Kindergarten - younger or older? (xpost) - Page 2

[It's me!]

My personal opinion is the older the better. My DS was born past the cut off, so he is on the older side. My DD is just shy of the cut-off and i'm thinking of holding her back. I was an older child and so was my brother. I've only had good luck with that where as sometimes they are just too young. It really depends a lot on your child though. I have a friend with a DD one day younger than mine and that child is dying to go to K and will be going in the fall.

Didn't read the other posts and this is JUST my personal view for us, but thought I would share.

[Kirsten]

Originally Posted by TiredX2

I truly believe that unless you have *specific* concerns about your individual child they should generally start school when the district guidelines would suggest.

I tend to agree with this. Except when the state cutoff would make the child not yet five on the first day of school. I really don't understand places where the cutoff is December 1st - so some kids are four and starting kindergarten.

Cutoff here is August 31st. I'd really like to see it changed to June 1st. I think kids with later July or August birthdays AND specific issues that would prevent them from being successful in school at that age are the only ones I'd consider holding back.

All three of my girls are summer birthdays. I send on time, so they are all young in their class (dd2 is the very youngest with an end of August birthday) and they go to an alternative multi-age elementary so they are the youngest in a class that includes two grades (so some kids are almost two years older than dd).

Does she have friends from preschool or the neighborhood who will be going to kindergarten in the fall?

Do you know the kindergarten teacher? Is he/she loving? A really warm teacher sometimes makes it easier for the kids who are hesitant to leave mom.

Please tell me it is half day.... Full day is hard to pull off for the younger ones sometimes. My dd1 had an AWFUL time adjusting (four months of really tough for her, me, and her teacher. Dd2 (six weeks younger at start of school) had absolutely NO issues. Didn't even get tired - and they go full day since it is multi-age. (No half day offered at our school.)

[lauriem33]

Originally Posted by Kirsten

Please tell me it is half day.... Full day is hard to pull off for the younger ones sometimes. My dd1 had an AWFUL time adjusting (four months of really tough for her, me, and her teacher. Dd2 (six weeks younger at start of school) had absolutely NO issues. Didn't even get tired - and they go full day since it is multi-age. (No half day offered at our school.)

It is full day which is what makes the decision so much harder for me. If it weren't such a huge transition I wouldn't be quite so hesitant. There is no other option (we live in a small town), other than homeschool but at some point she'd have to go to public and I think it would be an even harder transition then. My oldest dd who was 8 months older at the start of school had no problems at all. I should have had another fall baby.