My kids are born in June, and if I catch wind of the parents of July and August babies holding their kids back, then I'm going to encourage the June parents to hold there's back as well...and so on and so forth....so where does it end?

Back to reality - All I know is that when I was growing up in MCPS in the 80s, we used to laugh behind the backs of older kids that were not in an age-appropriate grade. My kid, June or not, will be starting at 5. PERIOD.

"This model has been tried and I believe schools are moving away from it. Parents still want to make the decision of which grade their kid should go to. Plus separating from your friends and it is still too young to hold kids back. There is a belief that some kids never recover."

Not true. Many districts have PK programs and two year kindergartens and research shows that there is no "belief that some kids never recover" anywhere.

Yes, parents want to choose to redshirt, and systems allow that, but whether or not it is wise is debatable among the experts. Google scholar should be able to help you find some studies on red shirting.

Parents like to fall back on the "I know my child and what's right for them", but that is a hollow argument and only half the equation. Parents know their kids, but they don't know education. Do your research.

My kid is born in July and receives special needs services from the county. He is NOT ALLOWED to be held back a year and still maintain his services at school. So unless a family can give up the OT, PT and speech their child gets at school, the children who has had the most difficulty making the milestones WILL be going to school with their class at age 5 and be the youngest students.

This model has been tried and I believe schools are moving away from it. Parents still want to make the decision of which grade their kid should go to. Plus separating from your friends and it is still too young to hold kids back. There is a belief that some kids never recover.

The real solution is to place a transitional year between K and 1st Grade...everyone goes to K ontime unless there are very special circumstances, kids are then evaluated after K and kids that are deemed to have maturity issues then have a transitional year before moving onto 1st Grade. This serves to alleviate alot of the pressure of K as it becomes more of a feeling out period and allows kids to be somewhat grouped by ability / maturity.

I am the mother of 4 kids. All of my kids fell on the cut off dates as the county switched from a December 31st cut off to a September 1st cut off. For all of my children, I had to decide whether or not they would be the youngest in their grade or the oldest. My mother helped me make my decision.

It turns out I did Kindergarten twice. Did not realize it till my mom told me at age 32. I had an October birthday and started school in another state. When we moved to Maryland, I was by far the oldest kid in the class. I knew I was older, but for some reason didn't ask why. Being the oldest often had a lot of advantages, particularly when I hit high school. I was definitely more mature than most kids in my grade so I tended to be a leader than a follower and I did not care so much about peer pressure. I was the first person in my grade to get a drivers license which meant my parents had more control over my transportation issues than younger kids who rode in other people's cars. I was 18 most of my senior year and was 18 when I left home to go to college. My high school transcript reflected good grades in high level courses, many AP classes, which I felt I did well in because I had the maturity and focus of an older child.

A parent knows their child the best so the decision should be based on many factors including what your gut tells you to do. My mom decided to initially send me at the original date and I repeated Kindergarten which I didn't even remember I did. I decided to hold my kids back, send them the next year, and I don't regret the decision I made. My oldest daughter will be in high school next year. With all the pressure of school work and social pressures that come with high school, I'm glad she had an extra year to be a child before having to grow up so quickly.

Anonymous wrote:
I love how people talk about the maturity of 5yo's it absolutely makes me laugh....Let me clue you in all kids at 5yo are freakin immature!!!! get over it...sure some kids are more shy, outgoing etc but that is why they are going to K to be around other kids and socialize. Parents need to get a grip and stop using maturity as an excuse to hold kids back that are intellectually ready, its just making it more difficult for teachers that now have to teach to a much larger age window!!! You will be the same parents that will be telling everyone how smart your kid is and how they are doing blah blah 2 grades above level!


MY kid is the only one crying and clinging to Mommy and Daddy's legs at the K Orientation, is that adequate indication of immaturity for you? Given a late August birthday, I thought it was enough to consider the question of K now or wait.

