preparing my ds for Elementary in Florida

[NewMom0208]

I'm usually a clever woman, but trying to understand elementary options I am a dummy! My ds turns 3 this coming February, so I have time...I think. Between vpk, elementary, charters, magnets I'm going crazy I don't undertand how to choose and how to ensure not to miss on registrations and waiting lists He has been in preschool since he was 1yr old. Socially he is great. Well, he will still not share :) But he hardly talks I've counted 12 words. No sentences. No numbers, shapes. Nothing. He is great with playdoh and puzzles. He is good playing ball (kicking, running) loves music. There has been no way to potty train him. He is a very happy, loving and healhty boy. But I need to help him grow academically too. Then there is the whole K naming thing. Is there a K-1? Where is first grade? Sorry for rambling. This is so confusing to me. Conclusion: where do I start. I google it up but the articles talk as if I already knew this stuff. Any first steps guidance is appreciated. THank you!

[melissa17s]

I am not in FL, so I am not the best help.  Have you tried contacting your local school district and talking to them?  Then maybe talk to some of the other area schools that are alternatives?  They will tell you their protocol. Also ask at your ds's preschool for their recommendations...

[kittykat2481]

I would say generally speaking there isn't much you HAVE to do to prepare him for kindergarten. Read to him often. Talk about things in your daily life like shapes, colors, numbers. Answer his questions.

I will say that I would talk to someone about his expressive language. At 3 years old he's too old for early intervention, and would fall under the umbrella of the school district. I would have him seen/tested to see why he doesn't have more language at this point. Then, if he qualifies for any services, that would also help socialize him and prepare him for school. It's win/win.

This is according to www.pbs.org:

1 Year Old:

Children begin to learn many new words and begin to use simple phrases. Many children can:

• Understand many words, as well as simple phrases and directions ("Drink your juice")

• Follow a series of two simple but related directions

• Respond correctly when asked "where?"

• Say a few words clearly, and a few dozen additional words so that family members can understand. The words denote important people and common objects, and a few prepositions such as "on," "in," or "under." Many can say "more" and "all gone."

• Say successive single words to describe an event

• From about 18 months, begin learning about 9 new words a day

• Use "my" or "mine" to indicate possession; begin to use "me," "I," and "you"

•  

• 2 Years Old:
• 
  Both understanding of language and speaking develop more rapidly at this stage. Most 2-year-olds can:

• Join familiar words into phrases

• Begin to use modifiers (adverbs and adjectives)

• Point to common objects when they are named

• Name objects based on their description

• Respond to "what?" and "where?" questions

• Enjoy listening to stories and asking for favorite stories

• Recount events that happened that day

3 Years Old:

Language usage becomes more complex. Most 3-year-olds can:

• Make themselves understood to strangers, despite some sound errors

• Use and understand sentences

• Use more complex grammar, such as plurals and past tense

• Understand sentences involving time concepts (for example, "Grandma is coming tomorrow") and narrate past experiences

• Understand size comparisons such as big and bigger

• Understand relationships expressed by "if… then" or "because" sentences

• Follow a series of two to four related directions

• Sing a song and repeat at least one nursery rhyme

[lindberg99]

I think I would get his speech evaluated too. The school district will usually do this for free. If you don't know who to call, try United Way, they have a program called "Success by 6" so I bet they would know.

My son went to the school district's preschool for kids who got speech therapy, etc. It was a great school! He didn't qualify for services because he just had some articulation problems but if he had qualified through their program, preschool would have been free. As it was, it was only $90 a month for 4 mornings a week. He had great teachers and the class size is kept smaller, I think the max his class could have was 12 kids with a teacher and aide. And the children didn't have to be fully potty trained like at most other preschools. I think it really gave my son a good start, he's in 1st grade now and doing really well. 

[Linda on the move]

He also needs his hearing checked. Hearing problems, even minor ones, can cause speech problems.

[Emmeline II]

I would get him evaluated through the school district and have his hearing and eyesight evaluated.

