getting an Oct birthday kid into kindergarten early?

[Anonymous]

Has anyone ever done ths in FFX county? My son has an Oct birhtday. Is it possible to get him into FFX county KG the fall he will turn 5 eventhough he just misses the Sept 30 cut off? thanks!

[Anonymous]

Fairfax County does not makes exceptions. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

I have a October born now 24 years old.We lived in Montgomery County and their cut off was Dec.31st.She was socially immature all her life(am taking a deep breath!!!)Wheras my other 2 missed the cutoff since they were born January and February.Both of them were a year older(I guess)high achievers.IBased on my experience I would suggest to not push it.Ffx County does not make exceptions anyways.
Good luck!

[Anonymous]

FCPS does not make exceptions for entry into K or 1st. However, some parents choose to send their October (and occasionally even November) birthday children to a private for K and 1. They will then be accepted into 2nd grade as a transfer.

[Anonymous]

We're in Fairfax and my daughter will miss the cutoff by three weeks. She's big for her age, smart and a very social kid, so I was thinking about sending her to private kindergarden when she's not quite 5 and then transferring her to public school. Then I found out that I'd have to send her to private 1st grade too. I'm not sure what to do now. I don't really see the point of having her in preschool from age 2.5 to almost 6, but I don't especially want to pay for an additional year of private school. (I've got that money earmarked for finally replacing my car, which will be 12 years old by then!) Good luck with whatever you decide!

[Anonymous]

Agree that Ffx County does not allow waivers. I have 2 boys with October birthdays and they are both going to school according to the Sept. 30th cutoff.

[Anonymous]

I have a son who misses the cutoff by 5 days. I've learned to accept that he will in daycare and preschool for an extra year and have given up trying to figure out a way around it since it seems like most school districts are very firm on this issue.

My new nephew will have the same problem if they move up to this area from another state - his birthday is October 1!

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the responses.

[Anonymous]

Fairfax County does not make exceptions for Kindergarten, but they will evaluate children for 1st grade. I confirmed this yesterday with my FCPS elementary school for my Oct.-born son who is in private K.

[Anonymous]

17:47 PP - this is good news. thanks! I've heard that they have the rule in place because some private kindergardens aren't academically rigorous enough to prepare kids properly for 1st grade.

[Anonymous]

think hard before you do this. The age gap seems trivial but it will be huge for him. I have a sept baby and we ended up holding him back a year. BOYS esp. ( no offense dads) are so much slower to mature emotionally than girls. He was book smart ( could read sight words at 4, do simple addition, all the super duper "my kid is sooooo smart" stuff) but was not at all psychologically ready for the social demands of kinder. He started a year later ( along with a couple of other august and sept babies) and did really well. If you start an oct baby a year early, he will always be more than a year younger than many kids in his class because many people hold back their aug/sept babies, who will then be with your oct baby, a full 14 months younger. This means, for example, when he's 12 and still playing with star wars figures, he's in class with almost-14 and full 14 year-olds, who are kissing girls. Completely different worlds. When he's 14, they're driving. He'll never really have a classroom full of peers. It's just one year, but it can make such a difference for the other 12. Just one moms thoughts. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

I agree completely. Our 15-year-old daughter, born October 1st, is one of the oldest in the class. It has been terrific for her, despite her being very advanced (like all DCUM children, of course!).

[Anonymous]

Be prepared for your kid to be totally thriving in the private school and for you to be torn about pulling her out.

There are costs to moving children, so it isn't just the money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone ever done ths in FFX county? My son has an Oct birhtday. Is it possible to get him into FFX county KG the fall he will turn 5 eventhough he just misses the Sept 30 cut off? thanks!

why do you want to push him into school early? There are reasons for the cut off.

[Anonymous]

Reasons specific to him and our family situation. Analogous to parents who decide to hold their kid back for reasons specific to him. Having said that, if it can't be done (without years of private school), it can't be done. Thanks for the helpful responses.