If your child was born in September....

SkyBee

Did you have them tested into 1st grade? Like if they barely missed the deadline and would have had to wait a year to start school, did you put them in early? If so, why? If not, why not?

capulet

I'm a little confused by the question, because most children start school in kindergarten and that's when you have to make a decision about whether your child should start or not.  Also, the deadline varies by state, but I'm assuming you're talking about a state with a cutoff around Sept. 1.

Anyway.  DD's birthday is October 10.  She started preschool shortly before she turned three in a state with a December 1 cutoff.  When she was four, we moved to a state with an August 31 cutoff.  The public schools here will not admit kids who turn 5 after Aug. 31 into K or 6 after Aug. 31 into first grade - no possibility for testing, it's just state mandated.  However, private schools have more flexibility.  We moved in the middle of the year and started her in pre-K at a Catholic school that was open to her starting K that fall (at almost 5) pending assessment by the pre-K and K teachers.  They let her start this fall and she is doing well academically and socially.  DH and I were both young for our grades (though born before the cutoff) and did well in school, so it's always been in the back of my mind that we might try to get her to start K this fall if we were in a state where the cutoff was before her birthday.  It is not something we would have pursued if we hadn't felt strongly by the spring when she was four that she was kindergarten ready in terms of her skills, classroom behavior, and socialization.  I also think those two years of preschool were crucial in preparing her for full-day kindergarten.

gimmietimmies

More info please. Our cutoff for school is Feb 28, they start in kindergarten. They don't bump forward to grade one. If your child tests as advanced (they generally don't do that here before age 8/grade 3), they usually get additional programming to accommodate enrichment. They don't usually like to advance kids and skip kindy, it isn't there strictly for academics. There are other components that are essential developmentally. 

What is it you're looking to do? 

ETA: if you mean that your lo has a September birthday, and they have to be 6 no later than August 31, testing wont bump them in to grade one. You would have to wait until the following year.

neverblushed

My two kids are born very close to the K cutoff.  Both of them make the cutoff, but it's not at all uncommon for parents to wait a year to start their children with late birthdays.  Here's a brief rundown on my decision process for each of them:

DD: birthday 9/6, cutoff 9/30.  Although my DD was socially quiet, she was very smart and confident.  She was plenty mature for a 5 y/o.  K was still half day when she started.  There were 3 kids in her K class who were even younger than her, who did not make the cutoff, whose parents had petitioned for early admission to K.  The girl was fine.  The two boys struggled.  One struggled with keeping still and paying attention.  The other just struggled with everything.  My DD, although she has always been among the youngest in her grade, has been fine.  Even now, when she and her classmates are going through puberty, she's not substantially behind the rest of the kids.  If she had been born a few weeks later, I may have considered trying to get her in early.

DS: birthday 8/25, cutoff 8/31.  Like my DD, he was already reading well by the time he turned 5, but he was NOT ready for K, which was full day by the time he was that age.  He didn't have the "with-it-ness" I felt he needed.  I knew that he would never reach his academic potential if he started school at barely 5.  He would struggle emotionally and socially, and that those factors would mask his intelligence.  He started school at barely 6, and has done well as one of the oldest kids in his class.

I think the most important factor is the "with-it-ness" I describe above.  My DD had it; DS did not. 

Andrewsgal

DD is September4th our cut off is sept 1st. Here is my story. They always pushed her a year ahead in preschool, so she took private kinder last year and is in public kinder this year. 6 weeks into the year they called a conference and wanted to move her up to first grade. I said no. We had another conference last week same request same answer from me. I know my child she is extremely bright (reading on a second grade level, and amazing writing and problem solving skills). She is also right on socially where other kinder kids are. She does not have the social skills of a first grader. She has the social skills of a kinder kid, which is fine because that is where she should be. They pushed her testing for gifted and talented and she will now be pulled for reading and math to challenge her more. I would never move her up. I will not even consider it. To me school is 80% social moving her up would be a death sentence. She has many years left in public schools and I am confident the teachers and I can work together to make sure she is challenged and learning on her level.

penguingrrl

I personally believe in following the cut off set by the school unless there's a very special case that requires the child to be pushed ahead or left behind. In the current climate, where if anything more parents are holding kids back a year even when they make the cut off, there's no way I would consider pushing a child forward. I think that would be a recipe for disaster socially, especially as that child got older.

