Anonymous
Post 06/09/2015 13:59     Subject: Re:Age cut off - DD born on 10/1
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP here. I'm so lost. We're first time parents and we grew up in Colorado so I'm not terribly familiar with the DCPS system. Please bear with me or keep scrolling to another post...

DD is only 8 months old. I'm asking about the age cut-off because I really don't know what's best in terms of when to start her (if I even have a choice in the matter) and where to enroll her. I don't have any preconceived notions or beliefs about whether to "redshirt" or "push forward" or anything of that nature. DD was small for gestational age when born so I am perfectly happy with her starting school a year later and being the oldest one in her class because she'll probably always be the smallest. As far as where to enroll her, we're trying to decide between staying in DC or moving to MD (where, as I understand it, the age cut-off is September 1, so still the same for us). DH has a good work opportunity in Baltimore and we're considering moving to Howard County. The problem is I work in DC and the commute from Howard County to DC would be pretty brutal, especially given my lengthy work day. I heard that in DC, pre-k3 and pre-k4 are free to DC residents, so that is another factor that is weighing against moving to MD before DD goes to first grade. I'm not sure how the lottery system works. Is the chance you'll get in through the lottery very slim? Ideally, if we can get into a good pre-k3 / pre-k 4 program, we'd like to delay moving to MD until DD is ready to for first grade. So, forgive my ignorance, but if DD wont be 3 until 10/1/17, does she qualify for pre-k3 for the 2017-2018 school year? Or do we enroll her in the pre-k3 program for the 2018-2019 school year (during which she'll turn 4 on 10/1/18)?

Thanks so much!


A couple of things going on here.

1. Public school is free to DC residents. At 3, at 4 and at 14. It's not exclusive to early childhood, except in so far as that you HAVE to lottery for early childhood (PK3 and PK4). Starting at kindergarten, your child will have a right to attend whatever your neighborhood school is, but if you would like her to attend that school prior to K, you will have to lottery. Note: this is the system now. The system 3 years ago was very different and the system in 3 years may be different still.

2. Your child will be one of the oldest in her class. She will not be eligible for the program until SY2018-19, because she will not turn 3 by 9/30 of that year.


How was he system "very" different 3 years ago? Only thing I could think of was common app which made the few handful of schools conform to Sept 30 date. I don't see how there can be another change 3 years from now.
Anonymous
Post 06/08/2015 21:39     Subject: Age cut off - DD born on 10/1
Your Kindergarten eligible redshirted children are required to follow attendance policies, correct? Considering they are five before the cutoff and school is no longer optional.
Anonymous
Post 06/08/2015 13:06     Subject: Age cut off - DD born on 10/1
[quote=Anonymous]Some private institutions allow Kindergartens have a later cutoff. For example, at SEEC a child has to be 5 years old by October 31 in order to be eligible for K. For first grade, you simply transfer to DCPS and are on track. I'm not 100% sure, but I think 1st graders are required to turn 6 by December 31 in order to be eligible for 1st grade. [/quote]

I think for first they can be any age.
Anonymous
Post 06/08/2015 12:55     Subject: Age cut off - DD born on 10/1
Some private institutions allow Kindergartens have a later cutoff. For example, at SEEC a child has to be 5 years old by October 31 in order to be eligible for K. For first grade, you simply transfer to DCPS and are on track. I'm not 100% sure, but I think 1st graders are required to turn 6 by December 31 in order to be eligible for 1st grade.
Anonymous
Post 06/08/2015 11:32     Subject: Re:Age cut off - DD born on 10/1
Anonymous wrote:OP here. I'm so lost. We're first time parents and we grew up in Colorado so I'm not terribly familiar with the DCPS system. Please bear with me or keep scrolling to another post...

