Does anyone petition to send their kids to K early?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:September doesn't make the cutoff? I thought it was Sep 30?

Cutoff is September 1 in MD

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, my mid-October birthday girl started early. Currently in 3rd grade and everything is going well. Her best friend is over a year older (September birthday - turned 9 at the beginning of 3rd grade, and my child turned 8 a month later). My daughter is on the small side. She's very bright and at the top of her class academically. I think she's in the right grade for her and can't imagine her being in 2nd this year instead, but I guess we'll see if there are challenges later. I was a late-October birthday and started K at age 4 and didn't have problems with it in high school, college, etc., and used that experience in deciding for my daughter.

+1, ditto everything above. My mid-October birthday girl started early. Currently in elementary, and everything is going well (very bright, top of her class academically). She is also on the small side (but would be next year, too; I'm short). I think she is in the right grade. I was a November birthday and started K at age 4, and it was definitely the right decision for me.

We're in VA so no test-in. She started at private then switched to public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was also the youngest in my class years and years ago, though redshirting was unheard of at that time. My experience was very different than yours, OP.

Our oldest DS was young for the grade. We sent him on time because he was ready and we didn’t know better. If I could do-over one parenting move, it would be that one. Academically, he was fine. Socially and emotionally, not so much.

What you need to be thinking about is not kindergarten, but rather the lunch table at middle school, [b]the kid who cannot drive when all his peers can, the 17-year-old going to college. Our younger DS was going to be the youngest in his class and we did not send him. [/b]It has been 1000 times easier on every front.

I turned 5 during fall of K, and wow, none of these things were ever a concern for me. I had no real sense of who was older or younger than me throughout school. I mean, middle school wasn't smooth, but I don't attribute it to being young at all (I attended a pretty rough middle school as a new kid).

Agreed. I turned 5 during fall of K and posted on another thread that my best friend in high school was nearly a year older than I was. She drove me around (and taught me to drive!) because she got her license nearly a year before I did. It was no big deal at all.

[Anonymous]

Would a June 19 birthday (turning 4) move forward to Pre-K or not?

[Anonymous]

Our school refused to test (which I don't think they are allowed to do but it wasn't worth fighting). We just went private for a few years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would a June 19 birthday (turning 4) move forward to Pre-K or not?

How is this even a question?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:September doesn't make the cutoff? I thought it was Sep 30?

Cutoff is September 1 in MD

You can test in from 9/1-10/15 but the tests are subjective and it depends on the school.

[Anonymous]

I live in VA but did this for my son (mid October birthday). I sent him to private full day K and then he was able to go to public school 1st grade the next year. (Our county did not have full day public K at the time). I had to go back to full time work unexpectedly since our savings ran out (I stayed home for 5 years w my 2 kids who are 15 mo apart in age). The part time private preschool/day care arrangement was not going to work financially/logistically for our family. My son is now a young 8th grader and has done well academically. We sometimes had doubts about his emotional maturity, but overall, that seems to be evening out. HTH.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:September doesn't make the cutoff? I thought it was Sep 30?

No, that's in DC. Maryland is Sept 1 (or at least MoCo, not sure about PG, Howard, et al)

And, no, it wasn't to game the system - children who are 5 years old are more ready for kindergarten than 4 yr, 9 mo olds (when cutoff was Dec 30).

Honestly, your child will have to take a test to see if s/he is ready for kindergarten. So try if you think she is really socially and emotionally very mature and very ready for kindergarten.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would a June 19 birthday (turning 4) move forward to Pre-K or not?

How is this even a question?

I’m asking that because I have winter kids and do not know. My sons best friend has this birthday and the parent mentioned they thought he would not move forward with my child next year to Pre-K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, my mid-October birthday girl started early. Currently in 3rd grade and everything is going well. Her best friend is over a year older (September birthday - turned 9 at the beginning of 3rd grade, and my child turned 8 a month later). My daughter is on the small side. She's very bright and at the top of her class academically. I think she's in the right grade for her and can't imagine her being in 2nd this year instead, but I guess we'll see if there are challenges later. I was a late-October birthday and started K at age 4 and didn't have problems with it in high school, college, etc., and used that experience in deciding for my daughter.

+1, ditto everything above. My mid-October birthday girl started early. Currently in elementary, and everything is going well (very bright, top of her class academically). She is also on the small side (but would be next year, too; I'm short). I think she is in the right grade. I was a November birthday and started K at age 4, and it was definitely the right decision for me.

We're in VA so no test-in. She started at private then switched to public.

There is a test in VA for public schools. Private schools can do what they want. I had one friend whose daughter was a week over the deadline so they sent her to Kindergarten at a private school and then transfered her to public for first grade. Since she completed kindergarten at a private school she was allowed into first grade early.

[Anonymous]

The early entrance exam is easy. I would think a lot of 4 year olds could do it. I know of 3 parents who had their child (early October birthday's) test and start Kindergarten early. My DD had a birthday a week after the Oct. 15th cut off and so she had to wait until the next year to start even though she could already read, etc. It would have been nice if she could have started early with her best friend.

[Anonymous]

I'm testing my Sept 30 DD this year to start K in the fall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The early entrance exam is easy. I would think a lot of 4 year olds could do it. I know of 3 parents who had their child (early October birthday's) test and start Kindergarten early. My DD had a birthday a week after the Oct. 15th cut off and so she had to wait until the next year to start even though she could already read, etc. It would have been nice if she could have started early with her best friend.

In MoCo at least what I heard when our kids were that age is the early entrance exam is unreasonably difficult. I can’t remember exactly but it was something like the kid had to demonstrate proper use of commas.

[Anonymous]

OP here! Thanks everyone. I am not sure if DD is exceptionally bright. She seems to be doing well at preschools and her preschool buddies will be starting K next year. I will start looking into testing and also provite school option. Given that she will be done with her current preschool anyway, we’ll need either private K or pre-K program. They may not even bother testing her in MoCo, because she was a preemie and her due date is outside the cut-off for testing. Anyway, thanks everyone! Good to know that not everyone is in the red shirting camp.