Confused about age cut off in DCPS

[Anonymous]

I thought children had to turn 3 by September 30 to enroll in prek3 in DCPS. Yet today I met someone whose child turns 3 in January but attends. Are schools allowed to make exceptions to the age cut off?

[Anonymous]

Two exceptions: One, Strong Starts kids can start when they actually turn three.
Two, Mary McLeod Bethune is a bad actor charter. They let kids of all ages in to meet their allocations (and stay out of the MSDC lottery because of it)

[Anonymous]

All schools participating in My School DC lottery have the Sept 30 age cutoff, but schools that aren’t part of MSDC can have different cutoffs.

[Anonymous]

Strong Start is for children with special needs. Children with IEPs are eligible for PK3 through DCPS starting on their 3rd birthday, no matter when during the school year their birthday is.

[Anonymous]

My neighbors daughter is 2 and can barely talk or barely potty trained and goes to Mary McLeod Bethune. She turns 3 December 15th

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My neighbors daughter is 2 and can barely talk or barely potty trained and goes to Mary McLeod Bethune. She turns 3 December 15th

How is this ok with the charter board? (And I'm in general a proponent of cross sector collaboration and public choice)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My neighbors daughter is 2 and can barely talk or barely potty trained and goes to Mary McLeod Bethune. She turns 3 December 15th

How is this ok with the charter board? (And I'm in general a proponent of cross sector collaboration and public choice)

They are allowed to do this. It wasn’t that long ago that the whole city’s deadline was Nov 30.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My neighbors daughter is 2 and can barely talk or barely potty trained and goes to Mary McLeod Bethune. She turns 3 December 15th

How is this ok with the charter board? (And I'm in general a proponent of cross sector collaboration and public choice)

Because market share.

[Anonymous]

I don't like what Bethune does.because it allows lots of kids another year of public school. I know someone who sends her kid and then will enter the pk3 lottery next year. She could have afforded another year of day care but instead we all get to pay for pk2 for her kid. If dc wants to offer earlier education, they should either make it universal or based on need.

But none of that is a dcps issue. What op heard is probably a special ed issue.

[Anonymous]

OP here. The school in question is a DCPS. Kid will turn 3 at the end of January and does not have any special needs. (I was doing an intake with the parent for a social service and I guess she could have lied about the lack of participation in Strong Start or Early Stages). Anyway, the school admitted the child in mid-September, so obviously they had space and are not a sought-after school. I just get so tired of the culture of cheating/lying. What are we teaching our children?

[Anonymous]

I led a tour for our DCPS last year and a parent told me she’d entered her child in the lottery who also wouldn’t turn 3 until well past the deadline. I’m guessing she must have fudged the birthday on the application and not sure if she managed to enroll, but yes some parents are blatant in ignoring the rules.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. The school in question is a DCPS. Kid will turn 3 at the end of January and does not have any special needs. (I was doing an intake with the parent for a social service and I guess she could have lied about the lack of participation in Strong Start or Early Stages). Anyway, the school admitted the child in mid-September, so obviously they had space and are not a sought-after school. I just get so tired of the culture of cheating/lying. What are we teaching our children?

“We” are not teaching our children anything. The parent either lied on the paperwork, didn’t choose to share her child’s disability with you or you misunderstood.

Let it go.

[Anonymous]

This is ridiculous. I already think it’s ridiculous that two year olds can start if they turn 3 in September. I know that’s the district cut off age but I’ve subbed in so many prek classes and the difference between those very young children and the already three year olds is pretty big. It might not matter later on in age but between late 2 and middle 3 there is a huge difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My neighbors daughter is 2 and can barely talk or barely potty trained and goes to Mary McLeod Bethune. She turns 3 December 15th

How is this ok with the charter board? (And I'm in general a proponent of cross sector collaboration and public choice)

Puzzling. What trips me out is a parent is that pressed to say their child is in school by sending them when clearly they aren't ready. She needs more daycare and not structure. She really can't talk. I guess some parents do it to save money on daycare. I think its different when you're 4 or maybe 5 with late birthdays because you may actually be ready but age 2, not talking, not using the bathroom, I'm not sure how that works but hey, she's in school.

Also, charter schools do what they want. Their teachers do not have to be certified or anything. If they feel you are qualified just based on your resume, you got the job. My girlfriend moved up here from Atlanta and started teacher kindergarten at a charter school. No background in teaching. She came from marketing department at a law firm. *smh*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My neighbors daughter is 2 and can barely talk or barely potty trained and goes to Mary McLeod Bethune. She turns 3 December 15th

How is this ok with the charter board? (And I'm in general a proponent of cross sector collaboration and public choice)

They are allowed to do this. It wasn’t that long ago that the whole city’s deadline was Nov 30.

I grew in DC and it used to be December 31st was the cut off age.