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Sars_leyba86 April 30, 2009

how old does my child have to be to start preschool?

Sars_leyba86
My son is 4yrs old and is going to be 5yrs old in Oct. Is it to late to put him in Preschool and or does he have to start Kindergarten right away?
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Parent Answers to "how old does my child have to be to start preschool?"

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mstina
mstina June 12, 2009
yes! for a free program at jcceo headstart your child must be 3-4 years before september.I would recomend childcare resources for assitance but it would be a waiste of your time because there is a 12mos waitting list.my thing if I were in your suitiation I would be the teacher or even if you don"t have the time try the internet it have lots of website to go on to help your child even printable or get copies from the library for your child to practice writting and other lesson to prepare him for kindergarden.your child will love the internet when it comes to fun &education if your child can move a mouse on the pad to get the answer of he&her choice she will learn and it also have printable where you can copy from internet at home or library tracing the alphabets,etc things to help your child get ready for kindergarden like me .
tjlove
GreatSchools Staff tjlove April 30, 2009
It really does depend on where you live. In California the cut-off date is December 2nd- far too late in the year in my opinion.

Your son won't be too old for preschool, if that's what you're worried about.
You can use GreatSchools to look up preschools in your area. Click on the "Preschool" link in the green toolbar and then scroll down to "Find the Right Preschool."
I'd also like to invite you to join our Parents of Preschoolers group, if you haven't already.
community.greatschools.net/groups/11534
michellea
michellea April 30, 2009
Our district also has a Sept 1 cut off - but I know that some districts use later dates.

Your district can tell you what the policy is. You may also ask if they have a public pre-school. Many do - and it can be very helpful for kids to make friendships and get to learn the building and playground by attending a pre school at the public school.
healthy11
healthy11 April 30, 2009
In most public schools, there's a "birthday cutoff date" that students have to meet in order to begin kindergarten. In my area, it's Sept.1st, so your son wouldn't even be allowed to start kindergarten! That rule doesn't apply "in reverse," so some parents whose children are already 5 may opt to wait, and send them to kindergarten the following year.

In your son's case, I certainly think he could enroll in a preschool, but some might already be full or have waiting lists for this fall. You should call asap and find out.

Any contributed content above is the subjective opinion of that member or external author, and not of GreatSchools. GreatSchools does not check for accuracy in community posts or verify the contributor’s identity. If you are searching for health-related advice we strongly suggest you seek professional medical support. View our Community Guidelines for more details.
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