Thanks! Do you happen to know how it went for them, socially and/or academically?

I know of several who have repeated the 4 yo year before K.

Resurrecting this threat to ask--has anyone had a child repeat preK at their school's recommendation?

The school strongly recommends/decides. You could leave.

So what if DC is admitted to correct grade (pre-k at 4) then school feels child is immature compared to the other kids in the class (who in some cases may be an entire year older)? Can the school insist my DC be held back a year or would it be up to us as his parents? Whose decision trumps in such a case?

My 4 year old may be completely on point and doing everything a child his age is expected to do and may even be above average in some areas, but if he's being compared to other kids in his class who are 5 or older he will always look like he's under performing.

It is also a good idea to ask during the parent interview or any time you can speak candidly to an admissions person. You want to know early in the process if the school tries to balance the class (range of ages) or prefers more mature (read older) kids. That is not to say you have to suggest redshirting, but we approached it by saying that it appeared the class had some tall or big kids, what is the age range and why.

Anonymous wrote:NP here - When in the process is this communicated to parents? When you first inquire? After submitting your application? Upon receiving the rejection/waitlist/admission letter? FWIW - we have a late August boy.

A lot of times, it's during the parent interview. Sometimes before that, at the tour or open house.

Anonymous wrote:It depends. If your son is emotionally immature, and only you will know that, then that might come across in the recommendations, Wppsi, or play date. I have a girl with a May birthdate and she is as smart as they make them, can be as charming as can be, and as sweet as candy, but if she hasn't gotten a nap, sufficient rest, is hungry, or just enough 4 year old love, she is a train wreck. Apparently, non of her typical 4 year old behavior showed itself and she is starting pre-k big 3 in the fall. Now, there are some red-shirt giants that look 8 in Kindergarden, but I don't care about them, I care about my kid and so should you. I felt that she could handle it and more importantly she maintains that she is ready to move on from her Pre school to the big school. Time will tell. If at the end of the school year, they want her to have "the gift of time" and do Pre-k again, then she will be a giant in Pre-k and more mature. Best advise is to talk to your preschool, Wpssi tester, and follow your guts. If you think he's ready, go for it.

I'm confused by this. You describe her as needing "4 year old love", and having "4 year old behavior", so I would assume she's 4, but that would make her 5 when she starts PK/ When you say they might redshirt her are you saying she'd start PK the second time at 6? Or do you in fact have a 3 year old now?

NP here - When in the process is this communicated to parents? When you first inquire? After submitting your application? Upon receiving the rejection/waitlist/admission letter? FWIW - we have a late August boy.

I have a DS who was not redshirted. He is big for his age and does well academically. Overall, we feel we made the right decision but the fact is that he is 1 and a half years younger than the oldest kid in his class. So that has to be considered when making decisions.

Of course there are exceptions and you can find a school to take a young boy but it seems like most schools want older children.

It really really depends on the school. GDS has no summer bias. There are plenty of kids with summer birthdays who are the young ones in their grade. This is PK and K and 1st grade. The fall birthday kids are the oldest. I have seen very few kids actually held back, and all have behavior problems or other issues going on.

If your child has a late summer birthday they will recommend, pressure you and probably not admit your kid. They will most likely be rejected for k / only admitted for pre-k. There is at least one school in the area that openly admits that K boys should be 5 1/2. If that is not definitive enough for the summer boy bias, I'm not sure what is.

Anonymous wrote:
Redshirting by parents of kids with no actual documented issues is nothing but stacking the deck so their kids have an artificial advantage. I feel bad for the kids.

I'm not looking for my July birthday boy to have an advantage over anyone. What I want is for him to be in a class where the activities and expectations are age-appropriate, and we've gotten closer to that by red-shirting. Kindergarten, and later grades, simply aren't what they were when I was growing up, for better and for worse. I wish the schools would return to what I believe are more appropriate expectations, but I cannot control that (though I do voice my opinions on the issue at the school when appropriate). What I could control, at least to a minimal extent, is my son's grade, so that's how I approached the problem. Not at all about stacking a deck or competition. Actually the opposite, wanting my child to have another year before age-inappropriate ideas about competition kick in.

And no need to feel bad for my son. He's happy as a clam. His teachers frequently tell us that they are glad he's in their class because his is a good friend, is fully engaged and inquisitive, and is a good model for other kids in the class. Has his off days like everyone, but he's the farthest thing from a bully you could imagine.

There are also privates that will accept DS will late summer bday to K, but then hold him back the next year. Know a number of families this happened to, just so the school could guarantee its numbers where it wanted them. It didn't appear to do with progress or readiness given classroom reports throughout the year.