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Parenting
Can we talk about Kindergarten for a second? (sort of long)
DD will be 4 next week. She is currently in pre school. With our current school district, you have to be 5 by August 1st to start Kindergarten, so that would mean she would do another year of pre school next year and then start kindergarten the following year, making her the oldest in her class. But we are considering sending her to a private school for pre school next year. The pros of sending her to that pre school next year, is they offer more than what her current pre school does. She would be able to do music, computer and gym classes along with the normal pre school learning and free play. She would be there all day 5 days a week instead of going to pre school in the mornings and a babysitter in the afternoons, like she is now. But, when calling to get more info on the private school pre school, they mentioned DD would be eligible to start Kindergarten with them next year since with them, you have to be 5 before September 30th. They would do an assessment to confirm she is ready for Kindergarten first of course. But if the assessment says she is ready for Kindergarten next year, am I hurting her in the long wrong by then making her the youngest in her class? I have heard people say that its best if your child is among the oldest in there class, but is that always true or does it just depend on your childs maturity level? I did confirm with our public school that if she does kindergarten next year with the private school, she would move straight to 1st grade at the public school, she would not need to re do kindergarten for them, regardless of her age. What does parenting say about this?
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Re: Can we talk about Kindergarten for a second? (sort of long)
Also, do you think she would have a problem adjusting to a new school in first grade, since non of her kindergarten buddies would be there?
#LOLFITMAMA
Here's my personal story: My birthday (Dec. 3) is literally the day AFTER the cutoff here in CA. My parents knew that, despite being so young, I was more than ready, so they put me into private school, where all that mattered was the readiness test. I was always the youngest and hit those fun milestones last (license, etc), but it never made a difference to me. I was also always at the top of the class. In fact, they wanted me to skip 8th grade and my parents and I decided not to go through with it because the age factor would have led to some bullying. As it was, I took 2 classes at the high school in 8th grade and students freaked out when they found out I was 12 going on 13 and in their Algebra class.
Go by readiness. You're her parent and know best.
I definitely say go with readiness. The cutoff varies by state, so it's not like there is some magic date that has been determined is the best. That being said, I do have 2 recommendations/personal experiences:
1) Get it in writing from the public school that they'll let her into 1st if she completes private K. My niece's birthday was 1 day past the cutoff but was extremely ready for K, so my sister got confirmation from the school that she could go to 1st if she completed K in a private school. She paid for the year of private K, and my niece was in the top of her class. The public school wouldn't let her do 1st grade. My sister battled with the school all summer, and they wouldn't budge. They wouldn't even agree to test her to prove she was ready for 1st. My sister explained that she was told this wouldn't be an issue, and they denied telling her that. So, my niece ended up having to repeat K and was bored out of her mind and started acting up as a result. Which leads me to #2...
2) Double check the private school's curriculum compared to the public school. I work for a private school, and our K curriculum is the same as the public school 1st grade; in some subjects 2nd. We've had kids come here for K, then switch to public for 1st and are bored because even though it's a different grade, they are doing the same thing. A lot of the parents end up returning and trying to figure out a way to afford the private tuition since their kids are starting to act out due to boredom.
I personally am a supporter of waiting a year. I've never met a parent that regretted that decision, but I have met parents that regretted starting their kids early. My son is Oct 7. My private school cutoff is Dec 2, so he'll be 4 for a couple months of K, and that makes me nervous. He's only 3 this year, so I have time to make a decision on what to do with him. But I'm leaning toward holding him back a year. There's more than academic readiness to consider. You also have to factor in social maturity as well. You know your child better than anyone, so you're best qualified to know if she's ready emotionally.
Good luck!