"Redshirting" a Late Summer Birthday and Private PK/K Recommendations

[Anonymous]

We are considering giving our son (turning 5 in August) an extra year of schooling (either private PreK or K) prior to enrolling him in public Kindergarten. I would love to hear from parents who have done this with their late summer birthday child and if they are happy or not with their decision. I would also like to hear feedback on PreK and K on Green Acres, K at Geneva Day School, K at Bindeman Center, and JK and K at JDS. If anyone has sent their child anywhere else in the Rockville/Potomac/North Bethesda area for a Junior K specifically designed for kids with late summer birthdays and those who miss the cut-off, or Kindergarten, I'm more than open to checking out other options. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Send your kid to school on time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Send your kid to school on time.

Do you have anything useful to contribute ...?

OP we sent our late summer boy on time to public K and are definitely regretting it a little. There are plusses and minuses. The plus is that he really is learning a lot. His fine motor skills were weak, and he's getting a ton more practice than he would in a preK program. The minus is that it is stressful for the little guy, and he is not having fun at all, in part because he feels slower. Everything they say about K being the new 1st has been absolutely true at our school, for better or for worse. Socially, the issue is that due to the format of the day, there's just less free time and teaching energy spent on social-emotional development. As far as I can tell, the school really has no interest in that -- the only attention they give is putting out fires. So a child who is isolated or having trouble making friends gets no support as long as they are doing OK academically and not causing disruptions. If your child does fine socially already this may not be a concern to you.

[Anonymous]

My fall birthday kid was accidentally redshirted because of a move and I've never regretted it. Kid is a teenager now.

[Anonymous]

We had to hold back due to delays and a fall birthday and I regretted it.. Child was smart and it was clear it was a huge mistake. He did better being with older kids. I would send your kid on time. He was lucky to skip a grade to fix it but often you cannot fix what is done. Your best bet is to do a private K. and if you feel they need K over again, have them repeat at another school or public.

We gave our child the choice of skipping a grade and he choose it. When we went to public, they pushed holding him back due to age and he refused.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had to hold back due to delays and a fall birthday and I regretted it.. Child was smart and it was clear it was a huge mistake. He did better being with older kids. I would send your kid on time. He was lucky to skip a grade to fix it but often you cannot fix what is done. Your best bet is to do a private K. and if you feel they need K over again, have them repeat at another school or public.

We gave our child the choice of skipping a grade and he choose it. When we went to public, they pushed holding him back due to age and he refused.

I posted earlier - I agree that my delayed (but very bright) ds can hold his own academically; it's the social part that worries me more. As a side note, I'm not sure that doing a private jr K or K and then planning to go public for 1st really works. Given the "rigor" of public K, the child may be pretty behind in 1st. I think planning to enter public at K is likely the better bet especially if you have a kid with delays that may impact writing or reading.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Send your kid to school on time.

Do you have anything useful to contribute ...?

OP we sent our late summer boy on time to public K and are definitely regretting it a little. There are plusses and minuses. The plus is that he really is learning a lot. His fine motor skills were weak, and he's getting a ton more practice than he would in a preK program. The minus is that it is stressful for the little guy, and he is not having fun at all, in part because he feels slower. Everything they say about K being the new 1st has been absolutely true at our school, for better or for worse. Socially, the issue is that due to the format of the day, there's just less free time and teaching energy spent on social-emotional development. As far as I can tell, the school really has no interest in that -- the only attention they give is putting out fires. So a child who is isolated or having trouble making friends gets no support as long as they are doing OK academically and not causing disruptions. If your child does fine socially already this may not be a concern to you.

I agree with this but also think it's not at all unique to a kid who is a young 5. I've seen it with my two kids who were solidly 5 entering K -- they did fine but were definitely stressed (as were most of the kids), and there was some focus on social development but less than in preschool.

[Anonymous]

Ugh, as someone whose 4 year old is in a preK class full of kids who are *already* turning 6, I say send your kids to school on time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ugh, as someone whose 4 year old is in a preK class full of kids who are *already* turning 6, I say send your kids to school on time.

You're going to have a rough time in life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ugh, as someone whose 4 year old is in a preK class full of kids who are *already* turning 6, I say send your kids to school on time.

they're turning 6 in October of PK4?

[Anonymous]

We had a similar situation, compounded W some special needs (and Bright kid) and so far hS been fine. Held him back. Have some friends in jk/k at Jds and they really like it. If you are looking at this, talk to them bc they may counsel child into kindergarten... Their kindergarten is not very academic I've heard. Binderman does not have a k class every year/cant always fill it I've heard.

I'm against red shirting in general, but for a child W a late July/aug birthday, it is really negligible. However you should think about what you want to 'get' out of the extra year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh, as someone whose 4 year old is in a preK class full of kids who are *already* turning 6, I say send your kids to school on time.

they're turning 6 in October of PK4?

Yes, stop with all of this. A redshirted kid who turns 5 years old on August 15-31 is going to be FIVE the WHOLE YEAR of PreK. Your child will be 4 years old until he/she turns five, either in October, November, February, April or July or August. And your child will turn 5 BEFORE the redshirted child will turn 6 (unless you both have August kids).

There are always a few children with an eleven month age gap, with one child turned 4 on August 30 and another child turns 5 years old in September.

Now, I'd people are redshirting May and June birthday, that gets crazy. But OP is talking about a late August birthday.

[Anonymous]

My DD was born at the end of August (a few days shy of the Sept 1st cutoff of DC independents). We will keep her an extra year in her current wonderful preschool. All her classmates are staying another year. Lots of research showing the benefits of being the older. I think you are doing the right thing!

[Anonymous]

The one post I've seen here is literally the only person I've ever heard say they regretted redshirting a child --+ but know plenty of people who forge ahead and either regret forever or are.frantically trying to figure out how to navigate holding back their kid at a later age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh, as someone whose 4 year old is in a preK class full of kids who are *already* turning 6, I say send your kids to school on time.

You're going to have a rough time in life.

Uh, no. PP is simply sending her kid to school ON TIME as it's supposed to happen. These other people are being a bit selfish, in my opinion, in redshirting their kids. Seriously, someone has to be the oldest and the youngest in the class. It's not the end of the world. I get it if your kid has serious delays or medical issues, but outside of that, get over it. Why is it more fair that your kid will now be 6 for all of kindergarten when there are kids who are literally just turning 5 a day or two before the year starts, vs. your kid being 5 like all the other kids in the class but not turning 6 until most of them have already turned 6? I have a summer birthday and never thought twice about this. Being around older kids can push you to do better. It just seems terribly selfish and unfair to set up a scenario where your kid is going to be a year older and thus possibly better able to compete for sports positions and scholarships, etc. Think about all of the kids whose families are low-income and can't afford to send their kids to private pre-K or "junior K" (whatever the heck that is!) and probably have less a chance to compete for these things in the first place due to circumstances beyond their control. It just makes me angry. End of rant.