Redshirting my son for pre-k - May birthday

Anonymous
I am getting some flack for redshirting my soon to be 5 year old son. He did not get into anywhere for kindergarten but could get in for pre-k. is he too old? I am regretting my decision.
Anonymous
Yes that is to much. Send him to your public school for K and reapply next year for 1st grade.
Anonymous
What school? Why do think that school will be a good match?
Anonymous
You’re fine, OP. Our private school has spring boys redshirted all the time. He won’t be the only one. Plus, if admissions suggested it, it means they thought it was appropriate for him. Private school boys tend to be on the older side.
Anonymous
From whom are you getting "flack"? Random other parents and friends/family? Or his current teachers/schools to whom you applied? If the former, ignore it and trust the recommendations of the professionals who know him and know the school.
Anonymous
PP, I would say the boys are on the older side in that birthdays in August-September are redshirted normally. A May birthday is an outlier.
Anonymous
That’s ridiculous. Absolutely no to redshirting him. A July or august birthday, maybe but not for sure. We are at a top private school in DC and there are no redshirted boys in the entire grade. One school in Potomac is frequently guilty of redshirting for sports, but that is not a valid reason and not a good practice.
Do not feel guilty and to add, it matters even less as they get older.
Anonymous
If he fell behind academically and needed to repeat a grade, he could be almost 2.5 years older than some of his peers. Don't do it.
Anonymous
This is private school? You don’t have much choice. If you don’t want to redshirt your option is another private school or public.

There are a lot of anti-redshirters on DCUM who really don’t seem to understand how private school admissions work or even the difference between public and private so you have to take DCUM with a grain of salt.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:You’re fine, OP. Our private school has spring boys redshirted all the time. He won’t be the only one. Plus, if admissions suggested it, it means they thought it was appropriate for him. Private school boys tend to be on the older side.


Must be a mater delay parent, spring birthday is laughable to redshirt.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:From whom are you getting "flack"? Random other parents and friends/family? Or his current teachers/schools to whom you applied? If the former, ignore it and trust the recommendations of the professionals who know him and know the school.


+1
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:This is private school? You don’t have much choice. If you don’t want to redshirt your option is another private school or public.

There are a lot of anti-redshirters on DCUM who really don’t seem to understand how private school admissions work or even the difference between public and private so you have to take DCUM with a grain of salt.


I am a private school parent in a school in DC and my child is not redshirted and even has 3 June, 2 July, and 1 august birthday in his grade of about 30 students. None of which are redshirted.
Anonymous
Definitely not for a May birthday and any difference, if any, will be a moot issue as he ages.
Anonymous
If schools are willing to admit him for Pre-K then it must not be that unusual for them. My DS has a May birthday and it would never have occurred to us to redshirt him but he is often in school with and knows kids in his grade at other schools who are almost a full year older than him. I don't think it will harm him and in some ways he will benefit. If you like the school that admitted him for Pre-K, go for it.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This is private school? You don’t have much choice. If you don’t want to redshirt your option is another private school or public.

There are a lot of anti-redshirters on DCUM who really don’t seem to understand how private school admissions work or even the difference between public and private so you have to take DCUM with a grain of salt.


I am a private school parent in a school in DC and my child is not redshirted and even has 3 June, 2 July, and 1 august birthday in his grade of about 30 students. None of which are redshirted.


Great! Presumable that's because admissions didn't think those students needed to be redshirted. That doesn't have anything to do with whether *this* child with a May birthday needs to be redshirted. And if he was offered a PreK slot but not a kindergarten slot, that means that the admissions staff determined he needed to be redshirted.

OP, ignore the naysayers and do what the admission staff (who are paid to do this and do it well) recommend. Our school has absolutely recommended redshirting a May birthday; they've also recommended starting an October birthday early. I think they may even have both in the same grade. It depends on the individual child. Human development isn't linear or uniform.
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