Can we sneak a Sept. baby into school??

TNB82 · February 2013

So will all of our kids be the oldest in their class? Or is there any way to sneak them in behind that 'sept. 1' deadline?

Not complaining- just thankful to be pregnant....but Sept. was the least desirable deliver month for us for this exact reason.

ShoeFanatic614 · February 2013

I've been wondering this as well. My kids will be 3.5 years apart but 4 years difference in school which I really didn't want but oh well. I guess it will depend on their maturity level but I'm thinking starting school at 4 and turning 5 six weeks later might be a bit too early. Someone mentioned in a post once that she left for college at 17 because of starting early which I hadn't thought of either. I was definitely not ready for the real world at 17. I'm thinking we will lean towards waiting a year and starting them at 5.

Shanmarie1083 · February 2013

My DS birthday is Oct 8th, he will be 6 when he starts Kindergarten. It's really not that big of a deal and he will definitely not be the the only 6 year old. A lot of parents choose to start their kids a year later due to maturity reasons, and there are plenty of other kids with late birthdays.

And I'm assuming your joking about trying to sneak them in ahead of the Sept 1st cutoff right?

smilormarie · February 2013

I agree. I was born Jan 3rd where the enrollment cutoff for school was a birthday on or prior to Jan 1st. I was always one of the oldest in the class, next to the kids that got held back. As a result, I was always bumped up a grade for classes or put in honors programs. Being a firstborn I was already over ready to start school. My younger brother on the other hand, not being a first born, and being an Oct baby would not have been ready for school even another year later. He was pushed in because of his birthdate only and then had to be held back. I truly wish they would use birth dates as a guide but seriously take into consideration first borns, only children or overall intellect and readiness. I was bored in school because of the cutoff and my brother was failing because of the cutoff.

AppleMuffins · February 2013

I was an October baby and was one of the older kids in class and I quite liked it. Dh was one of the youngest with a June birthday. I don't know if he was even 18 yet when he graduated, or may have been 18 by only a few days or something. I'm not too worried about it, personally.

elishabelle · February 2013

The cut off in our school district is age 5 by Sept. 30th. We should be right under the deadline.

SweetPeaK26 · February 2013

Not necessarily. Some schools have their birthday cutoff as June. We'll just see what the school says and what our kids are ready for.

crunchetta · February 2013

Why would you want to put your child in a class where they will be the youngest? Especially if you have a boy (no offense to males, but they tend to be less mature, especially in childhood.)

noelani42 · February 2013

It depends on the state, and no, there's no way to sneak them in without committing forgery or fraud. There is a reason that states want kids to be 5 before entering Kindergarten, and it is quite valid (I taught K for 5 years)

tbw8664 · February 2013

I was born August 22 and I was always the youngest in my class and graduated when I was 17. So not sure how that works.

atcwag · February 2013

I would never want my child to be the youngest in his/her grade - especially if it's a boy since they are notoriously less mature than girls. I'm completely ok with my child being one of the oldest in their grade. I'm a mid-September birthday and always liked being one of the oldest.

Surfergirl013 · February 2013

In FL they have to be 5 by September 1....HOLY COW!! Just realized this means she will be one of the first in her class to be able to drive....GULP!!!!

Jcaliper23 · February 2013

If your child is close the cutoff making them young for their class you should be able to choose to hold them back until the following year. This is how it is at my school. Depending on maturity I will most likely shoot for oldest in the class rather than youngest.

Rsoc23 · February 2013

I started kindergarden when I was 4. I was always the youngest with a bday of 9/29. and I loved it.

VTFutureMrs · February 2013

For our school district, the cutoff is Aug 31st, but if your kid is born after that, then you can apply and have the kid take aptitude tests to be placed a year ahead. Not sure how often they accept kids, but that is their process.

OliveMom3 · February 2013

The oldest in the class tend to succeed more in life. My source is Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers. We specifically tried to conceive so that baby would be one of the oldest in the class. The theory behind it is that since they are more advanced and mature teachers and coaches pay more attention to them which increases their chances at success.

Nukke · February 2013

I'd personally want my kid to be the oldest in teh class rather than the youngest.

I may be wrong, but I think in Ontario (where I live) your kid is enrolled according to the year he/she was born, instead of the Sept-Aug birthdays. So the oldest kids in the class will be born in Jan, and the youngest in Dec.

SweetPeaK26 · February 2013

I have a late June birthday. I started K right after I turned 5. I was always the youngest in my class, graduated at 17 etc. I didn't mind it, except for the driving thing. But, I was a first born, I love to read and could read before starting kindergarten and the school even talked to my parents about me skipping 1st grade, in which case I really really woul have been young fr my grade!

My sister teaches preK at our parochial school. We plan on asking her if she thinks our kids are ready for her class or if they should wait a year.

kat81again2 · February 2013

I know...I really wanted a summer baby so the gap between this one and DS wouldn't be as big and wouldn't be a whole extra year school-wise.

