Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is there so much snark towards the OP regarding this issue? She simply wants the option of sending her kid early just as people have the option of sending their kids later? Why are so many posters appearing to have a problem with that? I don't understand. Is there a reason people don't their children being in the same class with younger children who may be on the same level as their older children?

If the cut off on the last day of the month, are many of you saying that there is a big difference in preparedness of a child born 1-30 days later?

What's the issue?

I couldn't care less when people start their kids in K, younger/older/on time. I think OP is just rubbing people the wrong way. If she had phrased her question and her subsequent posts differently, there wouldn't be 12 pages of people snickering at her.

Ok. So it's just the OP people have a problem with? People are OK with parents that want to have their kids test in early DOB is close to the cut-off date. Thanks. I really wasn't getting that part.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is there so much snark towards the OP regarding this issue? She simply wants the option of sending her kid early just as people have the option of sending their kids later? Why are so many posters appearing to have a problem with that? I don't understand. Is there a reason people don't their children being in the same class with younger children who may be on the same level as their older children?

If the cut off on the last day of the month, are many of you saying that there is a big difference in preparedness of a child born 1-30 days later?

What's the issue?

I couldn't care less when people start their kids in K, younger/older/on time. I think OP is just rubbing people the wrong way. If she had phrased her question and her subsequent posts differently, there wouldn't be 12 pages of people snickering at her.

This. Plus, everyone has told OP she will just need to check with her local schools but she keeps coming back and asking about loopholes that will force her local school to allow him to be in 1st grade if she chooses.

And actually, I was in a similar situation to OP but decided to keep my kid in preschool. Sure, she knew a lot of the stuff already but she was never bored. That last year of preschool is excellent for really building their social skills and preparing for the transition to kindergarten, even if some of it is repetitive. And I know you say private school will still be a lot of play, but it won't be nearly as much as preschool (unless your preschool doesn't really teach through play.)

OP, why did you post asking for opinions?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like you did your kid a disservice by placing him in such an academically rigorous program as a toddler. You say you want to do what is best but evidence shows play based learning is best for young kids. To answer you original question. The absolute only way you will find out is calling the principal and even if they say ok, you have to count on principals not changing before your kid actually starts at that school. You could always just private forever though.

I am not sure why you say that. The purpose of preschools isn't to carve children into whatever mold FCPS has issued; it's to provide an appropriately structured engagement that helps children learn and grow. The fact that he learned lots of things at preschool doesn't mean he learned it while chained to his desk. They do maybe an hour of "academics" a day - the rest of the day is all play during which they learn lots of things.

How many hours a day is your kid in preschool? Are you sure you don't mean daycare with an academic model? I'm very impressed that a school is teaching toddlers to read in multiple languages through play.

It's a full-time program, a preschool/daycare model - academics & play in the morning, more play/activities after lunch. Same as every other full-time facility with "preschool" in its name. A four-year old is hardly a toddler.

So they do zero academic work until the kids move up to the four year old group, then they teach them to read and write in two languages in a year?

You just keep making things up, don't you? Literacy is a continuum. I never said zero academic work happens before the pre-K class. The 3-year olds may learn ABCs, blocks, songs, cards, what have you. The 4-year olds learn to write, learn to read simple words, review word families. The goal is to promote literacy in age-appropriate ways, and kids move toward this goal in age-appropriate steps. Some arrive faster.

This all sounds age-inappropriate to me, but obviously there's a market for it. (Flashcards for 3 year olds? Teaching 4 year olds to read?). Sad.

Anonymous wrote:But some percentage of them will mathematically miss the cutoff every year. If they move kids up to a different group when they turn 4. ????

"Some percentage" isn't "the norm". Mathematically, most kids won't miss the cut-off, only a minority will.

If you have to pay for daycare anyway, I would just find the program you like best regardless of the label it is given. ("preschool", "pre-K", "junior K"). But I would still start him in public K with his correct age group next year. It is really hard on boys socially/emotionally to be the youngest, and he would be a year and a half younger than some of the other boys.

