MoCo Schools - Is September 1st birthday cut off the rule?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Had a child due date of Sept 5. Scheduled an induction for Aug 23rd, then other complications intervened for an Aug 12 birthday. Perfectly happy as youngest in class.

And yes, I would have induced on Aug 23rd. Probably not a c-section on Aug 23rd.

You would induce and deliver a baby early because of a school system cutoff? Seriously?

This boggles my mind. I have a son whose birthday is September 3 and I have no intention whatsoever to try to test him in, although he is very mature for his age. I am just happy he can enjoy one more year of childhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Had a child due date of Sept 5. Scheduled an induction for Aug 23rd, then other complications intervened for an Aug 12 birthday. Perfectly happy as youngest in class.

And yes, I would have induced on Aug 23rd. Probably not a c-section on Aug 23rd.

You would induce and deliver a baby early because of a school system cutoff? Seriously?

This boggles my mind. I have a son whose birthday is September 3 and I have no intention whatsoever to try to test him in, although he is very mature for his age. I am just happy he can enjoy one more year of childhood.

PP here, and it boggles my mind as well. My son's birthday is September 12th. He is super-bright and capable, and could easily have done kindergarten one year early (I'm guessing). But who knows whether 8th grade would have gone as well, had he been young for his grade?

It never occurred to me to try to test him in early. And I cannot fathom making the medical decision to induce, with the risks that entails, for the sole purpose of meeting an MCPS cutoff.

Truly, it boggles the mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone know if MoCo's September 1st birthday cut off is a hard rule with no exceptions or if there ways/tests/etc to work around it?

Another option for someone with a Sept. birthday. My neighbor's daughter has a Sept. birthday. She attended a private preschool which also had an maryland accredited Kindergarten for which there was no Sept. 1 cutoff. She started kindergarten @ this private school when she was 4 and turned 5 years old shortly thereafter. She enrolled in MCPS kindergarten the next year per their age policy, but after the principal and teachers evaluated her during the 1st few weeks, they made the decision to immediately move her up to 1st grade.

The drawback is paying for a year of private kindergarten.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone know if MoCo's September 1st birthday cut off is a hard rule with no exceptions or if there ways/tests/etc to work around it?

Another option for someone with a Sept. birthday. My neighbor's daughter has a Sept. birthday. She attended a private preschool which also had an maryland accredited Kindergarten for which there was no Sept. 1 cutoff. She started kindergarten @ this private school when she was 4 and turned 5 years old shortly thereafter. She enrolled in MCPS kindergarten the next year per their age policy, but after the principal and teachers evaluated her during the 1st few weeks, they made the decision to immediately move her up to 1st grade.

The drawback is paying for a year of private kindergarten.

This is one reason we are considering early entrance for our DC.

[Anonymous]

The drawback is not only a year of private tuition for kindergarten. They still have to qualify for first grade. It's not until second grade that there is automatic admission on grade level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone know if MoCo's September 1st birthday cut off is a hard rule with no exceptions or if there ways/tests/etc to work around it?

Another option for someone with a Sept. birthday. My neighbor's daughter has a Sept. birthday. She attended a private preschool which also had an maryland accredited Kindergarten for which there was no Sept. 1 cutoff. She started kindergarten @ this private school when she was 4 and turned 5 years old shortly thereafter. She enrolled in MCPS kindergarten the next year per their age policy, but after the principal and teachers evaluated her during the 1st few weeks, they made the decision to immediately move her up to 1st grade.

The drawback is [b]paying for a year of private kindergarten.[/b]

This is one reason we are considering early entrance for our DC.

I don't understand this. You have paid for childcare, or had your child at home for this long, yet you will enroll him early - a decision that will have an impact on his entire school career - rather than pay for one more year? Really?

I don't get this thinking at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The drawback is not only a year of private tuition for kindergarten. They still have to qualify for first grade. It's not until second grade that there is automatic admission on grade level.

And they still have to perform at grade level (minimum), eight, ten, twelve years later.

They may be mature and capable enough now, but what effect will this decision have when they are e.g. in fourth, or eighth grade?

Penny-wise, pound-foolish.

[Anonymous]

You do realize these kids are only days younger than kids which would be labled red shirts if they were held back..totally a parents call either way..no one should judge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You do realize these kids are only days younger than kids which would be labled red shirts if they were held back..totally a parents call either way..no one should judge.

At least one of these kids has not yet been BORN.

The cutoff is not entirely arbitrary. It is based on data about incoming kindergarteners and how they perform at what ages. Maryland is one of the last states in the country to have adopted the 9/1 cutoff.

