Did you send your late summer birthday son to kindergarten that Fall?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really think it has to be on a case-by-case basis. Some June kids may be ready, some may not be.

But where do you draw this cut-off?? I don't think anybody debates the "just before the cut-off birthdays" but when we start holding back June and May what stops people from holding back January or even December because "the child is not ready." THOSE are the children that NEED to go to kindergarten. There is a chance these children have a LD that can be easily diagnosed in a school setting. THen the child can get the extra help they need. By waiting that year, the parents could inadvertently be hurting their child even more.

I am a PP with a May boy and EVERY week his reports come home saying he has a hard time sitting still. No shit, he's 5!!!! He will get it eventually, but should I have held him back because he couldn't sit in a seat for more than 5 minutes??

I think the point is that there is no firm cutoff. Some kids will be ready, some won't. As to how to tell WHICH kids, I don't have enough experience to say. However, repeating a year of kindergarten is probably a lot easier than repeating a later grade.

[Anonymous]

"even more affluent areas as this area."

PP's issue seems to be the fact there are more affluent and/or educated areas than this area. Maybe there aren't so many alpha dogs here, after all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I think the point is that there is no firm cutoff. Some kids will be ready, some won't. As to how to tell WHICH kids, I don't have enough experience to say. However, repeating a year of kindergarten is probably a lot easier than repeating a later grade.

PP here who just thinks that when we start seeing things like 26% of kids were held back (PP's comments), we need to reevaluate what we're teaching/expecting of kindergartners. If the school system creates a cut-off, they should be able to educate and nurture children within that age range, which developmentally will be all over the place.

[Anonymous]

"But where do you draw this cut-off??"


This kind of competitive panic is how the act of redshirting perpetuates; *in spite of* whether or not the kid is ready. Is it fair to hold back a kid that is ready? Of course not. Common sense, anyone?

[Anonymous]

Still not clear on why people redshirt. What is the big secret? Typical.

[Anonymous]

I don't think June is a late birthday. Isn't the cutoff at the end of September? (It is in Ffx County but I think it's similar in most places.) Sounds like his birthday is more than three months before the cutoff.

We are giving our teachers an even harder job than they already have when we hold back kids with June birthdays, creating a 15+ month age span in a kindergarten class.

I think the studies show that by 3rd grade, any academic advantages from redshirting have equalized. So there's no long-term benefit.

I sent my mid-August child to school on time.

[Anonymous]

PP- Kindergarten is a LOT different than it used to be. So little boys who were very active 20 yrs ago didn't have too much trouble in K even if they were young. Nothing really was expected of them. K was a story or two, playtime, arts and crafts, recess, snack and then home. Now it is all day and very academic. Much like first grade used to me. So people worry that their young boys can't hack it and decide to hold them back which makes lots of sense. Do you want your kindergartener to feel like a failure after his first year in ES?

[Anonymous]

"Do you want your kindergartener to feel like a failure after his first year in ES?"


Oh for crying out loud PP, how dramatic can you be? Likely it is YOU that feels like a failure. Stop taking it out on your innocent child.

[Anonymous]

My neighbor's son had to repeat K and not only felt horrible but his "friends" from K teased him for a long time about being "stupid" and a "baby." Yes, it does impact kids if they can't keep up with the other kids in their class. Everybody knows who the smart kids are and who isn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our son is a VERY active, very busy boy. He does not sit for long or have what some might say school-ready attention and focus skills. He's not ADD or anything like that, and extremely bright, just very active. His birthday is at end of June. We are trying to decide whether to enroll him in a pre-k program for maturity reasons vs. just waiting it out and see what develops over the next 10 months.

It seems most parents I speak to in similar situation are split down the middle with a slight bias to enroll the girls earlier than the boys.

What did you do those in similar boat?

OP, all I can say is that you need to consult a calendar. A birthday at the end of June is not "late summer." The FIRST DAY of summer is June 21. You are totally over the top in characterizing your son as "late summer." Are you looking for a reason to hold him back? Because using his DOB is a stretch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OK since when does the end of June constitute a "late" birthday? I think you should send your son.

I agree with this. June is not late. I would consider end of August a late summer birthday, not June.

NO LADIES---What is late is my son's September 29th birthday for Arlington Cos. September 30th cutoff. I don't know WTH to do yet!

[Anonymous]

Can't you register your child for K late in the summer? If so, wait and see. A lot happens in 9 months. If you are worried about them not being ready, can you register them for another year of preschool and then make up your mind late in the summer?

[Anonymous]

My neighbor's son had to repeat K and not only felt horrible but his "friends" from K teased him for a long time about being "stupid" and a "baby." Yes, it does impact kids if they can't keep up with the other kids in their class. Everybody knows who the smart kids are and who isn't.

That sounds like an obnoxious group of children - and parents, who are allowing their children to behave that way.

My son had a friend last year in 1st grade who ended up needing to repeat 1st grade this year. (Not age-related, but he has some delays.) I've spoken to his mom several times about how it's going so far this year, and she said it's been just fine socially. They haven't encountered teasing, name-calling, or any of what you describe. I guess the environment is just different in our school. I also don't think "what if he's not ready, he ends up having to repeat K, and the other kids make fun of him" is a reason for holding your kid back.

I know this is apples to oranges, but as an aside, my own son repeated K, for the opposite reason. His birthday is just AFTER the cutoff. He seemed very ready for K but was not eligible for public K, but he was in a private preschool that offered K and they (and we) wanted him to be in the K class. So he started K at 4, and turned 5 a few weeks after the cutoff and was the youngest one in the class. The next year, when he was age-eligible for K, he did it again as his "true" kindergarten year. No issues with teasing, etc. for repeating K.

[Anonymous]

How many of the kids from his private K class followed him to his public K class? In that respect, it is fairly easy to disguise (to your child and to others) what is happening to them. But to be held back in the same school and be put in the only other K class is pretty obvious to the child and to his friends who moved on to first grade. Even it is handled well by parents and teachers, you can't say that the kid doesn't know that something is "wrong" when all of his friends moved up the hall to first grade and he is repeating K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We did redshirt (end of August bday) and DS is also loving K at our local DCPS. It seems like a really good fit socially, he is a bit ahead academically. I'd take a look at the school he would be in, talk to current teachers and talk to the future school to find out what the expectations are. I don't think this is a decision that can be made in the abstract. We moved DS from preschool to another school with a JK program so he didn't feel like he was "repeating" or being left while the other kids moved on. It's a totally kid dependent decision - good luck!

We did the exact same thing. It was just what DC needed.