Who are your AAP kids’ friends?

[Anonymous]

Serious question. Do your AAP kids still hang out with friends not in Level IV? Or do they end up only end up hanging with kids in their class?

[Anonymous]

Both.

[Anonymous]

Mix of both. I think of it more as my kids has friends from class and friends from other things - be it recess, extracurriculars, etc. and in that sense it is really not an AAP- specific question or issue.

[Anonymous]

All DS' friends from lower elementary have moved. So only friends in Level IV.

[Anonymous]

3rd grader here - the vast majority of my child's friends this year were in her class. Most of them are also in the same girl scout troop.

[Anonymous]

Both... But over time, friendships do gravitate to the kids they spend the most time with.

One of mine moved to the center. Quickly developed friendships at the new school. Remained casual-friendly with kids in our neighborhood, but meeting up on weekends didn't have the same level of closeness as kids he went to school with.

Other kid stayed at the LLIV. Had a better local network than the kid who went to the center. Grades 3-4, everyone mixed. But by 5-6, this one group of 20 kids have been in the same class together for 3-4 years. They've worked on all the group projects together, gone on field trips together, had class parties. They all still get along well with kids in other classes, but aren't as close unless the parents out extra effort into arranging consistent get-togethers outside of school. It's just a matter of how much time they spend together.

[Anonymous]

The only non-AAP kids our kids hang out with are those in social clubs and sports. Non one from school.

[Anonymous]

Both, but they're at a LLIV school, not a center, and I get the impression there's less of a distinction?

[Anonymous]

Coincidentally, my DD's two best friends from second grade went with her to the AAP Center in third grade. They've remained friends. She still has friends in the neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

DD’s closest friends are from AAP, since they spend a lot of time together, but she has a lot of friends in other classes as well, from having recess, specials and lunch together.

[Anonymous]

Do you realize that your kids won't speak to these kids when they are adults right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you realize that your kids won't speak to these kids when they are adults right?

And your point?? So should kids never make friends in childhood since they won’t be speaking to them as adults? Did you only make friends when you got to adulthood??

[Anonymous]

Definitely. My child is a social butterfly, though... But honestly, some of her BEST friends are in general ED classes. But in our school, at least, our principal and staff prioritize having all the classes mingle as much as possible (lunch, recess, specials, etc.). And there is no mention of “AAP Kids” or the “AAP class.”

[Anonymous]

Core group is all AAP -- LLIV, and the girls have all been together a couple of years. I think it's more of a function of the way the program is structured vs. intentional exclusivity. Also close with neighbors, but that group has always been separate (no girls from same grade in immediate neighbor group).

[Anonymous]

All over the place. Kid does a few sports and plays instrument and scouts. So kids from both programs and kids from other schools that have developed a nice friendship from being on the same team for a few years.