I agree it's the parents' call. The reasons for accelerating expressed in this thread are not about a parental (judgment) call however; they are about short-term, money-saving goals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You do realize these kids are only days younger than kids which would be labled red shirts if they were held back..totally a parents call either way..no one should judge.

At least one of these kids has not yet been BORN.

The cutoff is not entirely arbitrary. It is based on data about incoming kindergarteners and how they perform at what ages. Maryland is one of the last states in the country to have adopted the 9/1 cutoff.

I agree it's the parents' call. The reasons for accelerating expressed in this thread are not about a parental (judgment) call however; they are about short-term, money-saving goals.

Money is a legitimate factor in this decision. My daycare/preschool costs $18k per year, and that will be one of many issues we consider when deciding if DS will try to test in to start a "year early" based on being born 72 hrs after the cut-off. It's not the deciding factor, but's it's a consideration. I'm really hoping he is clearly ready, or obviously too young & immature. It's a big decision that affects the rest of his life so I'm hoping the right answer is clear to us. Right now we a learning towards starting him "on time" and being one of the oldest in the class. We'll see what happens in 2 years...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You do realize these kids are only days younger than kids which would be labled red shirts if they were held back..totally a parents call either way..no one should judge.

At least one of these kids has not yet been BORN.

The cutoff is not entirely arbitrary. It is based on data about incoming kindergarteners and how they perform at what ages. Maryland is one of the last states in the country to have adopted the 9/1 cutoff.

I agree it's the parents' call. The reasons for accelerating expressed in this thread are not about a parental (judgment) call however; they are about short-term, money-saving goals.

Money is a legitimate factor in this decision. My daycare/preschool costs $18k per year, and that will be one of many issues we consider when deciding if DS will try to test in to start a "year early" based on being born 72 hrs after the cut-off. It's not the deciding factor, but's it's a consideration. I'm really hoping he is clearly ready, or obviously too young & immature. It's a big decision that affects the rest of his life so I'm hoping the right answer is clear to us. Right now we a learning towards starting him "on time" and being one of the oldest in the class. We'll see what happens in 2 years...

What I don't get is how this should be a big factor, considering the potential ramifications for the long haul, and assuming that a middle-class or upper-middle class family has been paying for daycare or preschool. $18K annually is an average sum for daycare/preschool, but in the large, school-career picture, it is not a big amount, assuming that the family in question has been paying it for some years now.

[Anonymous]

Whether or not you like it, money is a factor. That 18K can be put away for 12 years and pay a significant part of a year of college later. Plus, it he child who is born 72 hours after the cutoff is ready for Kindergarten, then why should there be such a fuss to put him in kindergarten?

The difference is that it is a parent's right to put the child in kindergarten with a sept. 1 birthday and it is the county's right to refuse putting a child in kindergarten with a sept. 2 birthday. That's why it is arbitrary. It's the difference between the parent deciding what is right for his/her family and the county dictating what his right for the family.

[Anonymous]

Avoiding an $18k daycare payment may sound like a good reason to put your child into kindergarten early, but let me give you another thought. I have a son who required a year of tutoring because he was behind in school (not due to being pushed ahead early). Cost for that was $15k. So, great if your child does fine with being pushed ahead. But with tutoring at over $50 an hour, if your child can't keep up, you may incur costs that you hadn't thought about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Avoiding an $18k daycare payment may sound like a good reason to put your child into kindergarten early, but let me give you another thought. I have a son who required a year of tutoring because he was behind in school (not due to being pushed ahead early). Cost for that was $15k. So, great if your child does fine with being pushed ahead. But with tutoring at over $50 an hour, if your child can't keep up, you may incur costs that you hadn't thought about.

Yep.

Not to mention, the emotional cost to the child of struggling to keep up with his peers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whether or not you like it, money is a factor. That 18K can be put away for 12 years and pay a significant part of a year of college later. Plus, it he child who is born 72 hours after the cutoff is ready for Kindergarten, then why should there be such a fuss to put him in kindergarten?

The difference is that it is a parent's right to put the child in kindergarten with a sept. 1 birthday and it is the county's right to refuse putting a child in kindergarten with a sept. 2 birthday. That's why it is arbitrary. It's the difference between the parent deciding what is right for his/her family and the county dictating what his right for the family.

Assuming that you and your DH work, that 18K won't be free and clear - you'll need to pay for before-care, after-care, and care on professional days, etc. Your savings will likely be more like $12K (or less), because the childcare you'll still need will cost $6K or more annually.