NP here. My DD isn't 5 until November so she also has an extra preschool year--is reading really well, doing easy math in her head, all that jazz. I'm divided--part of me is glad she's in preschool to be a kid for another year, and part of me is worried that she'll be super bored in kindergarten and how that will pan out. For now we are planning to just ride it out and see how it goes and address any problems when they arise.

The problem is not now, it's later. It's about maturity. Even if your DC is really smart, he will still act like a 4 year old when there will be some kids who will be 2 years older then him in the same grade.

We pushed our kid to go to K. It was fine until about 2nd grade. Then, it was not about intellect, it was about maturity. He could not sit like the other kids and still acted like a baby. It was annoying for everyone.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Prefirst still exists in some areas of the country. They are popular in Baltimore. I think since parents and schools redshirt kids they consider it similiar to doing a prefirst year. Some public schools have a transitional program either before or after K. I'm not aware of any of these programs in Maryland.

There are public pre-k in MoCo.

The poster asked about Prefirst which is different from pre-k.

Anonymous wrote:Prefirst still exists in some areas of the country. They are popular in Baltimore. I think since parents and schools redshirt kids they consider it similiar to doing a prefirst year. Some public schools have a transitional program either before or after K. I'm not aware of any of these programs in Maryland.

There are public pre-k in MoCo.

Prefirst still exists in some areas of the country. They are popular in Baltimore. I think since parents and schools redshirt kids they consider it similiar to doing a prefirst year. Some public schools have a transitional program either before or after K. I'm not aware of any of these programs in Maryland.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the class above if he is currently at a daycare and in the class with the 5 year olds?

Troll alert

Have you considered DC joining Peace Corps, or at least a gap year abroad?

maybe an internship on the hill? Or with NIH?

OP here - you know I do work for NIH Maybe that's why he wants to do 'science' all the time!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the class above if he is currently at a daycare and in the class with the 5 year olds?

Troll alert

Have you considered DC joining Peace Corps, or at least a gap year abroad?

maybe an internship on the hill? Or with NIH?

OP again - thanks. It is also good to know that the possibility of skipping from 1st to 2nd is there - I suspect we might get there, although if he seems to be doing ok behaviorally, we won't push it and will continue to teach at home in addition to school. I myself went to college at 17 and there is benefit in taking a 'year off' to work, mature, and investigate career options, rather than diving into a major you're unsure of. (DH did this at 18/19.) DH is dyslexic and if #1 has it too (hard to tell now), then reading/writing will be where he'll need work.

We definitely want to keep him in the public school system if at all possible, but if things don't work out during K at public school next year, then we'll reconsider. The problem is, once you are in private, you tend to get ahead of the public curriculum, so it makes sense to go all the way with one or the other, or switch from public-to-private later on.

The daycare technically calls the 4's class a 'pre-K' year so we'll keep him in that...I think it might make things worse if we do a private K first and then a public K and there's a lot of repetition.
My kid has been in FT preschool since 2.5 (as part of his daycare), with a teacher certified in preschool curriculums, so it's not like he hasn't been prepped for K. The problem is, he was taught SO well, he's more than ready now!

I'm just wondering, when I was growing up there was a post-K, pre-1st year that some kids were placed in if they weren't yet ready for 1st grade. Do those exist anymore? Or is that why they draw the line so sharply with age now, so that doesn't happen?

you just realized this in August?

seriously- parent's have been making plans for their PreS/PreKers since they were 2.

In DC many public and public charters start at age 3. If he was enrolled in a similar program there would be art, music, language etc etc.

FYI - Start Wars is pretty common among the PreK set in DC so your child is right on track.

Send him to private k or a junior/transitional program for kids who are born Sept - Jan.

Sorry for all the iPhone autocorrect mistakes in spelling!

6:07 again. I retread and saw your husband was bored through school so it might be an I herited learning pattern. I'd research the oublic school system's ability to provide differentiated instruction in the early grades, and if not satisfactory, look at some private schools. They don't have to be Sidwell Friends-like in terms of expense. There are some great little schools that provide more individualized instruction, especially K-3. And/or magnet programs.

OP, I have a February boy, too, but he's socially immature (typical of many boys). He's starting kindergarten this year at 5.5 and I am so happy for that extra six months' maturity. But your son sounds advanced on all levels. I might try the day care's kindergarten to see if it provided some interest for him. I don't know if your jurisdiction would let him continue next year in first grade though. Many don't. And it might be an even more boring year for him next year. So that's something to think about.

Both of our girls were ahead of their age group. Schools have that hard and fast rule though, about how old you MUST be when you start K. So we told them that school was JUST for playing and making friends. We taught them academics at their level when home. One did two months of first grade and then the school asked to skip her to second grade. The other did about four months of first grade and then after the New Year was put into second grade. Both got in trouble quite often in first grade due to being bored and frustrated with "baby work."

Anonymous wrote:
I thought pre-K programs were mainly for low-income - like the Head Start sort of thing they have in DC. Or does it depend on the area?

PP you quoted. We're in DC where public preK is widespread and not really income based, though spots aren't guaranteed until K so they do a lottery for entrance.