kindergarten cut off (Dallas, Howe, Vega: transfer to, private school, internship) - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

jyothisrinivasula · 10-08-2015, 02:10 PM

hi friend,

can anybody suggest me on my daughters age cutoff for pre kindergarten. she is 4 by 17th september, but she is going to 3year old class in elc. how can i save her 1 year.

VegasMan_72 · 10-08-2015, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jyothisrinivasula

hi friend,

can anybody suggest me on my daughters age cutoff for pre kindergarten. she is 4 by 17th september, but she is going to 3year old class in elc. how can i save her 1 year.

Could you please rephrase your question? What do you mean by "save her 1 year". The cut off date is September 1 in Texas for kids to attend public kindergarten. This subject pops up quite often on this forum mostly by Indians. In India it's very common to send kids to school as early as 2. Modern studies have shown that delayed school start is actually better for kids in the long run. Some of the European countries start schooling as late as 7. I know many folks here in America who "redshirt " their kids with August birthdays, which I'm a strong supporter of.

DallasG · 10-08-2015, 02:30 PM

You can save one year of schooling or give her an edge for all schooling years. KG cutoff date for Texas is 1st September. Parents here like to red shirt so even if kid was born in March, he wouldn't go to school that year. If they let your daughter to school the year she is turning 5, she'll have kids in her class who are up to 1/2- 1 1/2 year older, have better cognitive skills, physical strength and mental maturity on top of an extra year of study skills from private KG.

Your daughter may be smarter than all of them but she'll have many disadvantages. She may not make GT track, she may get pushed around on playground, teacheres may not think of her as the sharpest cookie in the class. It can effect her self esteem. In teen years, it may become a social disadvantage as other girls may be looking hotter, attracting boys (matters to most girls), getting on sports team, driving, getting internship opportunities earlier. It's just one little advantage over many disadvantages.

However, if you don't agree with this line of thought then keep her in private school and transfer to public for first or second grade. They may test her but usually they don't make kids repeat KG.

DallasG · 10-08-2015, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VegasMan_72

Could you please rephrase your question? What do you mean by "save her 1 year". The cut off date is September 1 in Texas for kids to attend public kindergarten. This subject pops up quite often on this forum mostly by Indians. In India it's very common to send kids to school as early as 2. Modern studies have shown that delayed school start is actually better for kids in the long run. Some of the European countries start schooling as late as 7. I know many folks here in America who "redshirt " their kids with August birthdays, which I'm a strong supporter of.

Not only August but even ones who were born much earlier.

BigDGeek · 10-09-2015, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DallasG

You can save one year of schooling or give her an edge for all schooling years. KG cutoff date for Texas is 1st September. Parents here like to red shirt so even if kid was born in March, he wouldn't go to school that year. If they let your daughter to school the year she is turning 5, she'll have kids in her class who are up to 1/2- 1 1/2 year older, have better cognitive skills, physical strength and mental maturity on top of an extra year of study skills from private KG.

Your daughter may be smarter than all of them but she'll have many disadvantages. She may not make GT track, she may get pushed around on playground, teacheres may not think of her as the sharpest cookie in the class. It can effect her self esteem. In teen years, it may become a social disadvantage as other girls may be looking hotter, attracting boys (matters to most girls), getting on sports team, driving, getting internship opportunities earlier. It's just one little advantage over many disadvantages.

However, if you don't agree with this line of thought then keep her in private school and transfer to public for first or second grade. They may test her but usually they don't make kids repeat KG.

I agree with most of this. I am a July baby and started kindergarten shortly after turning 5. I was one of the brighter kids in my class and did very well in school, but being the youngest kid in the class wasn't fun.

I think OP shouldn't try to push a 4 year-old into kindergarten.

DallasG · 10-09-2015, 12:57 PM

I must add that according to more recent and extensive studies, youngest in their class do better in academics in long term because they get used to work at higher level. However, this advantage doesn't extend to sports, leadership skills and social scene.

bencronin04 · 10-09-2015, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DallasG

I must add that according to more recent and extensive studies, youngest in their class do better in academics in long term because they get used to work at higher level. However, this advantage doesn't extend to sports, leadership skills and social scene.

Please post these sources. I'd be interested to read up on that.

FalconheadWest · 10-09-2015, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DallasG

I must add that according to more recent and extensive studies, youngest in their class do better in academics in long term because they get used to work at higher level. However, this advantage doesn't extend to sports, leadership skills and social scene.

This is what I was trying to explain to my husband about my daughter when her school tried to get her to skip kinder and go into 1st since she tested out through 2nd grade, but he didn't care. His point was that parents were going to hold BOYS back for sports so her being a girl would make her even younger (November birthday) and he didn't want her being 1 1/2 years younger than the boys once high school came.

mom2gurls · 10-09-2015, 02:42 PM

Have her go to private school for kindergarten and 1rst grade. I am NOT a red shirt fan at all..most people from outside texas that I have spoken to feel the same way. They redshirt (purposely hold back), so there kid will be bigger for sports, or because they will be more ready. In new York the cutoff is December 1. All my kids are the youngest in their class and excel. No issues. My youngest was is born after the cutoff but we did kindergarten outside Texas so we were grandfathered in as their was no way I would have her do kindergarten over again. She just turned 8 and is in 3rd grade and is NOT the youngest in her class (agewise or size wise) and excels academically.

JenH1 · 10-09-2015, 03:03 PM

This subject interests me because I was always the youngest and because it worked well for me, I wanted my children to have the same experience. However, two of my children have September birthdays and miss the TX cut-off. I also tried to find a way around it but reluctantly just let the older one wait until it was the correct time to enter public K. It has worked out perfectly so far for her and she started in the gifted program in K. (I was also in a public school gifted program so I don't think starting older/younger makes the difference on that honestly, but I know some people do suggest starting older gives you an advantage to getting in.) She is not the oldest in her class at all because so many children are redshirted.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bencronin04

Please post these sources. I'd be interested to read up on that.

There was a newer article this year on this subject, but I can't seem to find where I originally saw it. Here is one that has some similar content -
Youngest Kid, Smartest Kid? - The New Yorker