Pre-K / Pre-Kindergarten- can anyone tell me about it?

[camrynh]

One way people get around the cut-off dates is sending their kids to private kindergarten for a year, and then switch them to public schools for 1st grade. Many private schools have a Nov. 1 cut-off date.

[Howe2]

I'm not sure if you are looking in Midlothian but there are some really good options if you decide to live in this area. Greenwood Country Day School in Midlothian has an excellent pre-k program for 5yr olds. My friend's son attended and had a foreign language as part of their curriculum. I'm not sure if they are still accepting applicants but it's worth checking into.

My kids attended Woodlake Child Development Center, also in Midlothian. They have a pre-k program open to kids going to kindergarten the following year, but nothing specifically for 5 yr olds like Greenwood. The good news is registration is coming up in the beginning of March and the wait list is usually not too long. They offer an excellent academic and social program in addition to an art enrichment class that my kids loved. They are accrediated by the IAPE, the International Academy for Private Education. Here is a link to their website. Welcome to WCDC

[consideringamove]

I found a school that has "pre-K" and they told me that my daughter won't qualify (next year) because her bday is after Sept 30th. So it sounds like they only accept children who'd qualify for Kindergarten that year but choose Pre-K instead. That confuses me. In my area, "Pre-K" literally means that. The year before Kindergarten, whether it's because the child doesn't meet the cut-off or because they're not quite ready.

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by camrynh

One way people get around the cut-off dates is sending their kids to private kindergarten for a year, and then switch them to public schools for 1st grade. Many private schools have a Nov. 1 cut-off date.

From what I have experienced here in Fairfax County, that doesn't work. We both work for FCPS and my wife used to teach at a private school. Parents tried that and then would get upset when the county wouldn't place their child in first grade.

[sls76]

Originally Posted by consideringamove

I found a school that has "pre-K" and they told me that my daughter won't qualify (next year) because her bday is after Sept 30th. So it sounds like they only accept children who'd qualify for Kindergarten that year but choose Pre-K instead. That confuses me. In my area, "Pre-K" literally means that. The year before Kindergarten, whether it's because the child doesn't meet the cut-off or because they're not quite ready.

It seems like every preschool does it differently. In our old preschool you had to be 4 1/2 for transition kindergarten, but they did give priority to the 5 year olds. I guess the best advice would be to find a program that will challenge her since she will be one of the older ones. There is a lot of redshirting here which is probably why they have classes just for 5 year olds. My daughter's kindergarten class does have some younger children (meaning they won't turn 6 until school is over) but there are also a bunch of kids that were already 6 when they started.

Originally Posted by tgbwc

From what I have experienced here in Fairfax County, that doesn't work. We both work for FCPS and my wife used to teach at a private school. Parents tried that and then would get upset when the county wouldn't place their child in first grade.

I've heard that too.

[camrynh]

Originally Posted by tgbwc

From what I have experienced here in Fairfax County, that doesn't work. We both work for FCPS and my wife used to teach at a private school. Parents tried that and then would get upset when the county wouldn't place their child in first grade.

I know a handful of people who have done it in Richmond and surrounding counties. In the past 2 years.