Boys with summer birthdays

[Anonymous]

Hi. Our son was born in July and we're trying to figure out what our options will be for him for Pre-K. (Right now he's only 2 so we have some time, but where we send him now depends somewhat on what options we think we may have in the future.) I've heard some people mention that boys with summer birthdays are delayed a year at Beauvoir, GDS, etc... for kindergartern. But what about Pre-K? Will these schools tend to consider them for Pre-K when they're 4 and then repeat them or will they not consider them at all until they're 5?

[Anonymous]

Generally you would start them "late" in PK, so if you are in a pre-school, you would wait to apply them when they are 4 for the Fall when they are 5, if you want them to "start late". You can also go through the process and let the admissions folks counsel you on whether to wait or not. Each child is different, so while in general, they "like older boys", it doesn't mean that your child will necessarily have to red shirt.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the PP. Some boys are just fine if they are (chronologically) young when they start pre-K. Others might benefit from an extra year. You may just need to go through the admission process for Pre-K (testing, playdate, etc.) to see where your child is at the time. Also, your preschool will be able to tell you how they think he's developing as well, and provide guidance on what might be best -- move forward pre-K or an additional year of preschool. FWIW, I do know families at Beauvoir and GDS who have sons with late summer birthdays who started "on time". So it does depend on the individual child.