5 yr old (early oct bday), how to get her in 1st grade

[Anonymous]

Mom of two boys. Both have summer birthdays, June and July. Both went to K and 1st grade on time and have been among the youngest in their classes, and they’ve both been fine.

We did private Montessori K for both of them and were prepared to have them repeat K in public school if necessary… they would have been too young to really understand that they were repeating since they’d probably be focused on the social aspects of a much bigger public class. But in our case it wasn’t necessary.

[Anonymous]

We had similar situation 8 years ago. Our dd passed a few IQ/psychological evaluations and started K well before she turned 5. It gave her blind confidence she might be the smartest kid around and pushed herself to the top in every subject since then. On the other hand, it was kind of hard for her to make friends in her grade. My wife and I regretted our decision which let her start early 8 years ago.

[Anonymous]

When you register for 1st grade- say she is in private K. There is no test or permission. Don't let the elementary school registrar bully you into doing K again. Your kid will be just fine in FCPS. Montessori is much harder.

[Anonymous]

Not the OP but my son's birthday is Oct. 7, so I can understand her concern. I think we'll be OK just staying the normal course, because it appears he isn't socially mature. But, knowing what I know from his older sibling in FCPS, I also can tell he will be so, so bored with the curriculum in the elementary years because academically (I'm laughing using that term for a 4-year-old, but you know what I mean) he's pretty mature. But it's the social and behavioral issues that have me thinking it's best to keep him 'on schedule.'

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I don't have an answer for you on whether pushing ahead is the correct choice for your child. But, to address some of the PPs who were concerned about college. I have an October b-day in a district where the cutoff was 12/31, so I started college at 17 and it was fine. I think it likely is easier to have a child start college at 17 than it is to have a child who turns 18 at the start of their senior year of HS and then you have to parent a legal adult through a full year of HS.

Same, but a December birthday. I survived.

Someone will always be the youngest in a class and that was me. I didn’t care that my friends could drive at 16 or drink at 21 before me.

Yes. And, OP wants to ensure that her child will be the youngest. Remember, she wants to manipulate the cutoff age for her child.

I'd be curious to know why she wants to do this?

Maybe her child's birthday is October 1st or October 2nd or October 3rd. You all can't seriously argue that a child born on September 29th or 30th is so much more mature now and in the future than a child born a day or two later. The cutoff is just a date. If you fall within a plus/minus of that date it makes sense to question what is right for your child.

Out of a class of 20-25, there are likely less than a handful with Sept birthdays. It is likely that there will be a span from the preceding October through September.
As a former K teacher, I would strongly consider redshirting late September birthdays. Of course, there are exceptions--but why send your child early?

Why "late September"? What about early September or August? Do a few weeks really matter here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I don't have an answer for you on whether pushing ahead is the correct choice for your child. But, to address some of the PPs who were concerned about college. I have an October b-day in a district where the cutoff was 12/31, so I started college at 17 and it was fine. I think it likely is easier to have a child start college at 17 than it is to have a child who turns 18 at the start of their senior year of HS and then you have to parent a legal adult through a full year of HS.

Same, but a December birthday. I survived.

Someone will always be the youngest in a class and that was me. I didn’t care that my friends could drive at 16 or drink at 21 before me.

Yes. And, OP wants to ensure that her child will be the youngest. Remember, she wants to manipulate the cutoff age for her child.

I'd be curious to know why she wants to do this?

Maybe her child's birthday is October 1st or October 2nd or October 3rd. You all can't seriously argue that a child born on September 29th or 30th is so much more mature now and in the future than a child born a day or two later. The cutoff is just a date. If you fall within a plus/minus of that date it makes sense to question what is right for your child.

Out of a class of 20-25, there are likely less than a handful with Sept birthdays. It is likely that there will be a span from the preceding October through September.
As a former K teacher, I would strongly consider redshirting late September birthdays. Of course, there are exceptions--but why send your child early?

Why "late September"? What about early September or August? Do a few weeks really matter here?

There are always exceptions. You should know your own child. But, just because a child is extremely bright, does not mean that they should start early.

[Anonymous]

I’m a mom of a high school girl who did this and middle school and high school is tough on boys and girls. Maturity makes a difference and staying organized and accountable for all the extra work and responsibility. We are struggling now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a mom of a high school girl who did this and middle school and high school is tough on boys and girls. Maturity makes a difference and staying organized and accountable for all the extra work and responsibility. We are struggling now.

I’m not convinced that a lack of couple of weeks (out of 10-18 years) of development explains the maturity gap. Most likely down to individual variation.