DD is only 8 months old. I'm asking about the age cut-off because I really don't know what's best in terms of when to start her (if I even have a choice in the matter) and where to enroll her. I don't have any preconceived notions or beliefs about whether to "redshirt" or "push forward" or anything of that nature. DD was small for gestational age when born so I am perfectly happy with her starting school a year later and being the oldest one in her class because she'll probably always be the smallest. As far as where to enroll her, we're trying to decide between staying in DC or moving to MD (where, as I understand it, the age cut-off is September 1, so still the same for us). DH has a good work opportunity in Baltimore and we're considering moving to Howard County. The problem is I work in DC and the commute from Howard County to DC would be pretty brutal, especially given my lengthy work day. I heard that in DC, pre-k3 and pre-k4 are free to DC residents, so that is another factor that is weighing against moving to MD before DD goes to first grade. I'm not sure how the lottery system works. Is the chance you'll get in through the lottery very slim? Ideally, if we can get into a good pre-k3 / pre-k 4 program, we'd like to delay moving to MD until DD is ready to for first grade. So, forgive my ignorance, but if DD wont be 3 until 10/1/17, does she qualify for pre-k3 for the 2017-2018 school year? Or do we enroll her in the pre-k3 program for the 2018-2019 school year (during which she'll turn 4 on 10/1/18)?

Thanks so much!


A couple of things going on here.

1. Public school is free to DC residents. At 3, at 4 and at 14. It's not exclusive to early childhood, except in so far as that you HAVE to lottery for early childhood (PK3 and PK4). Starting at kindergarten, your child will have a right to attend whatever your neighborhood school is, but if you would like her to attend that school prior to K, you will have to lottery. Note: this is the system now. The system 3 years ago was very different and the system in 3 years may be different still.

2. Your child will be one of the oldest in her class. She will not be eligible for the program until SY2018-19, because she will not turn 3 by 9/30 of that year.
Anonymous
Post 06/08/2015 11:27     Subject: Re:Age cut off - DD born on 10/1
Anonymous wrote:OP here. I'm so lost. We're first time parents and we grew up in Colorado so I'm not terribly familiar with the DCPS system. Please bear with me or keep scrolling to another post...

DD is only 8 months old. I'm asking about the age cut-off because I really don't know what's best in terms of when to start her (if I even have a choice in the matter) and where to enroll her. I don't have any preconceived notions or beliefs about whether to "redshirt" or "push forward" or anything of that nature. DD was small for gestational age when born so I am perfectly happy with her starting school a year later and being the oldest one in her class because she'll probably always be the smallest. As far as where to enroll her, we're trying to decide between staying in DC or moving to MD (where, as I understand it, the age cut-off is September 1, so still the same for us). DH has a good work opportunity in Baltimore and we're considering moving to Howard County. The problem is I work in DC and the commute from Howard County to DC would be pretty brutal, especially given my lengthy work day. I heard that in DC, pre-k3 and pre-k4 are free to DC residents, so that is another factor that is weighing against moving to MD before DD goes to first grade. I'm not sure how the lottery system works. Is the chance you'll get in through the lottery very slim? Ideally, if we can get into a good pre-k3 / pre-k 4 program, we'd like to delay moving to MD until DD is ready to for first grade. So, forgive my ignorance, but if DD wont be 3 until 10/1/17, does she qualify for pre-k3 for the 2017-2018 school year? Or do we enroll her in the pre-k3 program for the 2018-2019 school year (during which she'll turn 4 on 10/1/18)?

Thanks so much!


In order to lottery into early childhood education, you have to enter the lottery the winter before you want to enroll, so you need to have a DC address by then. Whether there's a good chance of getting a spot depends on what your neighborhood school is, and much of that data will change between now and when your kid starts school. Regardless, with a 10/1 birthday, she'd enroll in PK3 for the 2018-2019 school year.
Anonymous
Post 06/08/2015 11:25     Subject: Age cut off - DD born on 10/1
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You can redshirt for PK.
It happens in our DCPS all the time.


I suspect it's more possible at a school with PK3 where there are more lottery places. But at JKLMs with long IB waitlists for PK, they won't do this because it takes up a place that could go to another kid. Stick that kid in K, and then you open up another place in PK.


No, some JKLMs allow redshirting for PK.
At this very moment, my redshirted child is sitting in her JKLM PK classroom and there are several others in her class just like this.
Anonymous
Post 06/08/2015 11:21     Subject: Age cut off - DD born on 10/1
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:And my 9/25 kid started on time and is thriving. No kids in her class were held back and she is one of a handful with September birthdays. I think redshirting is more about a specific DC demographic than "this area."


That's because you can't red shirt for Pk. Wait till k when all the 6.5 year olds show up.


You can redshirt for PK. What you can't do is move your kid up.
All you have to do to redshirt in PK is to say you want your kid to lottery into a school a year behind. So if my kid is eligible for PK4, I can just say I am lotterying for PK3.


