I know multiple parents who did this at the charter my child attends. In their cases, they were passionate about the school's focus, and felt that the gain to the child from being in the special program was well worth having the child older than her grademates.

To answer the question, both DCPS and Charter schools allow you to do this. DCPS has a firm policy that children cannot advance a grade beyond their year, but children can stay behind. It's better to speak with someone at your top choice schools about it, but I'm pretty sure that you just select the grade you want and put in the actual birthdate and it's fine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
We have friends with a similar conundrum - Kid turns 4 in September. Only difference is that these parents never applied to charters last year because they couldn't envision there kid in an all-day program yet. Are they morally more justified to apply for PS3 (since they never got a shot) than we are?

Thanks for the follow-up. I don't think your friends are any more morally justified. The PS3 programs are for 3 year olds. It's unfortunate that the competition for spaces is such that parents don't feel that they have the option of waiting until their kids are ready. But that's how it works.

It's too bad that parents don't feel that they have a choice to hold their kids back when needed. Our high regarded charter allows this on case by case basis, as I am sure most schools do. It's not good for anyone - the child, the teachers or the other children - to have children who are not ready in PS or to "promote" kids who could use another year in an early childhood program.

Hopefully the schools are able to weed out the parents like OP who are trying to game the system so that this option remains available to families who really need it.

Yep. There is a HUGE difference between 3 and 4. My DC is in PK this year and I look at the PS kids at her school and they are still BABIES. I wouldn't do it. Of course, my other child has an October birthday so I won't have a choice in the matter.

There are some issues with having a September birthday and there are reasons I might want to hold a kid back, but they all have to do with other issues that are not academic. The two biggest are sports and camp.

Sports -- A lot of the cutoffs for Ux are in June or July. So in order for my September birthday son to play soccer with his classmates we have had to get permission for him to play up.

Camp -- my daughter had finished pre-k, but in order to go to an art camp she had to be 5 by some artitrary date. At not yet five she could hold a pair a scissors and draw better than either of her older brothers, but the camp stood by their rules and so most of her school buddies went but she could not. I ended up not sending any of my kids there. We have been able to get permission at other camps to move up into the next age bracket.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the feedback. As I disclosed, we're pretty hesitant to do this so wanted to get some feedback. I think the consensus is NO FAIR, and I hear a few other voices that are 'go for your best interests'.

Full disclosure: Our kid got into a DCPS early childhood program that we're fairly please with. Ironically he's in the 'mixed class', so half of his class mates have turned 4 in the last 2 months. Big difference between 3 & 4!

We have friends with a similar conundrum - Kid turns 4 in September. Only difference is that these parents never applied to charters last year because they couldn't envision there kid in an all-day program yet. Are they morally more justified to apply for PS3 (since they never got a shot) than we are?

Your friends got the same shot as everyone else. They didn't apply for whatever reason.

Do NOT take spots away from other parents who choose to take the chance at 3. What is wrong with you and your circle of friends? I hope I don't know you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
We have friends with a similar conundrum - Kid turns 4 in September. Only difference is that these parents never applied to charters last year because they couldn't envision there kid in an all-day program yet. Are they morally more justified to apply for PS3 (since they never got a shot) than we are?

Thanks for the follow-up. I don't think your friends are any more morally justified. The PS3 programs are for 3 year olds. It's unfortunate that the competition for spaces is such that parents don't feel that they have the option of waiting until their kids are ready. But that's how it works.

I agree with this. It's one thing to red-shirt your kids in your IB DCPS school which he has a right to attend. It's another to try when in a competition for slots with other parents.

As for your friends - "since they never got a shot" just isn't the case. They had a shot, the same as everyone else - they just didn't take it. There's no difference between you and them at all in this situation.

And I know for a fact that my daughter's charter wouldn't permit this nonsense.

Anonymous wrote:
We have friends with a similar conundrum - Kid turns 4 in September. Only difference is that these parents never applied to charters last year because they couldn't envision there kid in an all-day program yet. Are they morally more justified to apply for PS3 (since they never got a shot) than we are?

Thanks for the follow-up. I don't think your friends are any more morally justified. The PS3 programs are for 3 year olds. It's unfortunate that the competition for spaces is such that parents don't feel that they have the option of waiting until their kids are ready. But that's how it works.

OP here. Thanks for the feedback. As I disclosed, we're pretty hesitant to do this so wanted to get some feedback. I think the consensus is NO FAIR, and I hear a few other voices that are 'go for your best interests'.

Full disclosure: Our kid got into a DCPS early childhood program that we're fairly please with. Ironically he's in the 'mixed class', so half of his class mates have turned 4 in the last 2 months. Big difference between 3 & 4!

We have friends with a similar conundrum - Kid turns 4 in September. Only difference is that these parents never applied to charters last year because they couldn't envision there kid in an all-day program yet. Are they morally more justified to apply for PS3 (since they never got a shot) than we are?

Anonymous



This is not redshirting. Redshirting is making the decision to hold a child back a grade because s/he is not ready. Whether you agree with the practice or not, that isn't what OP is contemplaring. Her child entered the lottery last year, but didn't get in anywhere. So she wants to enter him agains this year, but not in the PK4 lottery, because there are fewer slots open there, but in the PK3 lottery, so he has a better chance of getting im. In other words, she wants to game the system (or really, cheat). Because you see, HER kid deserves a greater chance to get into a good charter than OTHER kids who weren't born in September.

OP, I would hope you aren't permitted to do this.

I totally agree with this post.

Anonymous wrote:
Who the hell cares? I don't know about you, but when I was in college, either being 21 or having a decent enough fake ID was a social benefit, not a handicap. I'm not endorsing under-age drinking, but seriously, a 19 y.o. freshman? Who. the. hell. cares? "Don't red-shirt your child because he'll be among the oldest in his university freshman class" has to be the least persuasive argument ever.

Actually, I would care, not about the age at which my child starts college, but about delaying my kids for a year for such a silly reason. It's not the "oldest freshman," but the "oldest high school senior." I don't want a kid forced to be living under my roof as an 18-year-old senior if they're ready for more. Lots of kids aren't ready for college at 17, but many are.

There are many arguments about red-shirting, but "trying again for the preschool lottery" is pretty stupid, if you ask me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In other words, she wants to game the system (or really, cheat). Because you see, HER kid deserves a greater chance to get into a good charter than OTHER kids who weren't born in September.

OP, I would hope you aren't permitted to do this.

PP, thanks for this. We also had terrible lottery luck last year, but would never consider trying to game the system to get another shot. There are still plenty of slots and movement for PK4, and a few schools that don't start until PK4. I can't believe that someone would want to hold their child back for a whole year just to try for a better charter school. Don't forget that means you get to have a 19-year-old college freshman!

Who the hell cares? I don't know about you, but when I was in college, either being 21 or having a decent enough fake ID was a social benefit, not a handicap. I'm not endorsing under-age drinking, but seriously, a 19 y.o. freshman? Who. the. hell. cares? "Don't red-shirt your child because he'll be among the oldest in his university freshman class" has to be the least persuasive argument ever.

Anonymous wrote:I can't believe we're actually considering this, but DC missed out on getting into a Charter last year. September birthday -- so it seems like we have a second shot at PS3, which seems like the year with most spots at most charters. Thoughts?

It seems you are wrong.