My oldest has a late September BDay and we decided to start her in Kindergarten 5 turning 6. I know she'll be in a class with younger 4 and 5 y.o. but I was thinking of her social and emotional development. In a couple of years if she wants to and is ready we can talk about skipping grades.

Depends on your child and your comfort level.

My son's birthday is end of April and our cut-off is in mid October. He is starting pre-k this fall at 4 years and 4 months. I have already been warned by other parents that boys do better starting school being on the older side rather than younger. I have two neighbors with birthdays earlier in the year than my son's and they had their sons repeat kindergarten. Asides from academics, I have been told that boys need a little more maturity which will come with extra time. I'm planning to go as planned with prek this year and kindergarten next year, but assess his preparedness as best as I can. On the one hand, I feel that one year out of a whole lifetime doesn't make a big difference but at the same time, I don't want to delay starting school when he may do just as well starting earlier than later.

My son is turning 5 in September and has finished Pre-K. Our districts cutoff is Dec 1. My son had a rough pre-k year since he was in a class of 15 with 1/3 having turned 5 the previous December and another 1/3 having turned 5 by March. He was by far the youngest. He is a smart kid, who loves to explore and has ants in his pants. We felt his inability to cope from a maturity standpoint affected the great confidence he had prior to pre-k. We are very concerned about this and also didn't like the old school, very academic approach his pre-k school had (the kids did dittos for 1 hour straight each day!).
After speaking with many educators and also parents who have gone through the school years with children born in Sept-Dec. The overwhelming consensus from parents particulary those with boys has been to hold him back. This has come from both those who didn't hold back (all wished they did) and those who did hold back. My school district prefers that children stay on track and tried to convince us to send him on. However based on our experience and what we have heard, we didn't give in. As an alternative, the public school psychologist recommended we do not repeat pre-k but attempt K at a private school which will give us the option to repeat k next year in public school and also keep the door open for moving on next year.
We have decided to do this and are sending him to a private K this year that has a very well rounded but more interactive approach to teaching than his previous school. Hopefully this will help his confidence and development and will also leave the door open for repeating K in public school next year or moving on if he has matured and is ready.

Viknats,

thanks for sharing your plan. Holding boys back until they are late fives for kindergarten if they have late birthdays like my son's in late September is definitely the thinking these days if you can do it. The school district here in LA also doesn't like people doing it but oh well, they are just trying to push everyone through. I know quite a few parents who have made a deliberate decision to have their boys do kindergarten twice either in private first then to public or public first then to private. It is a popular strategy. The private schools here REQUIRE kids to be older when they enter K with cut-offs as early as July so that's what we looked at. The private schools here will not take four year olds in kindergarten period so I think that is significant.
Last year we sent our then old four year old son to a private Pre-K after pre-school that was a bridge between pre-school and K. They did kindergarten work and it was very academic. So now that he is almost six, already through the kindergarten curriculum and is an "old hand" we are feeling very confident about him doing well in real kindergarten. We'll see. A few teachers have cautioned that he might be bored (read disruptive) because he is beyond where most of the younger kids will be. He has never had that problem in any school, camp or other environment so I'm not worried. That does mean more work for them to keep the older, more advanced little kids engaged but that's the way it is. Eh, they''ll get better test scores I say. Your plan sounds good.

I find it interesting that school districts are trying to push the early 5 kids through because our school district is just the opposite. That is why I asked this question. Our district has what is called an early five program which is pretty much the same as K. The cut off here is Dec 1st so if your birthday is in the later part of summer up to then you can go into K but they almost always reccomend that the kids go into early fives instead.

My son will be starting kindergarten in August. I am very nervous and he is very excited. He has a sept. bday. I have never thought this would be a big decision to make on whether to send him or not. I am glad I am not alone on this. I am all for sending him, he is a very smart child and a quick learner. Only you will know if its a good idea to start him or not. I have put away other peoples advice on the reasons not to send him. I won't know how he does until he actually goes to Kindergarten. If he does great I am happy. If he doesn't then I will take him out and start him in his late fives. Good luck to all the early five Kindergartens!!!