Buy your kid will be Kindergarten age the following year and that's where DCPS will place her.


Exactly. I know at our JKLM there are no redshirted kids in PK- because they will be place in K. People who want to redshirt stay at private PK for an extra year and then enter at K.


It must depend on the school and maybe the child. At my son's JKLM school there definitely was a child in pre-k that was red shirted (ie, age wise, should have been in K as one of the youngest kids with a summer birthday). I suspect there were probably more, but this one if a friend and I've discussed it with the mom so know for sure. I actually don't agree with it - think you should send your kid according to the cut off, but obviously red shirting happens.
Anonymous
Post 06/08/2015 11:16     Subject: Re:Age cut off - DD born on 10/1
OP here. I'm so lost. We're first time parents and we grew up in Colorado so I'm not terribly familiar with the DCPS system. Please bear with me or keep scrolling to another post...

DD is only 8 months old. I'm asking about the age cut-off because I really don't know what's best in terms of when to start her (if I even have a choice in the matter) and where to enroll her. I don't have any preconceived notions or beliefs about whether to "redshirt" or "push forward" or anything of that nature. DD was small for gestational age when born so I am perfectly happy with her starting school a year later and being the oldest one in her class because she'll probably always be the smallest. As far as where to enroll her, we're trying to decide between staying in DC or moving to MD (where, as I understand it, the age cut-off is September 1, so still the same for us). DH has a good work opportunity in Baltimore and we're considering moving to Howard County. The problem is I work in DC and the commute from Howard County to DC would be pretty brutal, especially given my lengthy work day. I heard that in DC, pre-k3 and pre-k4 are free to DC residents, so that is another factor that is weighing against moving to MD before DD goes to first grade. I'm not sure how the lottery system works. Is the chance you'll get in through the lottery very slim? Ideally, if we can get into a good pre-k3 / pre-k 4 program, we'd like to delay moving to MD until DD is ready to for first grade. So, forgive my ignorance, but if DD wont be 3 until 10/1/17, does she qualify for pre-k3 for the 2017-2018 school year? Or do we enroll her in the pre-k3 program for the 2018-2019 school year (during which she'll turn 4 on 10/1/18)?

Thanks so much!
Anonymous
Post 06/08/2015 10:08     Subject: Age cut off - DD born on 10/1
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:And my 9/25 kid started on time and is thriving. No kids in her class were held back and she is one of a handful with September birthdays. I think redshirting is more about a specific DC demographic than "this area."


That's because you can't red shirt for Pk. Wait till k when all the 6.5 year olds show up.


This doesn't happen. Showing up for K as a 6.5-year-old would mean that the parents held back a child with a Feb or March birthday. My early May birthday son is at a competitive NW DC private school, started on time as he should, and there are literally NO children in his grade who are more than a full year older than he is. There were, however, a small handful of late-summer-birthday boys who were red-shirted, meaning that they started K having just turned 6. There are also a few with late summer birthdays who started on time, having just turned 5. It's not really that big of a deal.


I know of a set of twins who have an April birthday who are being held back. They will be pretty close to 6.5 when they enter K. Happens ALL the time and it's so silly.
Anonymous
Post 06/08/2015 10:07     Subject: Age cut off - DD born on 10/1
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:And my 9/25 kid started on time and is thriving. No kids in her class were held back and she is one of a handful with September birthdays. I think redshirting is more about a specific DC demographic than "this area."


That's because you can't red shirt for Pk. Wait till k when all the 6.5 year olds show up.


This doesn't happen. Showing up for K as a 6.5-year-old would mean that the parents held back a child with a Feb or March birthday. My early May birthday son is at a competitive NW DC private school, started on time as he should, and there are literally NO children in his grade who are more than a full year older than he is. There were, however, a small handful of late-summer-birthday boys who were red-shirted, meaning that they started K having just turned 6. There are also a few with late summer birthdays who started on time, having just turned 5. It's not really that big of a deal.
Anonymous
Post 06/08/2015 10:02     Subject: Age cut off - DD born on 10/1
Anonymous wrote:You can redshirt for PK.
It happens in our DCPS all the time.


I suspect it's more possible at a school with PK3 where there are more lottery places. But at JKLMs with long IB waitlists for PK, they won't do this because it takes up a place that could go to another kid. Stick that kid in K, and then you open up another place in PK.