age for starting school - advice?

marrymemylove

OK so I need to explain that here you start school in late January and the cutoff date is in April. We have a school year that runs with a calendar year and the summer holidays are Dec-Jan.

So the compulsory school age is 6. DS will turn 6 in 2012 and must have started school the January before that.

But he COULD start in 2011, when he's 4 that January and turns 5 in April. I actually know a lot of kids who did this when I went to school.

My birthday was also close to the cutoff but I waited, DH was too and he went early. DH sped through primary school probably did better than I did, but he crashed in high school and had to repeat a year so he ended up the same as if he'd started later.?

I know the "general" advice is let girls start young, hold the boys back, precisely because while they might cope fine in primary school they tend to lack maturity in high school.

That said, DS is soooo loving every formal learning experience he gets right now that I ?feel he's likely to be ready. Obviously I'll wait and see and take advice from his kindy. But I'm also planning which primary school we might send him to and therefore where/when we might need to move house...these things can't be done overnight and I'd like to move well in advance.

Also there's a kindy program that's government funded only for 1 year that is a prep for school, and you only get 1 year of funding for it. So I'd need to decide if I was going to send him to school mor ethan a year before and he'd spend that last year before school in kindy a few mornings a week.?

Here the norm is SAHMs, so although there's a lot of daycare it is still a small proportion of kids. So everyone focusses on the "are they ready to be all day at school" thing which is stupid Q for daycare kids because for them it will be a SHORTER day to go to school 8:30-3 than daycare 9-5 (or more). I know it is more intense and some kids get after school care, but still.

?OK long story, sorry. Would you send DS to school in 2011 or 2012??

?

Littlejen22

If you think he would really succeed then send him...but wait to make the final decision until it is closer since no much can change.

penguingrrl

I would say plan as if he's starting in 2011 in terms of home-buying, etc... then wait until closer to see his maturity level.  Also, look into regulations about "holding back."  I know the New York City school district does not allow children to be "held back."  I've heard of more than one person who held a child back with a fall birthday (their cutoff date is 12/31) only to have them forced to "skip" K and start at 1st grade instead, and many were missing skills that were taught/reinforced in K as a result.

DandelionMom

I tend to suggest waiting. ?My girls are flying through school and I really think a part of that is due to their age. ?Their birthdays are within weeks of our cut-off ?so they are among the oldest in their classes. ?

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marrymemylove

Thanks penguingrrl - I'm pretty sure keeping him back until 2012 isn't a problem. The compulsory age is 6, at 6th birthday they must be in school. They CAN be at school at 5 though. Its more about sending him "early" or not, given when his birthday is.

penguingrrl

Ah, okay!  Honestly, I was so surprised when I heard that about NYC since I've never heard of it before, but now I'm aware of it, so I know it's something to look into!  I would lean towards later then if it's an option.  This issue is one of many reasons we will move out of the city before DD starts K even if DH hasn't finished school yet (that and NYC schools aren't very good).  We don't want her to start "early" (her birthday is Aug 30, so borderline) here then have trouble when we move because of earlier cutoffs.

DandR

https://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/11150878.aspx