Late birthday transfer

[Anonymous]

Which school systems will allow December birthday children, who entered public kindergarten at age 4 (out-of-state) to continue in kindergarten as transfers or to enter first grade the following year after completing the out-of-state kindergarten? TIA!

[Anonymous]

I think all school systems accept this. I know FCPS does.

[Anonymous]

I am curious where you are coming from? New York?

[Anonymous]

If you pass kindergarten elsewhere, FCPS should let you move to 1st, regardless of age. But, if you are moving to an affluent area, beware. Lots of kids in FCPS starting K way ahead of the national curve. I have heard from military families that FCPS k-2 is a year ahead of other places they have lived. It may be worth meeting with the school after K to determine whether K or 1st is the best placement, given your DC's reading level, math fluency, etc. Repeating K could be a good move-- especially since red shirting in K is common in some parts of the county. Or maybe it's not. Your school should be able to look at DRA levels, etc and help.

[Anonymous]

I'm pretty sure that if you pass kindergarten at an accredited school, your kid would be able to enter 1st grade with no issues. I think you have to get the principal's approval. We briefly looked into this in FFX when we considered trying to send my daughter to private K early because she missed the date for public K by a few weeks.

Just remember that your child will be about 15 months younger than the oldest kids in his/her class, which can make for a HUGE difference in size and social skills. My daughter is one of the oldest kids in her class (late october birthday) and she looked like a giant compared to most of the kids in her kindergarten cohort, some of whom were 11 months younger.

[Anonymous]

That's true. We didn't redshirt but my daughter has an early October birthday and will turn 6 shortly after starting K this fall. I think most children will be a mix of 5 and 6 during the entire K year, so something to think about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm pretty sure that if you pass kindergarten at an accredited school, your kid would be able to enter 1st grade with no issues. I think you have to get the principal's approval. We briefly looked into this in FFX when we considered trying to send my daughter to private K early because she missed the date for public K by a few weeks.

Just remember that your child will be about 15 months younger than the oldest kids in his/her class, which can make for a HUGE difference in size and social skills. My daughter is one of the oldest kids in her class (late october birthday) and she looked like a giant compared to most of the kids in her kindergarten cohort, some of whom were 11 months younger.

Depending on the school I think it could be significantly more than 15 months younger. It would be 15 months younger assuming everyone went "on time" - so the oldest kids would have October birthdays. I have heard about plenty of kids with May and June birthdays waiting to start kindergarten until age 6 so OP's kid would be 18 months younger than those kids. Crazy.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't worry about K-2 being way ahead of your kid in Fairfax. If she did fine where you are, she'll probably be fine here. My kids were fine and we had experience at those grade levels in 3 different school districts.

[Anonymous]

OP, you know your child best. The school will let her move forward. Where do you think she would be better off? Don't be deceived by the label--K curriculum where she came from may be similar to the K curriculum here--or not. She might be better off in K for lots of reasons.

As a former K and first grade teacher, I would put her with her age group unless she is extremely mature. School is not a race.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think all school systems accept this. I know FCPS does.

If the child successfully completes K. But the OP is asking about a mid-year transfer. Seems less obvious to me. OP, why don't you call FCPS? Seems like a hypothetical at this point since it is May afterall...

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]Which school systems will allow December birthday children, who entered public kindergarten at age 4 (out-of-state) to continue in kindergarten as transfers or to enter first grade the following year after completing the out-of-state kindergarten? TIA![/quote]

Horrible idea in FCPS. If you are coming in from fly over country somewhere, you need to understand the concept of redshirting. It is very prevalent in the DC area. No one sends kids after a July birthday with their 'correct' school year. They wait 1 full year and start the child as he/she is turning 6 vs turning 5. This has all sorts of benefits socially, academically, and in sports.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Which school systems will allow December birthday children, who entered public kindergarten at age 4 (out-of-state) to continue in kindergarten as transfers or to enter first grade the following year after completing the out-of-state kindergarten? TIA![/quote]

Horrible idea in FCPS. If you are coming in from fly over country somewhere, you need to understand the concept of redshirting. It is very prevalent in the DC area. No one sends kids after a July birthday with their 'correct' school year. They wait 1 full year and start the child as he/she is turning 6 vs turning 5. This has all sorts of benefits socially, academically, and in sports. [/quote]

Gotta say i am starting to realize this is an exaggeration. My kid will be 5 in mid-September so this has been top of mind for a while. I took an informal poll of parents of his preschool classmates the other day and it seems like only one kid is staying at the preschool (he will be 5 in early September, was a preemie and is TINY). All the other August and September birthdays are going to K (boys and girls) - all to FCPS schools.

[Anonymous]

The curriculum in Fairfax is the same that the whole state of VA uses so really, it is not that hard or different from other states.

You know what is best for your kid, and if they are doing well in K- transfer into K.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Which school systems will allow December birthday children, who entered public kindergarten at age 4 (out-of-state) to continue in kindergarten as transfers or to enter first grade the following year after completing the out-of-state kindergarten? TIA![/quote]

Horrible idea in FCPS. If you are coming in from fly over country somewhere, you need to understand the concept of redshirting. It is very prevalent in the DC area. No one sends kids after a July birthday with their 'correct' school year. They wait 1 full year and start the child as he/she is turning 6 vs turning 5. This has all sorts of benefits socially, academically, and in sports. [/quote]

This only happens when the family has a SAHM or can afford another year of full time childcare.

So basically a McLean epicenter and concentric circles around it.

And it has no long term benefits - any benefit vanishes by MS and redshirted kids are academically behind by HS. See: studies.

[Anonymous]

My neighbor did this. She moved here from California during the school year. Her daughter had started K in CA. They gave her a really hard time. This is for a VERY articulate child who was writing well even in K. She got sick of the back and forth and chose to keep her in a private K, and she seamlessly moved on to 1st in FCPS. Her daughter has a November Birthday. My daughter was thrilled as she has a late September birthday and was always the youngest before this.

Side note: The girls are both in 3rd now in an AAP center so academically it has been just fine. Our neighborhood school does not have much red-shirting though, that helps.