Do two years of K or two years of Pre-K?

[Anonymous]

I have a late birthday DD and need help deciding whether she should do two years of K at two different schools or find another pre-K school (she is in a Pre-K program now) before sending her to K? Her current teachers say she is ready for K next year, so I am more concerened with how she will feel repeating K. Any expereince with this?

Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

If her current teachers say that she is ready for K next year - why is this a question? Do you not trust their evaluation of your child?

[Anonymous]

I agree, just because someone might be a little younger is no reason to hold them back, particularly if the current teacher says she is ready.

[Anonymous]

OP -- if she is ready for K next year wouldn't it stand to reason that she will be ready for 1st grade the following year? If not, then you can consider having her repeat K, but why send her into K thinking she is going to fail??

[Anonymous]

OP here - Various reasons...just curious if anyone has done this and whether you found two years of K was hard on your child in terms of "knowing" that he/she was repeating?
I realize this a hot subject b/c alleged "redshirting". This post was not meant to start that discussion.

Any constructive, helpful advice on what grade level the repeat year is best at is much appreciated.

[Anonymous]

PP 11:30 here -- If you don't think she is ready for kindergarten, then you should just find another pre-K program. If you think she is ready for Kindergarten I'm still unsure why you would feel the need to have her repeat? Because she's going to be the youngest? It sounds like you are trying to redshirt her by having her do 2 years of kindergarten which I think is probably going to be harder on her. Even if you switch schools she's still going to be repeating everything she learned the year before and probably be bored. If you are going to redshirt her, I would probably find a more academic pre-k program for next year and then move her to kindergarten the following year. I'm not debating the redshirt issue, your kid/your decision, but I just wonder what it does to a kids' self esteem when a parent says "we're keeping you in kindergarten another year because we don't think you're ready." (vs. finding another preschool or elementary school with a pre-k program which would still be moving up to a 5 year old) A 5/6 year old can't possibly grasp why it would be a bad idea to be the youngest, so they are left feeling like they've failed. Not a good way to start your school years if you ask me.

[Anonymous]

My now 7-yr-old just missed the cutoff for kindergarten by a couple of months. From ages 2-4, he was in a preschool where he was placed a year ahead, so when he was 4, all but 2 kids "graduated" and went off to Kindergarten. Though he was ready academically, we felt there was no reason to push the school system to take him. So, we found a preschool setting that had a Transitional Kindergarten kind of class (all fall birthdays and kids who were ready for a bit more academically than the younger 4s.) He then switched schools again to go to K at the public school near our house.

He did fine with all the changes, made friends and is thriving. Socially, he's right where he needs to be and the school is able to accommodate him being a year ahead academically. So, if your child is like him, this solution may be a good fit.

Now, the other side of the coin:

I never pushed 5-yr-old. Preschool was totally play-based with the transitional K that older child was in. Now in K, child has been assessed 2 years ahead in reading comprehension and even more in decoding words. He's shown full comprehension of K and 1st grade in math. Unlike older son, I'm already seeing that this particular school won't be a good longer term fit as he doesn't have a really good peer group. Teacher says he gets along with everyone but that the other kids seem to need him more than he really needs them. In other words, he's friendly with all, but he's not finding lots of people to play on his level who he wants to invite over.

Judge for yourself based on what you are seeing. I'd recommend avoiding 2 years of K, if it were me.

[Anonymous]

Thank you so much - this is very helpful.

[Anonymous]

The kids do talk about who repeats K. Whatever your choice, the "last" year of K should be in the elementary school where the child would attend 1st grade, and the "pre-last" year should not be.

[Anonymous]

We did a jr. k program in a school different from the preschool then went to k having just turned 6 in late August. It's going really well. I have 2 friends who just missed the cutoff. Once kept her child in a program where all of the other kids moved on but her, she ended up needing therapy. The other also mom also moved to another school for a jr k year and that also went well. I think avoiding the feeling of "repeating" seemed to be really important for the self esteem of both girls. Also, if you can make friends with some kids that will also be starting K when your DD does that helps, you can talk about how she and Susie and Anna will all start K next year. I do think that you should go visit K at the school she will attend and see if she would be a good fit. If her teachers think she is ready it might be time to start. You know your child best though. I was surrised at how play based DD's DC K class is, more so than the jk was.

[Anonymous]

OP, my son has a Nov. B-day. We are doing two years of K. This year and next. I simply do not see any advantage to pushing him ahead. He could be with some red-shirted kids, compounding the age difference. He is reading now, so he will have to get accustomed to being a bit ahead. It will work itself out.

[Anonymous]

November birthday would make him the oldest, no? Where does your child go to school that the cut-off isn't September 1/30?

[Anonymous]

I debated this and went with two years of preK and am glad. My son is an August birthday and clearly was not ready to enter K last year. I had the option of putting him in the same class for a second year, or putting him in the preschool's kindergarten class and sending him to public K the next year. But since we really felt he wasn't ready for K (that was why we were repeating), another year of preK seemed to make more sense. It's been great. This time around he is able to fully participate in class activities. He was struggling last year and now he's right with the rest of the class.

[Anonymous]

A child will know they repeated either way. They will place sports or have dance classes or other outside school activities that are by age and they will know they are not in the same grade. Most schools are kind enough not to print the year of birth in the directory but they still know they are older than their classmates when their birthday comes around. You can't fool kids.

[Anonymous]

play sports..sorry..it's early