Starting K in APS next year or waiting

[Anonymous]

My child has a summer birthday, and hasn’t been in a formal preschool setting since it closed in March of last year. I know each child is different but I would love perspectives on the district aspects of this decision. Is one of the following hypotheticals more trie than the other? I am just getting up to speed on the district dynamics.

Option 1: Send the child, because APS neighborhood schools are good, they will be able to differentiate and meet all kids where they are, and will have the resources to give children extra supports to ensure all kids thrive, and Kindergarten at APS doesn’t really require any academic skills at the beginning of the year.

Option 2: Don’t send the child, because APS may not be back fully in-person, they may have bigger than usual class sizes which means that kids will get less individual attention, and a lot of the N Arlington parents of 5yos last year redshirted to avoid a year of remote kindergarten, so a young 5yo would be in a class full of 6yos. And most Kindergartners will be able to write and read multiple words (i.e., more than their name) and already know letter sounds and can spell using phonics

Any other district resources I can tap into? I called the school we are zoned for but they said they don’t do k readiness assessments. I completely understand that K is largely about social emotional development, but I also know my sensitive and easily frustrated child may struggle if everyone is light years ahead.

[Anonymous]

100% DO NOT SEND!!! Put your child in a pre k program next year.

[Anonymous]

Not they may have bigger classes than usual, they definitely will have bigger classes and many more of them. This will flow through to college. 2021 K class will be massive, and that will make getting into college that much harder.

[Anonymous]

APS keeps K classes small and I don’t think the latest proposed budget includes increasing class size so I wouldn’t worry about that.

BUT the grade level will be large though as a PP points out.

I’d probably send on time myself but it’s also reasonable to wait a year.

[Anonymous]

Option 1 is nothing more than wishful thinking.

[Anonymous]

If the “summer” birthday is, say, June, that makes it a bit weird. But anything goes for next year. Tough call.

[Anonymous]

This is not going to be a popular response, but I would say that my choice would hinge on which APS school you are sending your kids to. One more likely to have had parental intervention and supplementation will be more likely to be able to return to normal next year. Those that didn’t will play more catch up and be less likely to meet needs of kids who need more “challenge” in K.

[Anonymous]

This is pre-Covid, but we were on the fence about sending our late summer birthday child to K or holding them back. Talked to the principal who answered all our questions and addressed our concerns. We ended up sending our child, which was absolutely the right decision. Set up a time to talk to the principal if you can.

[Anonymous]

we have a july birthday kid. we sent them on time for K, then COVID hit. now they are back in school and struggling and the kids who were ahead are still ahead, and we have no sense for how far behind our child is compared to everyone else.

we also learned that out of about 50 kids who switch between two classes (immersion) only 5 had summer birthdays. so, the kids skewed overly old compared to our child. if i could do it again i would wait and give them an extra year. then when you add the covid disaster, i would be even more inclined to add another year of waiting. find a pre-k program and pursue that. hopefully aps will be in better shape in another year.

[Anonymous]

Is your child able to read? If yes, consider sending. If not, RED SHIRT and enroll them in a Jr K type program that will get them reading before entering APS.

[Anonymous]

When our son was in K, he had 27 kids in his K class with one to two aids (varied during the year). Option 1 absolutely did not happen. Don't kid yourself, Arlington will absolutely jam as many kids as possible in that it can, the kids will be all over the learning spectrum, and the teachers will do their best but there is limited focus on the individual kid in a 27 kid classroom.

[Anonymous]

We sent out July bday kid to school this year and don't regret it. I am not saying it has been 100% smooth sailing, but he was NOT reading before kindergarten and now 8 months into school he is testing at mid first grade level and that was with virtual school and being a young five. When he went he had not been in PreK since March 2020.

My older kid has a July birthday and honestly he was a bit bored with the K curriculum at that point. We are at immersion and I think that helped challenge him, but without it I likely would have pushed to have him skip K.

Anyway, I guess all this is to say, that I don't think anyone is going to tell you the right choice. I also think that the vast majority of people will say that their choice was right for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When our son was in K, he had 27 kids in his K class with one to two aids (varied during the year). Option 1 absolutely did not happen. Don't kid yourself, Arlington will absolutely jam as many kids as possible in that it can, the kids will be all over the learning spectrum, and the teachers will do their best but there is limited focus on the individual kid in a 27 kid classroom.

Where was this? The recommended max classroom size in APS is 24 and the average size is 20.6 in 2019, 21.3 in 2018. We have never had a K class size over 21.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When our son was in K, he had 27 kids in his K class with one to two aids (varied during the year). Option 1 absolutely did not happen. Don't kid yourself, Arlington will absolutely jam as many kids as possible in that it can, the kids will be all over the learning spectrum, and the teachers will do their best but there is limited focus on the individual kid in a 27 kid classroom.

This was in Arlington?

I've never heard any APS kindergarten class that huge. That sounds more like FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When our son was in K, he had 27 kids in his K class with one to two aids (varied during the year). Option 1 absolutely did not happen. Don't kid yourself, Arlington will absolutely jam as many kids as possible in that it can, the kids will be all over the learning spectrum, and the teachers will do their best but there is limited focus on the individual kid in a 27 kid classroom.

This was in Arlington?

I've never heard any APS kindergarten class that huge. That sounds more like FCPS.

My kid is in K hybrid now in APS and there are 27 students. Half the day they are with the aid (who is AWESOME) and the other half they are with the main teacher. It is what it is. She'll be fine...I'm just glad she was able to get into hybrid and not remain 100% virtual.