October Birthday: Starting Kindergarden "Early" in Arlington

[Anonymous]

Our DD's birthday falls in October, so based on Arlington's requirements, she wouldn't be able to start Kindergarden until the Fall of 2011. Our girl is quite bright, in my opinion, and I was wondering if any readers have had experience in having a child tested to start Kindergarden "early" in the Arlington public schools. I am afraid if she waits for 3 more years to start school, she is going to be extremely bored. Appreciate your input-thanks.

[Anonymous]

If she's supposed to start kindergarten in 2011, then she's three right now? Is she exhibiting extraordinary skills that make you think that she should go to kindergarten next fall, when she's four?

I have a DD who is a September baby. She started kindergarten ON TIME for Fairfax County (when she was four, but turned five right after the start of school) and we are already dealing with social issues related to her being the youngest in her class. Not to mention that there are boys with SPRING birthdays who were held back who are a solid 16 months older than she is....

While I still believe that we have made the right decision for our daughter to start on time -- academic readiness and social skills on par with her (now first grade) peers. But I think that would have been a tough call to make when she was just three. You have some time to think about this.

[Anonymous]

OP, there was a lengthy discussion about this recently that was very helpful. Some for and some against "red shirting."

[Anonymous]

I'm new to this, but is there even the option to test into Kindergarten early if your child turns 5 after the deadline? I know that they used to allow children to start early if they did well on the test, but for some reason I thought that this wasn't an option anymore?

[Anonymous]

Some counties allow this testing and some don't so check your county's website.

[Anonymous]

I'm in a county other than Arlington, but I've got a bright "December" child. He was a year ahead in preschool b/c everyone felt he should have been. And even now, as a second grader, he's a year ahead in nearly everything academically. But I didn't push him forward and am glad I didn't. Socially, he's really flourished being with the kids his own age. I didn't push on the advice of big sis, who's son was the youngest in his grade all through school (he's now in college). Looking back, she wished she had held him back a year, not for the early years, but the later ones, like when he was the last to get his driver's license of everyone in his grade. She felt socially, being the youngest was very hard on him.

[Anonymous]

We live in Arlington and my son has an early October birthday (misses the cutoff by less than a week) but I'm resigned to him starting almost a year late.

I do believe in principle that it's different for girls and we also have a friend who is a preschool teacher who believes kids should start kindergarten when they are academically ready vs. "redshirting" kids who are old enough to start but parents want them to have "the gift of time" but I don't know if Arlington even does testing to let kids off the deadline hook.

There have been other posts on this topic including one that suggested some private schools are more flexible on the birthday thing and you could always send your child to kindergarten at a private school and then switch back to public for first grade...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live in Arlington and my son has an early October birthday (misses the cutoff by less than a week) but I'm resigned to him starting almost a year late.

I do believe in principle that it's different for girls and we also have a friend who is a preschool teacher who believes kids should start kindergarten when they are academically ready vs. "redshirting" kids who are old enough to start but parents want them to have "the gift of time" but I don't know if Arlington even does testing to let kids off the deadline hook.

There have been other posts on this topic including one that suggested some private schools are more flexible on the birthday thing and you could always send your child to kindergarten at a private school and then switch back to public for first grade...

Why? I assure you that my 3 y.o. son with a summer birthday can match any girl of the same age socially or developmentally. I grow so tired of these statements. Way to give our sons an unnecessary inferiority complex.

[Anonymous]

10:49 here -

Maybe that came out wrong - I guess I believe the perception is that it's different for girls. If my son were born a week earlier I would definitely plan to start him on time and not hold him back a year if I thought he were ready academically. It bugs me that people hold back kids who are old enough and are capable just to give them an advantage of age, size, etc.

That said, there were a number of boys in my daughter's preschool class who were close to or just after the cutoff and won't be attending kindergarten this year and in most cases I think that's a wise decision - they can't sit still, can't listen to directions, and can't do the work like writing letters and so on. Having a 5 year old daughter I do know a lot of boys and girls this age and in general the 5 year old girls are a bit more mature and capable academically (though there are, of course, boys that are the same).

[Anonymous]

New poster here. I teach in an APS elementary and have never heard of any school relaxing the deadline. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen, though. I'd love to know what the policy is.
It seems like everyone would be doing it, though, from what you hear from parents about how brilliant their kids are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New poster here. I teach in an APS elementary and have never heard of any school relaxing the deadline. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen, though. I'd love to know what the policy is.
It seems like everyone would be doing it, though, from what you hear from parents about how brilliant their kids are.

My friend's daughter has a late September birthday and every single person she's spoken with in Arlington -- teachers, principals, other parents -- has told her she absolutely should not start her on time. NOthing to do with skills, maturity, etc. -- just on principle. In Arlington (or at least a certain segment of North Arlington), the youngest kids in the class are April/May birthdays, apparently. That's not to say that there isn't some official method of testing for early readiness, OP, but I'm guessing if you ask, they'll look at you like you have three heads.

[Anonymous]

I don't know about APS, but in FCPS the only way around the "rule" is to find a private school for at least K and 1st and then transfer in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know about APS, but in FCPS the only way around the "rule" is to find a private school for at least K and 1st and then transfer in.

Does it have to be both K and 1st or can you do just K in private and then transfer into FCPS for 1st grade?

[Anonymous]

My friend's daughter has a late September birthday and every single person she's spoken with in Arlington -- teachers, principals, other parents -- has told her she absolutely should not start her on time. NOthing to do with skills, maturity, etc. -- just on principle. In Arlington (or at least a certain segment of North Arlington), the youngest kids in the class are April/May birthdays, apparently.

This is not true. I mean, yes, there are some kids at my son's school with summer birthdays who started late, but almost all of them -- boys and girls -- are kids who are, despite the extra year, kids with social problems. Arlington's policy, as repeated to me by a friend who was thinking of starting her son late, is that kindergarten is for five-year-olds, and it is the school's job to cope with any five-year-old within the range of normal.

Friend and I are both in North Arlington, although in different neighborhoods/schools.

[Anonymous]

Don't do it. There is plenty that you can do at an early age if you think she needs to be challenged. There are so many people who redshirt there kids around here, think about the ramifications later on, e.g. in high school she could be in classes with teenagers two years older than her.