I doubt we can sneak them in unless maybe you get your child ahead on certain measures and convince them they need to let you skip a grade. If we send #2 to the same daycare as #1 is going to now this could happen because this daycare is kind of ridic.

Studies show it's typically better to be the oldest in the class than the youngest (i.e. you're more likely to be ahead of the pack academically), but I think it depends on your kid, the school district, and even the gender. For example, it's ok (and even good) socially for boys to be ahead of the pack in terms of puberty but there's all sorts of bad associated with girls who develop ahead of their peers. I was on the other end -- young for my grade and WAY behind puberty-wise, and that sucked. But ultimately I was thankful I didn't have boobs and my period in 4th grade. As for the other factors, if you have an academically advanced kid (or a so-so school district) then you want them to be challenged, not way ahead of the pack academically. The same goes for sports.

kelizr · February 2013

AFwifelife:
My birthday is September 9th and I wasn't the oldest in my class. There are many parents of summer babies that hold their kids back because they aren't ready to go to school yet. There are plenty of kids with July and August birthdays that will be in our kids classes.

This is my bday too! There were several kids in my class who were born in August. I don't have an issue with waiting knowing that. I think being the oldest is better than being the youngest.

dimples128 · February 2013

atcwag:
I would never want my child to be the youngest in his/her grade - especially if it's a boy since they are notoriously less mature than girls. I'm completely ok with my child being one of the oldest in their grade. I'm a mid-September birthday and always liked being one of the oldest.

ditto.

jeb2013 · February 2013

My school system cut off is in December so my LO will be one of the youger ones in their class.... Unless I see he or she isn't ready yet for kindergarten I would hold bak one year otherwise to kindergarten LO will go! I am an August baby so I was always youngest and still am out of all my friends.

angie244 · February 2013

I just watched a news story where people were purposely trying to keep theirs kids back so they would be oldest..as our kids will be in most districts bc it gives them advantages is sports bc they are bigger and classes bc they are generally smarter bc they had extra year of preschool and then were more able to retain knowledge and experiences bc they were slightly older than their peers. Of course this isall generalities the youngest kid in a class may be the smartest but i was suprised that people were doing it on purpose.

Bethany1026 · February 2013

I am a sept 26 baby and I also was almost the youngest.... My DH and I have already agreed we would rather have our baby be one of the oldest and to wit til the following year. I did not like being the last for everything....

MrsClaus8 · February 2013

Every kid is different. Our son ended up skipping K because his birthday is 15 days after the cut off, he's advanced not gifted but he was ready for 1st grade work he's very social and he's a big kid. Had he been small or shy, we would've put him in K. He's doing very well and so far, we have zero complaints. There was not a single loophole to get him into K early so this was the best solution for him.

I don't anticipate having another child skip any grades. A lot of this situation had to do with him being the firstborn and there being a large gap between him and our daughter so I could work with him a lot oneinone. These other two, barring any giftedness, will be fine in their regular grades. Lol

Loveniz · February 2013

I'm a Sept 19th baby. I was always the youngest and smallest in school...it has advantages and disadvantages. I would prefer my child be older, as I was the last to get my license and started college at age 17.

csspencer · February 2013

Wow, I must have been the exception to the research. My bday is 12/20, and the rule in my school district at the time was the end of the calendar year, so I was always the youngest in my class. I was also one of the bigger kids, so maybe that's why I never had any issues. I did extremely well in school regardless of my age.

However, the new rule in the district is the beginning of the school year, so my child will be one of the youngest, unless I'm willing to have them take an aptitude test, which depending on how mature my child is, I may look into it, not really sure yet.

missmuffin87 · February 2013

You can request your child be tested by the public school system. If the testing shows they are ready, they might let them start early. Otherwise you can do private school for kindergarten and then they should be able to transfer into public school the folowing year.

BabyCampbell312 · February 2013

I grew up in Texas. My birthday is Sept 6th and my parents were given an option by the school; be the oldest or be the youngest. If I was the youngest, I got to move on to 1st grade. If I was to be the oldest, I was going to do a second year of kindergarten.

My parents decided I should be the oldest. I didn't know the difference then. In high school, I was the only one driving. Then it became a little annoying.

I think you will know which way to go as your child gets to that age.

NNGnome · February 2013

I would never want my child to be one of the youngest in class (I am in ontario so as pps said my LO's entry is based on calender year class).

Studies have shown that younger children don't do as well academically or in sport, If I had known when the school year started here, I probably wouldn't have tried for a late year baby (I thought the cut of was sept), but as LO came early at least he won't be the youngest in his class .

NicknShan · February 2013

I agree to simply talk with the district. I was an October baby, one of the youngest, although I hated it. It was allowed however in certain occasions. I plan on having my September baby starting right where they belong.

