Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't start a kid early because there are so many kids starting late now. I wouldn't want my 4 turning 5 kid in class with the 6 turning 7 kids.

I have a 2.5 year old, so forgive me - I am just getting up to speed on VA public schools.

Good lord. Parents seriously do that? How common is it?

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't start a kid early because there are so many kids starting late now. I wouldn't want my 4 turning 5 kid in class with the 6 turning 7 kids.

This. Now that redshirting is the norm it makes starting early a bad idea.

There are going to be 6 year olds in kindergarten. Don't do this to your kid.

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if anyone here has inside info re: how many people actually do this? I have twins with late November birthdays (they were also born a month early), and while I admit they will more than likely not be emotionally ready for full-day K in the Fall, I'm starting to think it wouldn't be a bad trade-off in terms of the toll it's taking on my mental health to have them home some days . Don't get me wrong: they're awesome, but VERY high energy and into everything and putting them in private Pre-K next year is going to cost a fortune and I could really use that money for therapy! Ah, well...

PP above, it's hard to tell whether you're serious on some level about starting your twins early and are just couching it as a kind of joke because you know people posting here will tell you what a bad idea it would be--? Let's figure you are just joking, PP.

To the OP, not sure if OP is also this PP above:
Early admission would be strongly discouraged by most schools. Probably all schools. Your relatives are adults now and when they were in K, it was very likely half-day and all play-based. Not the case now. Kids in K are in there for full days and are expected to do work much more like what was done in first grade when most of us were kids. In fact, it's now pretty common for parents to hold back kids for an extra year of maturity so they are really ready for K and don't struggle with the behavioral basics of listening to and obeying adults who are not mom and dad, and moving from activity to activity without a fuss. I know people with super-smart four-year-olds who still were not ready for the energy levels, crowded classrooms and demands of full-day K.

If you fear your child will be bored, put him or her into a good preschool for three or more half-days a week (or whatever works for you) and do as much museum-going and reading together as you can the rest of the time. But starting K too soon is a recipe for problems that last for the early years of elementary. Our very bright, book-smart godson should not have started K when he did (at 5, but he was just not ready for the routine and the long days, and his parents did not want him to repeat K when that was advised for maturity reasons) and he paid a price all the way through about third grade. He always felt behind and overwhelmed, despite being great at academics. If your kid is very smart, please don't mistake that for being ready for the classroom setting all day every day.

Anonymous wrote:Against VA state law to start K before 5. Can do private K in 4 and switch in 1st.

Not true the cut off is September 30th. You have to be 5 by then in FAirfax county

We started at 4 last yr. late September birthday. In fairfax county you have to turn 5 by the end of September

I wonder if anyone here has inside info re: how many people actually do this? I have twins with late November birthdays (they were also born a month early), and while I admit they will more than likely not be emotionally ready for full-day K in the Fall, I'm starting to think it wouldn't be a bad trade-off in terms of the toll it's taking on my mental health to have them home some days . Don't get me wrong: they're awesome, but VERY high energy and into everything and putting them in private Pre-K next year is going to cost a fortune and I could really use that money for therapy! Ah, well...

Anonymous wrote:Against VA state law to start K before 5. Can do private K in 4 and switch in 1st.

This isn't true. You can test in, you just need to call your school to set it up during the school year before your child wants to enter. But, I don't think it's wise with so many kids being held back, it just seems like too big a social disadvantage.

I know of 2 kids who started early. One transferred from New Jersey where the cut-off is a few months later, and another where the parents just felt like the daughter was ready because she just missed the cut-off and she has 5 older siblings.

In the past, more districts had December birthday deadlines, which is how kids started K at 4. Most in the DC area are now September 1st or 31st, so that's not really the case anymore.

We live in NY now, where it's still mostly December birthday deadlines. Considering how academic kindergarten is these days, I'm just grateful my ds has a spring birthday so I don't have to worry about it.

Why would you do that? My son started right after he turned 5, but is one of the youngest kids in his class. He's doing just fine, but has to put in effort to keep up with kids turning 7 socially (academically is not an issue).

I think that the structured environment of full time K (not to be confused with daycare) would be difficult for most 4 year olds to deal with.

Your husband and brother most likely went to half day (morning or afternoon) K which is more or less what PreK is these days.

I wouldn't start a kid early because there are so many kids starting late now. I wouldn't want my 4 turning 5 kid in class with the 6 turning 7 kids.

Against VA state law to start K before 5. Can do private K in 4 and switch in 1st.

My husband and his brother started K at 4. I am curious if this is done anymore (or is it no longer considered a good idea) and what the procedure is. I assume the child would have to be tested academically and socially?