I have a question...My son turned 5 in July and up to this point, I had plans to hold him out of Kinder one more year because he would be a young 5 going in. I had him enrolled in a PreK program but when we went to "Meet the Teacher" some of the kids in his class were 3 turning 4. I really am feeling like a horrible mother now because I'm feeling like I've made the wrong choice for my son. My husband didn't want him graduating from high school at 17 because he had a summer birthday and he wanted him to be one of the oldest not youngest; however, I don't feel good about placing him in a PreK class that is mostly 4's and hardly any 5's at this time. I've checked into half day Kinder programs but there are none available so my only other option is to start him in Kindergarten and it's all day. He's only gone to preschool one year for 2 days. Socially I think he'd do great, but emotionally I'm not sure. He is pretty attached to me. Any suggestions? You guys are all talking about your 4's and here I am with a young 5 waiting until he's 6. I am just worried we made the wrong choice.

dkchavez,

My son was turning five in late Sep. last year when we decided to have him do a year of Pre-K instead of pushing ahead in to kindergarten. He also had a lot of classmates who had just turned four and one little girl who was still three. She was still using a pacifier!

Now he is going to be six going in to kindergarten and will be among the oldest in his class. Academically, he will be ahead, if not far ahead, of most of his kindergarten classmates. Socially and in terms of maturity, we think we have done the right thing although most, especially most of the girls, will be a year younger. Boys need that extra year more than girls and they sometimes struggle more behaviorally when they are younger or so we have been told over and over.

We held our guy out for the same reasons and think it's the right thing. A lot of people do. Good luck.

My son had a birthday in mid-September with a cut-off 3 days after his birthday. First, let me say that I think you need to listen to your mommy instincts. You know your child best. If you think he's not ready, then hold him back, if you think he's ready even if other people are holding their children put him in kindergarten. We placed our son at 4 in kindergarten. Academically he was ready, the first quarter was a rough transition, but ultimately he did great. There's also an article in Slate Magazine www.slate.com/id/2196423/, that you may find interesting regarding this national trend of holding back children. Lastly, you have a whole year to allow Kyle to develop. Worry about kindergarten when you have to, when he finishes preschool he still has a huge 3 months of summer to evolve. Developmentally that's is a good amount of time. Watch him and let him do his own thing. Remember you are mom you know your child, regardless of my opinion or any other trend that is happening. Good luck!

Two people have told me that they have held their child back because they did not want the child to be the youngest in their class. Neither of them regrets that decision.

In our school disctrict the cut-off is Oct 15, my daughters B-day is Oct 12. We decided to wait to enter her in Kindergarten until next year. After speaking with the several parents and teachers, it became clear that it will only benefit her to wait. She is more than ready for Kindergarten, socially and academically, but having graduated high school myself soon after I turned 17, I know that it is not a benefit to be so young entering college and the "adult" world.

I am in the same situation as you are with my daughter. Our school districts cutoff is Sept 30 and my daughters birthday is Sept 10th. I am starting her in preschool this year. I am going to play it by ear for her. If she has two yrs of preschool and I feel at that time (along with the Kindergarten assessment) that she is ready to start Kindergarten, I will be glad for her to go. The requirements for Kindergarten readiness are somewhat simple, as my son just took it. Follow directions, recognize some upper and lowercase letter, shapes, colors, counting to 11, recognize numerals, etc.
If a child completes two yrs of preschool with no problems, usually (not always) they are ready for Kindergarten. Just because a child is a little younger than the rest doesn't mean that he/she are not as ready as their older counterparts. With a little parent guidance in addition to preschool, your child should be as ready as any other for Kindergarten.
Also, since your school district has such a late cutoff date, they may (like my school) have a Junior Kindergarten for younger children to attend. It is something like a 3rd yr of preschool for free or Pre-K. They then repeat Kindergarten for a full day the second year. This may be an option if you feel at the time of Kindergarten that he may not be as ready as you had hoped. Good Luck, I hope this helped.

