school age (Dallas, Plano: credit, daycare, school districts)

[jacob]

what are the age requirements in Dallas area elementary schools ?

is it different for public, charter and private schools ?
is it different by school district or is it decided at the state level ?

my son is September born. i heard he will miss the August cutoff for joining elementary. is it better to send 1 year late or better to send early ?

can i send to a private school for an year (assuming they have fewer age restrictions) and switch to public school later and not have to deal with cutoff dates ?

[FarNorthDallas]

For Kinder, it's 5 by Sept. 1.
For 1st grade it's 6 by Sept. 1.
Once you are in 2nd it doesn't matter.
Most private school follow this, as well. I don't know any that don't, except Montessori which doesn't really have grade levels.
Charter schools are public schools so they follow this, too.
Some school districts will say if the kid can pass the 3rd grade TAKS before entering kinder then they can start early.
With so many kids being held back in the first place, your Sept. child will not be the oldest of his grade. My son is an October baby and is one of the youngest in his grades.

[sonshinelife]

Originally Posted by jacob

what are the age requirements in Dallas area elementary schools ?

is it different for public, charter and private schools ?
is it different by school district or is it decided at the state level ?

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"] the state makes the age criteria decisions and public and charter must follow the same mandate as far as age start.[/color]

my son is September born. i heard he will miss the August cutoff for joining elementary. is it better to send 1 year late or better to send early ?
You don't have the choice ... if he is not 5 by Sept. 1 he will not be able to attend any public school. Also, in my experience as a teacher he will benefit from the later start anyway. My own child is one of these children and I am not worried at all about this year. He is so much more ready than he would of been last year. My nephew was a Aug. baby and his parents opted to not send him to school until the following year. They had the option to start him in kinder and they didn't. He is now in college and has always been top of his class academically. I really feel for boys this extra year is crucial. Some girls too.

[color="Black"]can i send to a private school for an year (assuming they have fewer age restrictions) and switch to public school later and not have to deal with cutoff dates ?[/COLOR]

If you send him to private you have to make sure he is attending an accredited school and it still very difficult to do. The school districts can do credit by exam test... but believe me these tests are very difficult. [B]food for thought questions:[/b]
Why would you do this? Is it more of a conveinance for you and your wife? Is it really in the best interest of your child? Is it for financial reasons?

My own child attended private kinder at an accredited daycare/school this past year due to the age cut off. He is very bright and his current teacher wanted me to do a credit by exam with him. I chose not too( I think sometimes we rush our children through things when they really just need to be kids) and I will still have him attend public kinder. Teaching is done differntly now. Expectations are much more advanced and the quality of public education has drastically improved over the last 10 years (this is my 22nd year of teaching).

[AngelLynn]

Hi, I know the cut off for Kindergarten is September 1. Your child must be 5 by then. I too have a child who was born in September. September 7th to be exact. He will miss the cut off. In order for your child to qualify to go to K early, there are programs to help your child prepare and take a test through the school. The only one I know of right now is a private school I used to teach at in Plano. They have what is called a junior kindergarten for 4 year olds. They should be able to recognize all of their letters, and numbers at the start of the school year. Also letter sounds. The children at this school, Plano Day School start learning the basics at 18 months. By the time they are four they start to actually read. At the end of the junior k program, they will test your child to see if your child can go to kindergarten early. This is accredited and legal. Oh, one more note: for others reading this, your child's birthdate must be between september through december to qualify. So no children that turn 5 after the new year. [url=http://www.planodayschool.com]Plano Day School[/url]