Can I have a 7 or 8 year old start k? I'm the parent and this what I want to do.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love how people talk about the maturity of 5yo's it absolutely makes me laugh....Let me clue you in all kids at 5yo are freakin immature!!!! get over it...sure some kids are more shy, outgoing etc but that is why they are going to K to be around other kids and socialize. Parents need to get a grip and stop using maturity as an excuse to hold kids back that are intellectually ready, its just making it more difficult for teachers that now have to teach to a much larger age window!!! You will be the same parents that will be telling everyone how smart your kid is and how they are doing blah blah 2 grades above level!

I am the parent and I get to decide if I feel my child is ready or not ready to start K. She started out behind the curve after two years in a foreign orphanage and I believe another year will be beneficial to her before starting K. And No, I will not be the parent telling everyone how smart my kid is etc etc. There are real reasons parents hold kids back. Its an individual decision and frankly none of your business.

If you are the original poster than this was your statement "who will turn 5 in Aug to K this year or hold her back so she is not the absolute youngest"...so basically you alluded to the fact you just didn't want her to be the youngest. Sure you have a right and it is an individual decision assuming you have a valid reason. I find it interesting how few kids are held back for a truely developmental / intellectual reason...where does the slipperly slope stop...now its July / August birthdays next its May / June birthdays why don't we just let every parent decide when they want to send there kids to school and we can try and have our teachers handle kids that are 18 months old then some of the other kids..brilliant!

I started my summer birthday DC on time at 5. He's now in first and is above grade level academically. According to his teacher, he's one of the more mature ones in the class.

I think it really helped to start him on time. He struggled a bit during the first couple months of K, but by the end of December he was just fine.

Anonymous wrote:If your kid is shy then wait. If not, send her.

What does being shy have to do with anything? My child is naturally shy and I don't see how keeping him back will make him any less shy

Anonymous wrote:I love how people talk about the maturity of 5yo's it absolutely makes me laugh....Let me clue you in all kids at 5yo are freakin immature!!!! get over it...sure some kids are more shy, outgoing etc but that is why they are going to K to be around other kids and socialize. Parents need to get a grip and stop using maturity as an excuse to hold kids back that are intellectually ready, its just making it more difficult for teachers that now have to teach to a much larger age window!!! You will be the same parents that will be telling everyone how smart your kid is and how they are doing blah blah 2 grades above level!

I am the parent and will decide what is best for my child, regardless of what you "think" (I use that term loosely; your post suggests you don't have a lot of capacity in that respect).

If your kid is shy then wait. If not, send her.

Anonymous wrote:I love how people talk about the maturity of 5yo's it absolutely makes me laugh....Let me clue you in all kids at 5yo are freakin immature!!!! get over it...sure some kids are more shy, outgoing etc but that is why they are going to K to be around other kids and socialize. Parents need to get a grip and stop using maturity as an excuse to hold kids back that are intellectually ready, its just making it more difficult for teachers that now have to teach to a much larger age window!!! You will be the same parents that will be telling everyone how smart your kid is and how they are doing blah blah 2 grades above level!

I am the parent and I get to decide if I feel my child is ready or not ready to start K. She started out behind the curve after two years in a foreign orphanage and I believe another year will be beneficial to her before starting K. And No, I will not be the parent telling everyone how smart my kid is etc etc. There are real reasons parents hold kids back. Its an individual decision and frankly none of your business.

Anonymous wrote:I love how people talk about the maturity of 5yo's it absolutely makes me laugh....Let me clue you in all kids at 5yo are freakin immature!!!! get over it...sure some kids are more shy, outgoing etc but that is why they are going to K to be around other kids and socialize. Parents need to get a grip and stop using maturity as an excuse to hold kids back that are intellectually ready, its just making it more difficult for teachers that now have to teach to a much larger age window!!! You will be the same parents that will be telling everyone how smart your kid is and how they are doing blah blah 2 grades above level!

Are you a teacher?!! Please say no.