Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Personally, I think there needs to be a little more wiggle room when it comes to kindergarten cut-offs; some kids are ready at 4, while some are barely ready at 6. With each of my kids has been a different experience, especially since 2 of them are born close to the cut-off, which is age 5 on or before 12/1. Kindergarten in my area is the equivalent of what 1st grade used to be.
With my older son on the autism spectrum, and there was just no way he was ready at 5.5 for the expectations of kindergarten; he's very smart and verbal, but developmentally he is a couple of years delayed. He was in a half-day pre-k program, which was a mix of typically-developing children and special needs children; he struggled so badly, and knowing that our school district had lackluster special ed services, I decided to home school him for kindergarten, while we were in the process of moving to a better district. Homeschooling was a disaster (but that's a whole other story) so when we registered him with our new district, we agreed with the school to start him out in kindergarten, even though he was 6.5. It has worked out well for him to be held back a year.
My daughter, on the other hand, was ready for kindergarten at 4, but her birthday was right after the 12/1 cut-ff, so she is in universal pre-k this year. We and her teachers all agree that it has been to her disadvantage, because she more advanced, both academically and socially. This year has been a struggle because she acts out a lot in class due to boredom. In hindsight, we would have found a way to pay for private kindergarten this year (or even private preschool), but it's hard to compete with free, kwim?
My youngest is only 2, but he's also born just a few days after the 12/1 cut-off. We're not sure what we'll do yet, but most likely we will have him in a private preschool, because I've found that universal pre-k isn't able to group kids according to their level as well as private preschool can; having a class comprised of younger kids who can barely hold a crayon, alongside kids who can write their name and do sight-words, isn't a good situation for anyone but the kids who fall right in the middle.
My son is also a Sept 4 child and we could have started K but decided to wait and do a pre K program. No regrets about it but you can always ask your school to administer a kindergarten readiness test. These rules are usually very flexable, especially when people are moving around.
I think redshirting is very much like tiger mothering for those who do it so their kids will be bigger, faster and likely smarter than the other kids. It seems like gaming the system early on and places the smaller, slower and less inept regular age kids who are actually supposed to be in the class (based on age) at a disadvantage. But que sera sera.
I think redshirting is very much like tiger mothering for those who do it so their kids will be bigger, faster and likely smarter than the other kids. It seems like gaming the system early on and places the smaller, slower and less inept regular age kids who are actually supposed to be in the class (based on age) at a disadvantage. But que sera sera.
You think what you like, but not all kids are "kindergarten ready" on a set schedule. My son was going to be bigger and faster regardless. He was already bigger and faster than some 5 year olds at age 3, but that didn't mean he was ready for school.
So, based on what I said in my post, I'm not talking to you, right?
I'm talking about people that **intentionally** do it so their kids will be bigger and faster and smarter. Some are even thinking all the way to high school and thinking that this will allow their kid to dominate over the other kids and get sports scholarships, thus saving the parents money. They are probably right. If you are 17 as a junior and the other guys are 15 and 16, you probably will be stronger and dominate. If you are 6 in kidnergarten and all of the other kids are barely 5, you are going to be bigger, stronger, faster and maybe smarter.
So they intentionally hold the kid back making the kid older than everyone else in class. Our parents got us ready in time for kidnergarten back in the 70's. (Not talking to you directly, asking a general question) What's up with all the kids that are not ready to go to kidnergarten? I do not like that there is no more half day kidnergarten but really, unless a child is developmentally unable to handle a classroom environment, what else is required to be "ready for school"? It's only kidnergarten for goodness sake. We do have five years to get them ready. It's not like we don't know what's coming (as parents).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ceece
You think what you like, but not all kids are "kindergarten ready" on a set schedule. My son was going to be bigger and faster regardless. He was already bigger and faster than some 5 year olds at age 3, but that didn't mean he was ready for school.
@Lovelysummer...I think there is a lot of pressure and influences on parents to make them think they should redshirt the kids.
Everyone in our family(us and our kids) has birthdates that some automatically think means you should hold back. The earliest bday is in spring, and I was surprised even with the spring bday how many people might assume you will hold your kid back.
Since simply having a summer bday wasn't reason enough for our parents to keep us from starting school on time, we couldn't see any reason not to start the kids on time. There were certainly people we knew who thought we should start them later, just because of having a later bday.
So, based on what I said in my post, I'm not talking to you, right?
I'm talking about people that **intentionally** do it so their kids will be bigger and faster and smarter. Some are even thinking all the way to high school and thinking that this will allow their kid to dominate over the other kids and get sports scholarships, thus saving the parents money. They are probably right. If you are 17 as a junior and the other guys are 15 and 16, you probably will be stronger and dominate. If you are 6 in kidnergarten and all of the other kids are barely 5, you are going to be bigger, stronger, faster and maybe smarter.
So they intentionally hold the kid back making the kid older than everyone else in class. Our parents got us ready in time for kidnergarten back in the 70's. (Not talking to you directly, asking a general question) What's up with all the kids that are not ready to go to kidnergarten? I do not like that there is no more half day kidnergarten but really, unless a child is developmentally unable to handle a classroom environment, what else is required to be "ready for school"? It's only kidnergarten for goodness sake. We do have five years to get them ready. It's not like we don't know what's coming (as parents).
I don't like this, either. I can understand redshirting if there is a problem with maturity, academics, etc. but parents holding their children back just so they'll have an "advantage" over their peers ticks me off a bit.
I don't like this, either. I can understand redshirting if there is a problem with maturity, academics, etc. but parents holding their children back just so they'll have an "advantage" over their peers ticks me off a bit.
I am not crazy about it either. But there are a lot of extremely competitive parents. The increased demands in K don't help.
Redshirting is not easy to do here in NH. You have to request a waiver if you want to do it.
From the NH education dept:
"Kindergarten Enrollment, Redshirting and the Reality in New Hampshire
-
The intentional practice of allowing children an extra year of maturity by “holding back” at age five, or redshirting, often backfires in New Hampshire because of the way our laws are constructed. New Hampshire law intentionally requires districts to offer a minimum of half-day Kindergarten for five year olds. Attendance laws intentionally allow parents to “opt out” of public Kindergarten programs and begin compulsory education at age six, full day, first grade. Because many are unfamiliar with the regulations, they are surprised to discover their local schools requiring a youngster who turns six before September 30th, and has never attended Kindergarten, to be enrolled in first grade. This is correct according to state law. The only option a principal may have for a full day public program, according to state law, is if the district offers full day Kindergarten. Then, according to state law, compulsory education full time at age six can be achieved in a full day Kindergarten program. The advantage parents seek by giving a youngster time to mature is often met with confusion, misunderstanding and dismay. Building administrators who seek to provide the best educational experience for a child are bound to uphold our State laws."
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