jnksmom

DD's birthday is Sept 26 with a Sept 30 cutoff in our state. She will be going to K next year because I see no reason to hold her back. She is already doing basic addition and subtraction, knows a lot of the Kindergarten sight words, and is starting to read. She read the book DS brought home from Kindergarten the other day. Her preschool teachers say she is on par socially/maturity wise with those in her class also even though she is the youngest in her class. However, if the cut-off was before her birthday I would not push for her start early. I really think it is best to follow the states regulations on K entrance age. Pushing her start early would mean that there could be kids in her class 2 years older than her because some parents are redshirting their kids. That is a large age gap IMO and I don't want DD to struggle socially.

jlw2505

In my district, you need to be 5 by Sept 1 to start Kindergarten.  My DD is a June birthday and I actually held her back a year due to a sever speech delay (and she totally understands that is why as she just told someone that last week) and she also has ADHD that we were just getting diagnosed and she would not have been able to handle kindergarten at the that time.  When she did start kindergarten this fall, she was so ready and has done great.

 I do know of 2 people that have DD's with Sept birthdays who tested them and they both started kindergarten a year ahead.  Both are now in 1st grade and seem to be doing really well.

 I also know 2 of my friends who had their kids start kindergarten on time (one is a July birthday and the other is a fall birthday in a state with a Dec cut off) and both boys are now repeating kindergarten as they just were not ready - both had social issues and not educational.    One of the boys gets pulled up to 1st grade for math so they can keep him challenged but he is with the kindergarten's the rest of the day.

I have another friend who started her son (Nov birthday in a Dec cut off state) on time.  The school recommended that he repeat kindergarten as they felt he was just not where he should be but his parents refused and he is now in 1st grade and is still struggling to keep up.

I think when you start your child is 100% up to you, their is not a right or wrong and it is very dependant on your child.  IS your child ready socially and not just academically?  How will your child do being the oldest or youngest in class now and also at 13 or 16 or when they go off to college?  

Being ready for school is about a lot more than just reading and writing and math but being able to take care of themself, make friends, sharing.  Can your child put on his boots and coat himself, can he handle all the bathroom things himself?  Can he behave on the school bus?

For me, holding my DD back was the biggest gift I could have given her.  For a friend who has a son 2 weeks younger than my DD - - holding him back would have hurt him in the same ways it helped my DD.

Every child and every situation is different.  I personally would never test my child to start early - not for how she would do today but how she would do as a teen and as a young adult going off to college.  I just don't see the point in rushing it.  There are many programs out there for those kids the year before kindergarten - the PreK my kids are in (went to) is amazing and treats the kids more and more like they are in kindergarten towards the end of the year to get them ready.

A little girl in my DD's PreK class is an Aug 30th birthday so misses the deadline by 2 days - this poor little girl has struggled all year to just keep up with the other kids, some who are are almost a full year older than her or even more if they had been held back.  She (we know the family from daycare) is struggling in all areas including making friends and all the academic areas.  The family has already decided to hold her back from starting kindergarten in the fall and will have her repeat the PreK class. 

shopgirl78

No.   My son's birthday is 9/21/07 (cut off is 9/1) and he is in PreK4 this year.   He was in Prek3 last year.   He's was/is not ready socially for KG.   I am so glad my child has the extra year--he needs it.

I did send my 8/22/05 on time and she has does awesome. 

Totally different kid; totally different situation.  

cautionwillburneyes

Just lurking, but a couple of other things you may want to consider.  

If you get your child into school early, it may be detrimental when he/she reaches the age of playing sports.  There is a big difference when kids are even one year apart.  As a young one in the class your child may not be able to compete on the same level as others in their grade.  Not a big deal now, but may be a big deal later when looking for scholarships.

Your kid would be one of the last ones to drive in their class.  May not be a big deal to you, but may make things socially awkward for your kid later. 

Your child may be one of the last ones in the class to reach puberty.  As a late bloomer and one of the young ones in class myself, I found PE class to be less than fun when I was flat chested and others clearly weren't.  I'm sure boys go thru similar phases in the locker room.

 Just some other things to think about..it's not all academics to consider.