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WOW!! Thats an early cut off. Glad my son was born in August! Phew1!
yeah. def makes me sad to leave the UPK here in NYC but its better to get the kids settled into a new town as early as possible. Stinks that Ill have to pay for PreK in NJ but what can u do.
I noticed that other states arent nearly as obsessed with preschool, kindergarten as NY'ers are.
Here in NJ, most full day PreK and full day K are in Abbott school districts. Usually, these represent a poorer demographic and in many instances these children need early intervention to help them get started on the right foot asap. The towns you're looking at will also likely have HALF day K.
For the most part, public education in NJ is pretty solid all around. Much of the reason NYers are so obsessed is because they have few choices. Given the alternatives, their children would have to mix in with children from other parts of town (similar to a magnet system if you will) and that kind of scares them. I remember my elementary school in Brooklyn being a pretty harsh environment. So than the option is pretty much the private route and of course people chatting in the park about the evils of one private program versus the other rise up. But don't you worry, especially with the towns you're looking at you'll have plenty of Hovering obsessed moms to remind you of good ole' NY
@Rigger- I want to see that piece. sounds interesting.
IFSR- Not looking forward to those meet-ups in the least. Im a new mom (my oldest is only 3) and could not believe the crap I had to do to get my son into preschool. My husband had to wait on line at 4am just to get a spot. And its not some fancy school, either. Anyway, I was hoping it would be different but the YMCA is already booked up so Im guessing the competition is just the same. : (
@Rigger- I want to see that piece. sounds interesting.
IFSR- Not looking forward to those meet-ups in the least. Im a new mom (my oldest is only 3) and could not believe the crap I had to do to get my son into preschool. My husband had to wait on line at 4am just to get a spot. And its not some fancy school, either. Anyway, I was hoping it would be different but the YMCA is already booked up so Im guessing the competition is just the same. : (
I'm just busting chops
It's not quite the same. Yes, you still have the keeping up with Jones types but every time I've been to Westfield/Cranford, people were just darn nice. Yes, you have your couple of idiots but overall good experience.
We have made quick friends on our block, even attended block parties that were not even ours (invited of course), and I gotta tell you we have loved the experience. Join the local newcomers thingy. If you don't like it, fine. In our town, it's been a great resource! Also, when we were looking at Westfield we were with a Westfield realtor who knew the ins and outs. Make sure you do that as they can also guide you with many of the little notes HOWEVER take their advice with a grain of salt. Talk to the folks on the block, folks in the area, newcomers club, etc.
The year we got my 1st son into the Westfield Y, I had to stand on line at 5am on a Winter Saturday morning. I dont believe they have this process anymore now with online registration on their website, but it was brutal. Wives were dropping off coffee and donuts for their husbands. The guy that got on line right behind me said "This is the line for the iPhone, right?" Hilarious.
It's probably better for them to miss the cutoff and be amongst the oldest in their class anyway. 60 Minutes just ran a story on this exact topic last night and the impact that being the oldest in Kindergarten has on a child all the way through high school and beyond. Really interesting story.
great to know. I gotta check it out. I find it interesting as it's the complete opposite process of what happens in low income districts/areas.
The year we got my 1st son into the Westfield Y, I had to stand on line at 5am on a Winter Saturday morning. I dont believe they have this process anymore now with online registration on their website, but it was brutal. Wives were dropping off coffee and donuts for their husbands. The guy that got on line right behind me said "This is the line for the iPhone, right?" Hilarious.
I heard something similar about the town pool last year. Is that still the case (long lines)?
great to know. I gotta check it out. I find it interesting as it's the complete opposite process of what happens in low income districts/areas.
How so?
I agree with the original poster, i would rather have my kid miss the cutoff and be one of the older kids in the class. They *should* be more mature both mentally and physically then their peers all else being equal as they go through the years.
I saw a story on HBO Real Sports? i think? where parents intentionally held their kids back a year so they could physically be better than their peers in sports, presumably dominate, and increase their chances of getting an athletic scholarship.
The 60 Minutes story discussed an analysis that was done on Canadian NHL players that went through the Canadian school system where the cutoff is January 1st for all students. Their analysis showed that an overwhelming majority of NHL players have birthdays in January and February which they believe is strong supporting evidence.
I agree with the original poster, i would rather have my kid miss the cutoff and be one of the older kids in the class. They *should* be more mature both mentally and physically then their peers all else being equal as they go through the years.
I saw a story on HBO Real Sports? i think? where parents intentionally held their kids back a year so they could physically be better than their peers in sports, presumably dominate, and increase their chances of getting an athletic scholarship.
My point being that in lower income districts it's not a matter of maturity as much as it is a matter of survival. I've lived in these areas and when you see 3 year olds hanging out at 10pm without any supervision you realize just how dire their situation. So things like head start programs and full day pre k and k access as early as possible is meant to provide these children with an opportunity to start learning the basics of learning in a proper, safe and enrichment environment. I can't vouch for the +/- results of these programs but sadly it's much better than what they get at home.
All things being the same however, I don't believe that there is one blanket rule that applies to all children. My 6 year old was reading chapter books by about 4 1/2 and is doing very well in her 1st grade class. My 4 year old however isn't showing the same aptitude or 'passion' for reading which is fine but is much more mature and social than my 6 year old. I would place her in Kindergarten next fall if I could as I know she would be ready.
I don't need my kids to dominate physically in anything. I want them to be happy and expose them to as much as possible. Unless you're raising an athlete by 6 years old and have some sort of magic ball there is no way that you can prove that the likelihood of that child getting a sports scholarship will be any better than someone who started school earlier.
For the more popular sports, getting an athletic scholarship is not almost unlikely but the ROI based on the time and money put in by parents is usually very small.
The 60 Minutes story discussed an analysis that was done on Canadian NHL players that went through the Canadian school system where the cutoff is January 1st for all students. Their analysis showed that an overwhelming majority of NHL players have birthdays in January and February which they believe is strong supporting evidence.
I can see that being the case for professional athletes or children that have a raw talent. Especially in a sport like hockey, where you're right strength, size, etc., make a big difference. But that's an athletic point of view. I would also be interested to hear the same process done with scholars, doctors, professionals, etc and see if that was also the case?
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