My sons bday is September 17th cut off date is September 1st. My son is in kindergarten fullday at a private school, so he is still 4 soon to be five. I agree just because you have a late 4 year old in Kinder. versus the already 5's going on 6 does not mean the older child will have more of an advantage than the younger ones. To me age is just a number it does not set the tone on how smart and does not mean you have a bigger headstart on the younger ones. You will never know how your child will do in Kindergarten untill they actually go. You can't predict how things will be. If it doesn't work out and the child is having problems after many discussions with the teacher. Since the child is late 4's you have the advantage to just start the next year.. than a already 5 child would not have the option. Every child has to go to school and it may take time for them to adjust it may not. Every child is different. Good luck

HI
I am a retired kindergarten teacher. For 32 years I have had the experience to see child suffer because they are not ready for the structure of school. It is totally a lot of new things and new instructions. This day and age, I believe that being 5 on the first day of school is the best. But just staying home and having nothing for the child isn't the answer either. Some kind of instruction at least 2 hours a day would help in the preparation of the beginning of school. After teaching amount of years, I have written a book that helps parents with ideas and suggestions for their little beginner. Check out my website...www.buzzinbuzzy.com. Email me if you have other questions, I would love to chat with you.
Thanks,

Thank you for replying. Kyle will be in preschool two days a week and Taekwondo three days a week starting this fall. He currently is in Taekwondo and we go to an old Korean school that really teaches them how to follow direction and focus. The following year is when we will be faced with the decision of a program called Early Fives or Kindergarten. The Early Five program in Williamston, Mi is a five half day a week program just like the Kindergarten program. If we were to hold him back he would most definately be in this program.

If your kid goes to private school a year or two before he goes to kindergarten, then the age really doesn't matter. The age should not be a factor to hold him back when he is eligible. Once he goes to kindergarten, based on his progress and discussions with the teacher, you may decide about grade 1. But I think you should not hold him back. You will be pleasantly surprised when kids are not held back.

You definitly are the best judge because you know your child best. See what his maturity level is after completing a full year of pre-school. The whole year is about preparing him for kindergarden. There once was a time kids stayed home until time for kindergarten. He may be more prepared than you think. enroll in both so you have last minute options.

My son just started kindergarten after having turned 6 at the end of July. That was the right decision for us. Two things that really convinced me were: Realizing it's not really about kindergarten, think about him in middle school or high school. Personally I would rather have an older and hopefully more mature son dealing with things like peer pressure. The second thing that convinced me was that of all the people I've talked to and all the hundreds of articles I've read, I could find plenty of people that regretted putting their early 5 in, but not really anyone who gave "the gift of a year" regretting it. That's not to say that it's worked for plenty of people, I'm just saying for us it seemed like a no brainer.

i have a daughter who is 3 turning 4 in nov. but she cant start till august.and i will have to send her 3 years to pre school because she wont be five till nov and you have to be 5 by setember so she will be like my middle child and be almost 6 when she starts kindergarden.

I am in the same boat as you, but only a year further into the process. I started my daughter this past Fall [ 2008] in pre school, and she was 3, just turning 4. I did not know she was going to be to old for preschool this coming Fall {2009} again and now am not sure if I want her to attend Kindergarten or not. I am really on the fence. I have had people just say "if she is ready, go ahead and send her", but others [ which I lean towards] say that she will always be one of the youngest and while it may not effect her right away, eventially 2-3 years down the line, she may start falling behind because the pressure we put on kids to succeed may be more then she can handle for her age. Academically she is more then ready and I have no doubt she will do well in kindergarten, I just worry about the following year when she is to go on to 1st grade. It it 100 times harder and more demanding [ or is in our school system] and I worry she will feel like a failure if she is not ready because I pushed for her to start school to soon. I think if you have a Young 5 program in your district I would send him to preschool for 2 years and then do Young 5's. I only wish it was offered in my school district.

My child will be in the same situation and I have also thought about it. Maturity of your child is important in making that decision and again as everyone has said you know your child best.

Just had this discussion with my mommy group friends. A lot depends on your sons personality. Is he outgoing & likes to play with older kids? Or quieter & an observer in which case the older kids might be alot to handle? Another benefit of waiting is if he is athletic, being the older age in class also means he will be athletically more develoepd.

BTW, just learned about a new product that I love and want to share with everyone I meet. Smarty Crafts. It's a craft & activity kit based on kindergarten concepts that helps prepare our kids for kindergarten. So if you send your child to preschool or wait until kindergarten, you can start introducing kindergarten based lessons using crafts at home. Check it out. www.smartycrafts.com It's great.