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private pre-k and/or kindergarten. there are lots of them around for this reason.
sounds like your child is pretty ahead of himself. I agree with NOT moving ahead a grade - for all sorts of emotional reasons - it really makes a difference once they get to 7-12th grades - esp for boys when they are the shortest, no beard growth, etc -
my daughter was in a pre-k that really got her ready to read and she was reading before kindergarten. At that preschool (now since closed), they divided their pre-k by half year (july-dec and jan-june babies). This kept kids closer in age/ability together. Then, they moved her up a bit to be with the 'older' kids into the july-dec group b/c of her academic abilities and maturity. we had a fantastic elementary school that had lovely reading levels, so we moved into kindergarten at local elementary...and she did great. our teachers (wcpss, Brassfield elementary) did a great job differentiating the work between reading groups through 2nd grade - then AG is supposed to pick up in 3rd grade to assist with instruction.
So, when you move here - start putting out feelers to other AG parents & learn the ropes about AG early to get your child lined up. There is an org in Raleigh called PAGE - partners for the advancement of gifted education that could be a great resource for you.
Who knows - moving your child ahead might be right for him - or it might not be.
I guess I have to jump on the bandwagon... with the cutoff being upped so much, the fact that your child will be at least 6 months younger, but most likely a full year younger than most, it will be a mistake to put them a grade ahead. That is saying if you even had a choice, which you don't unfortunately. They are extremely strict. Just given my situation - my son is at the end of June and has only 3 children who are younger than him - I would say that he needs to stay with peers his own age whether he is gifted or not.
You may want to try a Montessori school which allow them to learn on their own levels no matter what the age. There is a public one in Morrisville that has a pre-k as well as elementary. It's done on a lottery so there is no saying whether or not he will get in, but it's worth a try!
I agree- I would much rather my child be on the older end than on the younger end of his classmates. It will give much better opportunities in the future to develop leadership potential, compete in sports or whatever the child's interests are. And kids need to be kids. Pushing them ahead in school limits the amount of play time they get and kids do learn so much just by playing.
Just given my situation - my son is at the end of June and has only 3 children who are younger than him - I would say that he needs to stay with peers his own age whether he is gifted or not.
I agree!! My daughter has a mid-July birthday and started year round school in Durham at 4 yrs old, the day before her 5th birthday. If she isn't the youngest in her class, there are very few younger than her. I saw on the birthday list a few August birthdays, but at least one if not more of them turned 6, not 5 this year, and then a large chunk of the class was turning 6 this fall in Sept, Oct, and Nov. So those children are about a full year older than my daughter and would be a full *year and half* older than the OP's son. That's a HUGE gap.
I don't at all regret starting my daughter on time, and plan to put my son (who has a June birthday) in school the year he turns 5. But to put a child who isn't turning 5 until Feb in with children that much older just doesn't seem like a good idea to me. My DD is already complaining about being the youngest of her best friends (who turned 6 in Sept and Nov) who have already lost teeth. She won't be 6 until July and we have seen no signs of wiggly teeth yet! Luckily, she is doing very well academically and socially this year.
I was the youngest kid in my grade. It was very hard. All the other kids were bigger than I was. They drove before I could. They were better at sports than I was. They were (for the most part) more socially mature.
I was the youngest in my class, as well since my parents sent me to private kindergarten way back when. However, according to my parents, I was always more mature and more independent than my brothers and sister. So, it worked out well for me.
The OP's questions have been asked before by many. I used to say that you know your own child better than anyone but you don't know what your child will be like when they are 17 and graduating high school and heading off to college. It is difficult to send an immature child to college. If you push your child ahead NOW, what will you do when they graduate high school with kids that are 1 to 2 years older than they are? Will they be ready to go off to college or will they be too immature. There are more reasons, in my opinion, to hold a child back than to push them ahead.
Vicki
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