There is no pre-k in my state and being acedemically "at risk" (such as not having a certain level of language development) is one way a child would qualify here. Though it is nice to have options, if you are overwhelmed I would start with your local public school. You can also post in your tribal area for help understanding your local school system.

[Geofizz]

Please follow up on the comments above about getting an evaluation.  However, that's a bit different than the question you explicitly asked:
 

Originally Posted by NewMom0208 

I'm usually a clever woman, but trying to understand elementary options I am a dummy! My ds turns 3 this coming February, so I have time...I think. Between vpk, elementary, charters, magnets I'm going crazy I don't undertand how to choose and how to ensure not to miss on registrations and waiting lists He has been in preschool since he was 1yr old.

<snip>

Then there is the whole K naming thing. Is there a K-1? Where is first grade? Sorry for rambling. This is so confusing to me. Conclusion: where do I start. I google it up but the articles talk as if I already knew this stuff. Any first steps guidance is appreciated. THank you!

On deciding on schools, start talking to neighbors and others in their area.  As his preschool teachers.  Figure out what's there and available.   Each will have something different to offer, and you will need to follow up and look at each specific option.  Once you know what's there, start by calling the school and ask about registration time lines and if they have any information nights set up (around here they're all in February and you'd go the year before your child would start - so for you in 2 years).

I'm not sure what you mean by vpk, but public and private elementaries, charters, and magnets (both generally public) vary from one another so much that you cannot judge a priori which is better.  Some charters are great, some are lousy.  Some schools are great for some kids but not others.  You need to look at the individual schools.  Start with a phone call to the school and go from there.

I'm not sure what you're asking about "the whole K naming thing."  When you see "K-1" that generally means that there is a mix of kids in both kindergarten and first grade in the same room, generally with kids spending two years there, first as a kindergartner and then as a first grader.
 

The whole experience is daunting.  It's good you're thinking about it early, but you have plenty of time!

[LauraN]

I used to live in Florida. The whole VPK thing is a little complex, but I can explain it :)

VPK stands for Voluntary Pre-K. Because many Fl schools don't have the facilities to offer Pre-K, private schools and daycares get state money to offer it. So if your school doesn't offer VPK, then you can go to any private school and sign up for it. It is only a few hours a day, though, and the schools will charge for any care beyond their VPK hours. This only holds true for what is called VPK-4 (for kids who have turned 4 by September 1). Any other level of VPK (they sometimes start from 1 or 2) are not funded by the state, so they won't be free. VPKs tend to have a certain number of spots and kids are selected by lottery, so call around to any school you're interested in and find out their registration deadlines and what day the lottery is held. My experience was that they don't actually know solid dates until the district lets them know, so it takes a lot of calling back until they know. If you don't keep calling back, they're unlikely to call you and you'll miss it.

K-1 refers to Kindergarten and first grade. Many school districts (maybe all?) in FL separate K and 1st physically (have them on a different campus) from the older elementary grades. These are also referred to as PLCs (Primary Learning Centers).

I wasn't aware that FL has elementary-level magnet schools. I thought those began in Middle School. But a quick search showed me that they do. I don't know a thing about them (there's only one in Miami, where I lived), but if they're anything like the Middle School ones, then you likely have to audition or at least meet certain requirements and get on a waiting list. Here's a list of FL magnet schools, organized by level (High, Middle, Elementary): http://www.publicschoolreview.com/state_magnets/stateid/FL. Not sure how accurate it is, so I would definitely ask around--ask your pre-K whether they have a list and if not, ask at your nearest school. Also ask the neighbors, especially those with elementary-age kids. They'll know the reputations of various schools.

FWIW, it's unlikely that getting into VPK at a magnet school would guarantee enrollment in their Kindergarten or First grade program. However, by being at their VPK you will be much more aware of requirements and deadlines...

I will not be subscribing to this thread since I'm actually a homeschooler now. So if you have further questions that I can help you with, please feel free to PM me.

