does your toddler have a birthday AFTER sept 1?

[Anonymous]

my 2 year old toddler (turns 3 in nov) who is ready for school in the fall (is potty trained, academically and socially ready) doesn't have much choice in terms of school for the fall (not daycare). he will be too advanced for a 2yr old program and many 3-yr old programs won't take him because of his late birthday. i'm looking at montessori schools in mo. co. and they are trying to stay true to the mcps rule.

what did other parents to with their child either for the 'extra year' until they turned 3 OR do you know of any bridge programs or other montessori schools that will allow a 2 almost 3 year old into the primary class?

any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Anonymous]

Cut off is Sept. 30 - not Sept 1

Why are you rushing? You have to get used to it anyway for real school, so why not just put him at the pace he'll be at, with kids he'll be peers with?

November birthdays are not "right at the cut off" - he he were early October, then that's one thing - but your son is waaay past the cut off. Enjoy that he'll be older and can be a teacher to the younger kids.

BTW - "school" for 3 yr olds IS daycare.

[Anonymous]

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/enroll/requirements.shtm

cutoff for montgomery county is sept. 1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:my 2 year old toddler (turns 3 in nov) who is ready for school in the fall (is potty trained, academically and socially ready) doesn't have much choice in terms of school for the fall (not daycare). he will be too advanced for a 2yr old program and many 3-yr old programs won't take him because of his late birthday. i'm looking at montessori schools in mo. co. and they are trying to stay true to the mcps rule.

what did other parents to with their child either for the 'extra year' until they turned 3 OR do you know of any bridge programs or other montessori schools that will allow a 2 almost 3 year old into the primary class?

any advice would be greatly appreciated!

My child has a November birthday as well. There are lots of preschool programs that start at 2 1/2. I don't know where you live in Montgomery County -- we're in MC as well, but close to DC. Perhaps you've missed most of the deadlines but try...

1. Franklin Montessori
2. Little Folks (somewhat montessori-based)
3. St. John's Episcopal Preschool (reggio emilia based)
4. NCRC (non-montessori, but great)
5. School for Friends (non-montessori)
6. Manor Montessori
7. Outdoor Nursery School (non-montessori, but great)
8. River School (non-montessori, but great)
9. Georgetown Montessori
10. Oneness School (somewhat montessori-based)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BTW - "school" for 3 yr olds IS daycare.

Definitely not true.

[Anonymous]

PP - well said. My daughter is in public DC preschool, and is learning everyday. There is still time for play, but she has learned most of her letters, several new songs, is learning pre-math, and will soon embark on learning how to read. Definitely more intense than daycare!

[Anonymous]

thanks 14:14 - OP here...

we're close to DC as well and i've researched/toured many of the montessori schools you've listed (our favorite is on there) and my child could go into the 2s program, but we were hoping for the 3s program. in the 2s program at the various schools it seemed very daycare-ish in that some of the children in the classes can't speak yet. which is fine, but my child speaks in complex complete sentences with prepositions, pronouns, adverbs, adjectives, etc. and by his 2nd bday he was able to identify all the letters (upper and lower) and has already begun phonics and learning to write letters, at his request! i almost can't keep up with him and what he wants to learn. so that is why i was hoping he'd get into a 3s program...

[Anonymous]

Most of the preschools in MoCo have a 2 year old program.

Norbeck Montessori has the 2 year olds in the same room as the older kids. Give them a try.

Look at some programs where they separate the 2 year old into Older 2's and Younger 2's. Geneva Day School does this as does Rockville Presbyterian Co-Op.

But I do agree with the poster who said why rush him into a true 3 year old class. My DD has a September birthday, is academically ready and I have no hesitation in putting her in a 2 year old class (we'll be going to RPCNS and she'll be in the older 2's class).

[Anonymous]

PP again - I forgot about St. Raphael's. Their cut-off is 12.31 so your kid could be in a 3's class.

[Anonymous]

OP here... i haven't heard of splitting up the older 2s and younger 2s - that is a good idea i'll have to specifically ask schools if they do that for the 2s class, then i wouldn't have a problem putting our child in a 2s class. schools haven't mentioned that to me, so i'm assuming they don't practice that.

[Anonymous]

Don't confuse being smart/social for being "better off with 3 year olds".

We faced some of this with my son (a September birthday). Despite being the youngest in his class, he was academically very smart and ready for more challenges. But, in addition to being much more on or behind pace social wise, he wasn't READY to be with kids a year older.

The differences between 2 year olds and 3 year olds is HUGE. 3 year olds do cutting and other fine motor skills that would be truly frustrating for most 2 year olds. I really doubt (regardless of how bright your child is) that he/she would be more appropriately placed in a 3 year old class. 3 year olds play differently (and more agressively sometimes), they move faster... heck, they're THREE. And at that age, they've lived 50% longer than your 2 year old!

If you can find a young 2s/older 2s split, that's great.

If not, send your kid with the other 2 year olds, and find ways to challenge him/her at home.

Some of this depends what you really want your child to get out of pre-school.... is it fun and social development? Or is it math skills? I'd hope its the former, but each to his own.

I think most pre-schools will not even consider this idea because they know from experience the difference a year makes. Even in the context of kindergarten discussions, this is a huge deal. Here you're trying to push your child into a more advanced class a full 2-3 years EARLIER. As much as I believe in evaluating kids based on their own attributes, this seems a bit crazy to me. Would you put your 12 month old in a class with 2 year olds? I hope not. Maybe this is not the same... but its pretty close.

[Anonymous]

OP, I have to say, it makes me cringe a little when you say your son (who is BARELY 2 now) is "academically and socially ready" for school. What, does that mean? Not only would I question what you're evaluating, but I have no idea how you've already come to the conclusion that going to school with other 2 year olds will be too basic for him...

[Anonymous]

PP, i only say this b/c my child was in a 2s class in sunday school but was placed in a 3 - 4 class b/c he was "too smart" for the 2s. the teacher said he asked a lot of questions and things seemed to easy for him and he was better off in a 3-4 class. although the youngest in the class by far, he remembers the songs, does the motions, remembers and tells me what he has learned about and does the crafts along with the older kids w/o much difference.

please don't get me wrong, i am not trying to push him up a grade (i am fine with him entering school when he is supposed to) but i just want him to be challenged and engaged and in a class where he will learn.

[Anonymous]

which is fine, but my child speaks in complex complete sentences with prepositions, pronouns, adverbs, adjectives, etc. and by his 2nd bday he was able to identify all the letters (upper and lower) and has already begun phonics and learning to write letters, at his request!

This is all well and good, but preschool is so much about socialization and peer group interaction that I personally wouldn't push my kid into an older class unless I knew my child would exceed age-group expectations for classroom behavior skills. DS was a smartie, too, at age 2.5 but wasn't ready do what the 3.5 yr olds were ideally expected to do in their classroom: to sit in circle, work cooperatively most of the time, raise his hand, keep quiet while his classmates had their turn, and so forth.

In fact, in a part of the county where all the little kids are pretty smart, I'd think that behavior-age is probably the most important determinant for classroom placement.

[Anonymous]

OP - is your dhild a girl or a boy? Friends who are educators have told me that they feel that pushing girls is ok and letting boys wait is probably better. I have a little girl who has a September birthday. She is turning two this coming September, so I have time, but I already sense that I am going to want to push her ahead. As far as I can tell she is in the same place as her friends who are a month older than her or even 6 months older than. What I do know for sure is that she happens to be a very tall and healthy sized 17 month old. Things may change, but as of now I would hate to see her a head taller AND a year older than most of the children in her grade.