Anyone Repeat K in MD?

[Anonymous]

I am considering requesting a second year for my DC in K. He is a summer birthday, small, and not mature social skills. Will MCPS let me do this?

[Anonymous]

Is he in K now? If so, what does his teacher think? I am no expert, but I believe there must be some documented reasons throughout the year. You sound like this is something you want to request, not something the teaher recommends. I think MCPS is very reluctant to hold any students back unless there is a very good reason.

[Anonymous]

If he is able to complete the work and follow most classroom rules and procedures they will not hold him back. Maybe you could take him out and send him to private K for a year.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't, social skills come with age. Why hold the kid back? Find social groups or teams to get involved with outside of school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is he in K now? If so, what does his teacher think? I am no expert, but I believe there must be some documented reasons throughout the year. You sound like this is something you want to request, not something the teaher recommends. I think MCPS is very reluctant to hold any students back unless there is a very good reason.

Yes, this is correct. In the absence of compelling data indicating there is a real problem, I don't think MCPS will agree to hold him back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: He is a summer birthday, small, and not mature social skills.

Weren't those reasons farily evident prior to his starting kindergarten? I am no fan of redshirting, but if those are your reasons, I have to wonder why you didn't wait and start him later rather than seeking to hold him back now.

[Anonymous]

PP- Not everyone has the means to hold their child back a year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP- Not everyone has the means to hold their child back a year.

But she can't have it both ways and basically red-shirt on the county's (or taxpayers') dime. If she didn't want to pay another year of daycare, and sent a child she didn't think was ready, she can't now ask the county to hold him back just because she wants to. I understandhat a wealthier family can hold back a child who might be average or marginal in the hopes that he excels with another year. Those with less money may end up sending an average to marginal child who will then only be held back if he is failing. It is not headline news that the wealthy have more options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP- Not everyone has the means to hold their child back a year.

I have never understood this reasoning. If a family is paying for childcare for 4 years, what is the issue with paying for one more year, given that the decision to send a child to K too early (however that is defined for that child) will have career-long ramifications?

If you (the generic you) have the means this year, why won't you next year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP- Not everyone has the means to hold their child back a year.

But she can't have it both ways and basically red-shirt on the county's (or taxpayers') dime. If she didn't want to pay another year of daycare, and sent a child she didn't think was ready, she can't now ask the county to hold him back just because she wants to. I understandhat a wealthier family can hold back a child who might be average or marginal in the hopes that he excels with another year. Those with less money may end up sending an average to marginal child who will then only be held back if he is failing. It is not headline news that the wealthy have more options.

Yes, this.

[Anonymous]

Wow people, back off the OP a bit!

So her son has a summer birthday, maybe he was a little less socially mature than his peers in pre-K, maybe she was on the fence about sending him but wanted to keep him w/his cohort. Then he gets to MCPS and it's a different kind of environment than his pre-K and she feels that for her child it would be better to have him do it again. I don't see that she's intentionally trying to screw the taxpayers by doing this, or that she pointed to cost being a factor anywhere. She's a mom trying to do the best for her kid, like we all are.

And OP, sorry, I don't know the answer to your question. Maybe someone else will actually answer it.

[Anonymous]

OP, when I was trying to make my decision about whether to send my second child to kindergarten or hold him back a year, I met with the principal of our elementary school and discussed what would happen if he didn't do well and under what circumstances he would be held back. I was told that in MoCo ES, kids almost never get held back. They get promoted and offered support services. Based on that, I held my child back and, honestly, it was the best decision I could have made. If I were you, I would be talking to your principal now about this because if your son isn't going to be held back, you may want to find some support services to get him ready for first grade. The transition from kindergarten to first is really brutal, so time is not on your side.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP- Not everyone has the means to hold their child back a year.

I have never understood this reasoning. If a family is paying for childcare for 4 years, what is the issue with paying for one more year, given that the decision to send a child to K too early (however that is defined for that child) will have career-long ramifications?

If you (the generic you) have the means this year, why won't you next year?

SHE never said she paid for childcare - she could be a SAHM - why do you assume that she had daycare and now wants to get out of it? Moreover, the lack of care and thoughtfulness for people that have less than you is appalling. We should want to lift ALL children up, not just those that have been fortunate to be born to well-off parents, and if her child is really struggling in K, and it makes sense to hold him back, then she should be able to do it. Period. It has nothing to do with taking advantage of the system or anything else. It's about the child's welfare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP- Not everyone has the means to hold their child back a year.

I have never understood this reasoning. If a family is paying for childcare for 4 years, what is the issue with paying for one more year, given that the decision to send a child to K too early (however that is defined for that child) will have career-long ramifications?

If you (the generic you) have the means this year, why won't you next year?

Who said the family paid for childcare for 4 yrs? Lots of kids never go to preschool or maybe they go to pre-k if they qualify for it (low income Arlington Co residents for example). Some people esp first time moms don't know what school is going to be like for their kids in K so maybe the OP sent her child thinking he would be able to handle K.