Our DS started at a Montessori in Jan, right after he turned 3. His school starts most new kids in Sept., but there are a few spots for mid-year enrollments.

At our Montessori DC had to be 2 yrs. 6 mos. and potty trained, not 2 and a half (and potty trained), so DC started in Dec, not Sept. I thought that would be hard for him, but it was fine. It did mean 4 years of preschool, but that was also good for him.

Anonymous wrote:This is probably a really stupid question, but I don't know the answer!

Son will be the minimum preschool age in January. Can we start him in a program then, or do they only accept kids in September? Or does it vary by school?

It varies by school. But OP, you might want to wait because if you start midyear you are looking at 4 years of preschool, which might be a lot.

Montessori is mixed age so the 'moving up' dilemma is usually moot. They can allow mid-year starts for children who are potty-trained and old enough. There are usually openings due to the transient area and families leaving during winter break.

At our school, we expect midyear enrollments. January is a busy time with these enrollments because of the natural break the holidays provide and everyone is sort of starting over in January when they all come back to school. However, parents need to understand that just because they turned 3 in December, for example, they don't go into the threes class in January. They have to be 3 by the cut of date. So this 3-year-old would go into the 2s class with their peers.

yes, most preschools use 9/1 as the cut-off. they do not....if it's the 2s class I would not worry about adding in late. If it's the 3s class though then I would wait until the next fall since kids will have already made good buddies and it will be tougher for your child to start mid-year. I guess I just don't think that it's as much of an issue for under 3s.

our montessori allowed 2 children (one of them mine) to start in jan b/c they had late birthdays. they joined the 2s class this jan. i don't think i will have my child advance to the 3s in the fall, though. i'm planning on holding him back to give him time to mature a little. the school said that if there was room in the older classroom next winter, they would advance him mid-year,

Many preschools (traditional preschools, not daycares) have a cutoff date which is in line with the state cutoff date (i.e. must be 3 by September 1 or whatever it is in your state/area). In this example, if your child turns 3 in January, he/she would be in the 3-year old class the following fall.

If your kid is in daycare then he will be put in the preschool room wen he turns two. If you are planning on sending him to a private preschool then you are looking at September.

Usually the kid has to be X age by X date (often a date in Sept.) to start that school year. But this is going to vary by individual school. The only way to know is to ask the school directly.

Where is he now?

This is probably a really stupid question, but I don't know the answer!

Son will be the minimum preschool age in January. Can we start him in a program then, or do they only accept kids in September? Or does it vary by school?