He only gets one childhood, no need to rush him along with an older age group where he has a high chance of feeling left-out, miserable, too young, too small, too immature...etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like you did your kid a disservice by placing him in such an academically rigorous program as a toddler. You say you want to do what is best but evidence shows play based learning is best for young kids. To answer you original question. The absolute only way you will find out is calling the principal and even if they say ok, you have to count on principals not changing before your kid actually starts at that school. You could always just private forever though.

I am not sure why you say that. The purpose of preschools isn't to carve children into whatever mold FCPS has issued; it's to provide an appropriately structured engagement that helps children learn and grow. The fact that he learned lots of things at preschool doesn't mean he learned it while chained to his desk. They do maybe an hour of "academics" a day - the rest of the day is all play during which they learn lots of things.

How many hours a day is your kid in preschool? Are you sure you don't mean daycare with an academic model? I'm very impressed that a school is teaching toddlers to read in multiple languages through play.

It's a full-time program, a preschool/daycare model - academics & play in the morning, more play/activities after lunch. Same as every other full-time facility with "preschool" in its name. A four-year old is hardly a toddler.

So they do zero academic work until the kids move up to the four year old group, then they teach them to read and write in two languages in a year?

You just keep making things up, don't you? Literacy is a continuum. I never said zero academic work happens before the pre-K class. The 3-year olds may learn ABCs, blocks, songs, cards, what have you. The 4-year olds learn to write, learn to read simple words, review word families. The goal is to promote literacy in age-appropriate ways, and kids move toward this goal in age-appropriate steps. Some arrive faster.

But some percentage of them will mathematically miss the cutoff every year. If they move kids up to a different group when they turn 4. ????

Anonymous wrote:So the norm there is for kids to do two years in the same room?

No, most of his class has or will be turning five before the cut-off, and will transition to K. So the preK kids are there typically for one year.

So the norm there is for kids to do two years in the same room?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^Oops, missed the fact that you explained he was in a daycare center, not preschool. Why didn't you say so in your original post?

What does his daycare usually do with kids with fall birthdays? He can't be the first kid to have moved up to the "preK" class when he turned 4, only to miss the K cutoff for the fall. I think this is why a lot of places have two separate classes, a fours class and then an older pre-K class.

+1. What does the daycare usually do, OP? This has to have happened before, at a daycare center with lots of kids.

They would be very happy to have him repeat the preK year, perhaps with some pull-out activities or similar. I just don't want him to repeat a year. I think he's ready for something else.

Anonymous wrote:Why is there so much snark towards the OP regarding this issue? She simply wants the option of sending her kid early just as people have the option of sending their kids later? Why are so many posters appearing to have a problem with that? I don't understand. Is there a reason people don't their children being in the same class with younger children who may be on the same level as their older children?

If the cut off on the last day of the month, are many of you saying that there is a big difference in preparedness of a child born 1-30 days later?

What's the issue?

I couldn't care less when people start their kids in K, younger/older/on time. I think OP is just rubbing people the wrong way. If she had phrased her question and her subsequent posts differently, there wouldn't be 12 pages of people snickering at her.

Please go private K-12, OP. We can't take any more parents of special snowflakes at our FCPS public. You sound insufferable.

Anonymous wrote:Preschool is only a few hours per day...how do they fit in (developmentally inappropriate for 3 year olds) reading and writing in two different languages while still keeping most of the program play? This preschool is amazing.

Its a daycare. They have all day long. Jeez, they couldn't squeeze in a third language after the second snack? Slackers.

Anonymous wrote:^^Oops, missed the fact that you explained he was in a daycare center, not preschool. Why didn't you say so in your original post?

What does his daycare usually do with kids with fall birthdays? He can't be the first kid to have moved up to the "preK" class when he turned 4, only to miss the K cutoff for the fall. I think this is why a lot of places have two separate classes, a fours class and then an older pre-K class.

+1. What does the daycare usually do, OP? This has to have happened before, at a daycare center with lots of kids.