[nanette0269]

in our case, we found the VPK options disappointing.  My daughter (when she was 3-4) was in the VPK class because she was advanced...and she was with the same school since she was 2, so they knew her aptitude.  That being said, she was clearly on par with other children who were 4-5 that same year.  She progressed along with them nicely.  But, this year she could be in VPK but we simply didnt want to have her repeat the same year.  And we were at one of the better schools.  So, we switched her to montessori which allows her to do the work of older kids alongside her.  best of both worlds to me.

There are some good magnet elementary schools in the area,one in particular.  And, if we couldnt afford montessori, i would consider one of these moreso than the public elementary schools.  I simply do not like the FCAT and how its taught in florida.  the primary reason why i was opposed to magnet/public elementary schools here.

Let me know if you have any questions...I've been down it :)

[cowboyjunki]

I'm in Tampa and my son is currently in K now.  Do you want to share what county you are in?  We looked at a couple of magnet schools, but none were reasonable close.

Our county has school choice, which means that you can look at a list of schools that has available slots, and you can apply to have your child go to one of those schools.  I think you can choose up to 3, but you may/may not get in, depending on the number of open seats.  We got ours on the first try, but the magnet school we did apply to had probably less than 10 open K spots and we drew #85 in the lottery! 

We also have charter schools here.....I'm not super clear on the difference between charter & magnet schools.  Here is a link to our county website which may answer some questions...I think it explains the differences and choices you have in our county:

http://www.sdhc.k12.fl.us/choice/INDEX.asp

As for the other issue with his speech.....are you concerned?  I can't tell from your post if you are or not.  If you want to have him evaluated for speech issues, you can ask his pediatrician for a referral to the early steps program....you may be able to have him evaluated since he is not yet 3.  Otherwise, you can contact the county - I had to take my son in for an evaluation, but his delays were not severe enough to qualify for services.  

Let me know if you are in Hillsborough county and have any questions!!

[umsami]

I was in Duval county.  We had a website that all of the magnet schools as well as the application process.  My son got into the PK3 program for Montessori, which was something you had to pay for each month.  Once they hit Kindy, it was free.  I want to say tours were in January and you needed to apply by the end of January or February.  Only the Montessori programs had PK level magnets.  The other magnet programs didn't start until Kindy for elementary.

VPK info was everywhere.  The children's area of your library is a good place to start.  Your county will have a website, and they'll have all of the programs listed.  Your child needs to be 4 by September 1st of the school year to qualify.  That's basically it.  When I toured some of the programs, I was put-off by how worksheet oriented they were.  So, we did PreK at home instead for my eldest child.  (The Montessori magnet was much better.)

[cloudswinger]

It seems every county is different, so you have to check with your local school district. I am in Palm Beach county, so the deadlines for the magnet/choice programs were in Dec, so they've already passed for this coming school year. They usually have a fair sometime in early Oct, and school tours from Oct-Nov. There is one Montessori elementary that will take 3 year olds, so it's really competitive to get into. Magnets can be tough, a lot of the good ones are lottery based. You get to put down 3 choices, but if say your second choice was a lottery school, it makes it really hard to ever get in there, if you didn't get into your first choice. The magnets generally have a specific focus, such as MST(Math, Science, Technology), Performing Arts, Environmental Science, IB, Dual Language, etc

VPK is voluntary, and free for 4 year olds. There are two options, a 3 hour day for the school year, or a 5 hr day for the summer. The deadline for those is closer to the end of the school year before your child would go, something like feb-march. And it's run not by the school districts, but by familycentral, since they oversee the preschools. You get a voucher, and then figure out what preschool has space, etc. It's really kind of a pain, and not worth it if you don't need the childcare. If you already put your kid in preschool, it's basically a 3 hour discount.

Charter schools are basically publicly funded private schools. They all are run differently, as long as they meet state standards. So some are good, some are not so good.

And then there is the Virtual school option, which starts at K. Also free for Florida students.  www.flvs.net Basically homeschool with a state curriculum.

And if you miss all the deadlines, you have the option of your neighborhood school. It may be a good one.

There are a lot of options. My sister-in-law has started this year looking for high schools for her daughter even though she won't be starting this coming year but the next.

Edited by cloudswinger - 1/5/11 at 6:07am