces learned topics/skills for those who have. Since he's been in pre-k, he probably has a leg up on letters, numbers, sight reading, writing etc. Kids learn so fast at this age, so even if he seems a bit behind at first, with a little extra help from you or maybe a tutor, he should catch up quickly. He can always repeat the first grade if he lags behind, then he'll be where you wanted him anyway .
I agree. Pre-k and K are the same except for a few minor details. I kinda wish my kids could have skipped kindergarten because they learned all the same stuff in pre-k so they were bored.
I honestly don't think it's a big deal, especially considering he has been going to school already. Kindergarten is supposed to be the great equalizer. It catches up the kids who are behind or have never gone to school and reenforces learned topics/skills for those who have. Since he's been in pre-k, he probably has a leg up on letters, numbers, sight reading, writing etc. Kids learn so fast at this age, so even if he seems a bit behind at first, with a little extra help from you or maybe a tutor, he should catch up quickly. He can always repeat the first grade if he lags behind, then he'll be where you wanted him anyway .
But it will be up to the school whether or not he repeats 1st grade, not the parents.
I would find out what the requirements/goals are for by the end of kindergarten. In our public school all children are "expected" to be reading by the end of kindergarten. If he's not at the level he's expected to be when starting 1st grade you might want to do another year at private school and then switch him.
I don't know about NY, but in Texas, Kinder is not mandatory. The age cut off is that you need to be 6 by Sept 1 to enter 1st grade. The unofficial rule is then that you must be 5 by Sept 1 to enter Kinder, but it's not mandatory.
So, for your 6 year old with an October birthday to enter public school, that would be 1st grade.
I agree. Pre-k and K are the same except for a few minor details. I kinda wish my kids could have skipped kindergarten because they learned all the same stuff in pre-k so they were bored.
Kindergarten is certainly not like preK in the school districts in my area.
By the end of Kindergarten you are expected to have at least a 65 word sight vocabulary, be able to decode simple words, read a variety of simple books independently (some kindergarteners are already reading easy chapter books), do simple addition & subtraction problems at least to plus or minus 10 and preferably plus or minus 20, identify coins and add like coins (basic level), write simple short stories with a beginning, middle and a conclusion using spelling that can be read by another person (ie. not every word is spelled correctly but other people can read what you have written) plus a lot more. And, I am told that some districts may have even more advanced requirements.
That does not sound like a typical preK curriculum to me.
OP, find out what your district expects children to know before they start 1st grade. Sometimes a child can skip kindergarten and be perfectly fine.
But often it means a constant struggle and huge frustrations in 1st grade. Most of the children that I know who went directly from preschool to 1st grade ended up repeating 1st grade. Of course, your child may be ready for 1st grade.
Last edited by germaine2626; 06-25-2015 at 03:00 PM..
If he attended an academic pre-k program, he might very well be fine; however, you might want to take a look at the state standards and work through the summer to fill in the gaps if you know he's missing skills.
I agree. Pre-k and K are the same except for a few minor details. I kinda wish my kids could have skipped kindergarten because they learned all the same stuff in pre-k so they were bored.
They aren't the same in my state. I sent my kids to a Pre-K that was more academic and while they did learn a great deal they didn't learn all they needed to know to complete K. The standards here are they need to be able to count to 100 by the end of K though my daughter did it at the beginning. They also need to be able to read on a D level and have some comprehension skills. They don't move up a level unless they can tell you what happened in the book and by then end of K write down what happened in the book. K is now 1st grade. I wouldn't want my child skipping K unless he could most of what is required. It wouldn't be fun for him to be behind his peers in 1st grade.
I don't know about NY, but in Texas, Kinder is not mandatory. The age cut off is that you need to be 6 by Sept 1 to enter 1st grade. The unofficial rule is then that you must be 5 by Sept 1 to enter Kinder, but it's not mandatory.
So, for your 6 year old with an October birthday to enter public school, that would be 1st grade.
He is not 6 yet he is 5 he will be six in october. He can read, write, and do basic addition. However, he is not very mature and having to sit down for a longer time and losing nap may be a big shock. His catholic school was willing to deal with it not so sure how public school is.
A lot of kids turn six after starting kindergarten. If the NYC cut-off is October 1, then he should attend kindergarten by reason of his birth date. I think you should follow through OP, let him have that extra year.
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