Jontue · February 2013

Ha! Glad to know I am not the only one that thought about this. Well I am an October baby so I was the oldest in my class until second grade. I was able to be double promoted from Kindergarten to second grade thanks to my mom's excellent prep and education skills. I am kind of hoping I can get her to train up my little one the same, but whatever either way!

True enough this isn't for everyone. My little brother was on schedule as an August baby but a genius. My mom opted to change him to a gifted school instead of double promoting due to the difference in our maturity levels.

Brianne Shenefield · February 2013

Yeah I'm a September baby and I was always the oldest. So I skipped a grade. It depends on the state and how strict they are.

ejs207 · February 2013

It depends on the district and the child.

I was an August baby, and one of the youngest. I was also typically taking classes one year ahead of my grade so holding me back to be the oldest would have really backfired academically. Socially, I was always a little awkward though and felt most comfortable with those who were a grade behind.

On the other hand, my brother, a July baby, would have really benefitted from being held back. He did just okay in school but was a star athlete, even earned a scholarship to wrestle in college. Another year of physical development would have been a huge boon for him.

RunningGal900 · February 2013

I think out deadline is October 1, but we always had a few kids who were a little younger. Some were evaluated and sent early and others skipped a grade. I have a friend who is an October 11 baby and was the youngest and she hated it. I'd lean toward sending this baby to be on the older side, but I think he or she will be far from oldest. There will be a lot of kids who will be held back and have spring and summer birthdays. I'm not going to give much consideration as to whether baby is the oldest or the youngest, but rather if or she is ready for school early or if needs that year to mature and develop to be ready. But my guess is baby will go to school when he or she is 5 and turn 6 early in the year which isn't weird timing to me at all

luminousbluestar · February 2013

Really? Most elementary school teachers think it's an advantage to be one of the oldest in the class. And it's definitely an advantage in terms of sports. And no there is no way to sneak them in a year earlier. It is what it is.

michwalk · February 2013

Please don't try and sneak your child in so they're consistently the youngest in their class.

In the school board I work in, parents have the choice of putting their child in school early, or holding back based on a three month window.

The young students are consistently the ones who are furthest behind and if there isn't an academic problem, there is inevitably a social problem because they are just not ready to be in school.

badkittyct · February 2013

I don't know what the cut off is where I live now, but when I was a kid I was the old one bc the cutoff had been Halloween and I was born Nov 19th. I even tested into school but they refused me based on birth date. I think our babies will be fine.

Cleo421 · February 2013

Take it from me, it is not fun to be the youngest in your class. I skipped a grade when I was younger, plus my birthday is the end of April. I didn't turn 17 until a couple of weeks before HS graduation. But, then again, I think that if I could have caught up to the "right" age at the beginning of the school year as opposed to the end of it, it wouldn't have been that bad.

My "term date" is Sept. 4th (funny how with twins they don't change your due date, just give you a term date!) which is 37 weeks, and most twins are delivered btwn. 35-36 weeks, so I could go either way. I've definitely been thinking a lot about the school question. I guess I'll just wait and see; if they make the cut-off but only b/c they are premature, I might still wait a year depending of their development.

Wintergirlfox · February 2013

Cleo421:
Take it from me, it is not fun to be the youngest in your class. I skipped a grade when I was younger, plus my birthday is the end of April. I didn't turn 17 until a couple of weeks before HS graduation. But, then again, I think that if I could have caught up to the "right" age at the beginning of the school year as opposed to the end of it, it wouldn't have been that bad.nbsp;My "term date" is Sept. 4th funny how with twins they don't change your due date, just give you a term date! which is 37 weeks, and most twins are delivered btwn. 3536 weeks, so I could go either way. I've definitely been thinking a lot about the school question. I guess I'll just wait and see; if they make the cutoff but only b/c they are premature, I might still wait a year depending of their development.

Im in the exact opposite camp, April birthday and skipped Grade 1. I also finished a semester early so I was 16 when I graduated. I never felt behind socially or academically and played sports up til gr 12. I did the full IB diploma program as well. It all depends on the child...you'll know closer to the time. I always felt special tbh. Maybe with boys it's different though?

karo112 · February 2013

TNB82:
So will all of our kids be the oldest in their class? Or is there any way to sneak them in behind that 'sept. 1' deadline?
Not complaining- just thankful to be pregnant....but Sept. was the least desirable deliver month for us for this exact reason.

It depends on the school and/or the district. I am a guidance counselor and have worked in the private and public sector. BOTH in my experience have been REALLY strict about the cut off. Where my girls are now (09/10 birthday). They miss the Sept 1 cutoff - and there is nO wiggle room...so yes, they will always be the oldest.

I will say, I see/meet kids graduating from HS at 16, 17 years old and I DO NOT want my kids doing that. They are almost always not mature enough for college...There are, of course, exceptions, but I want my kids to have a normal high school experience.

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