Preschool another year or start Kindergarten at 4 1/2?

Holly - posted on 04/01/2012

I was a young young Kindergarten child as well. But in 1976 they also had just half day kindergarten and many of my friends went to another class after kindergarten and before 1st grade called "Reading Readiness" for a year. It was misnamed though. I was able to read just fine. But I could not write as clearly and was a bit shy. It was a year of growing up. The concept is outdated. Many school districts just tightened up on their birthdates, BUT they added prekindergarten/K4. However, even in Florida, there are rules regarding access to K4 unless you qualify for head start or are below a certain income bracket.

Cheri - posted on 04/01/2012

We kept our son in preschool an extra year because he is a September baby. One reason I did was because I was born in December and was not held back. I did average in school but as I got older I did her my Mom say over and over that she wished she held me back she thinks I would have done even better. It was hard to decide to hold my son back but many Moms I talked to told me that they did not hold back their oldest and by 3rd grade they started to have problems and were looking at possibly having to hold them back at that age and that could be hard. I imagine with a girl it is even a harder decision but really what ever you decide I am sure it will be the right thing. Good Luck!!

Jamie - posted on 04/01/2012

No one knows your child like you; follow your gut, it is usually right.

I didn't listen to mine and listened to his preschool teacher and other parents. I should have followed the advice of a teacher, "when in doubt hold them out, you never regret waiting a year but you can regret starting early."

He repeated K and is doing well in first grade but it is hard for him not to be w/his friends that are a year above him now.

Alicia - posted on 04/01/2012

After my previous post I read that your daughter only attends two days a week. As a preschool teacher it makes a difference if the child is used to two days versus a five day program. If you put her in pre-k for five days a week. If you feel she's ready for that change and the pressures of K depending on state reading, spelling, math, social skills and five days at time then enroll her for school. I live in a state where Aug. 1st is the deadline.

Jo-anne - posted on 04/01/2012

Hi, I'm a teacher who has worked a lot in Prep (kindergarten) and in my gap year before going to university I worked in a preschool, so I've had a lot of experience in seeing kids who are or are not ready for shcool. I also have a son who just started Prep this year.



Many schools encourage kids to stay at preschool an extra year if they're in that age bracket where they could go either way, not necessarily to have an 'edge', but so they are a bit more mature when they start school. Saying that, if a child is ready to start school, I don't think there is any point holding them back. There is no way I could have held my son back, he was just so ready for school and holding him back would have stifled him.



In my opinion, these are the things you need to take into consideration:



- Academically - Do you think your child will cope in the classroom? Do they know basics, such as counting to ten/twenty; writing their name; how a book works (they don't need to be able to read yet); most of the letters of the alphabet? Can they sit down and do an activity? It is better to have the extra year now than to repeat in a couple of years time when friendships are already established and repeating might be an embarrassment. (If the preschool teacher believes she is ready academically, then that's a good indication she's ready in this area).



- Socially - Does your child know how to share; take turns; listen to others; cooperate; interact with other children? Most kids this age are still learning these things, but should show some ability to do them. (Again, if the preschool teacher believes she is ready socially, then it's a good indication she is.)



- Behaviourally - Can your child sit still; listen; follow instructions; follow rules; follow a routine? As with the social aspects, most kids this age are still learning, but should show reasonable ability to do these things.



- Maturity - Can your child go to the toilet on her own; carry out tasks without too much help; cope with a long day at school; not become too anxious when you leave her (or at least settle down once you are gone)? One of the children in the prechool class I worked in was very immature, but mum decided to send her to school despite being recommended to keep her in preschool an extra year. Two years later I taught at her school and was there the year she had to repeat 1st grade.



If your child is fine in all these areas, there is no reason to hold her back. In the end it is a judgement call only you can make. You know your child better than anyone (though the preschool teacher's opinion should be taken into consideration since she has seen your child in a school-like situation and has experience in knowing whether a child is school-ready or not).



Just to add: Even though I was academically very smart, my mum decided to keep me at preschool an extra year because I was so incredibly shy and didn't think I was ready to cope at school yet. It never had any negative impact on me at all.



Another add-on: Although it should be the last consideration, you might also like to take into consideration her height. If she is very tall and you keep her at preschool an extra year it may be cause for embarrassment later when she towers over everyone else in her class. (I was teeny-tiny, and even with the extra year at preschool I was still the shortest in my class!)



Good luck on your decision. Sometimes it is obvious if a child is ready for school or not, but sometimes it could go either way and it is a difficult decision. I'm sure you will make the right decision for your daughter.

Holly - posted on 04/01/2012

I had a simular situation last year. My daughter could have been in kindergarten this year where we lived in Virgina but missed the Florida cut off. I was blessed with the ability to homeschool her this year through a online virtual kindergarten (Florida K12) and academically, she does great, but I think she would have been eaten alive by the kids that turned 6 in Oct, Nov, Dec, etc as I now work in the after school program for our local school and see that her potential "classmates" are larger and more aggressive. If they were to let her into the program now, I think she would be fine, but that is 6 months later and she is so much more mature.

I would honestly talk with the school and the kindergarten teacher. See what the normal age demographic will be. School could be a long day for a young 5 year old, much different than a preschool which often allows for a quiet time nap.

On the other hand, if you do decide to keep from K5 another year, make sure you place her in a program that is concicidered PreKindergarten or K4. Most states have state standards that show what children should know at this age. I started my daughter with Kindergarten as I did not want her to be bored. I did not put her into a school (even private) because I did not want her to be overwhelmed either.

Kindergarten children learn what many of us did not until first grade.

Michelle - posted on 04/01/2012

Hi Amanda.

I'm a K-6 teacher in Australia and have had experience teaching those that start at 4 and those that start at 5. Those at 4 are emotionally more fragile, but saying that and because a teacher has to worry about 20 other kids (I don't know class sizes in your country but it's about 20 in Australia), they may not have the time to attend to the 'whingy' issues, ie - he looked at me funny so I am going to burst into tears. Pre-schools have trained educators, and if they are saying that she is ready ... she will probably be fine. And the worst that can happen is that she doesn't cope and she has to repeat ... no big deal. If she is a confident young individual she will make her mark and be able to keep up with the 5 year olds. It helps if she can write her own name, count to 10 and sing/say her alphabet. Do you read books to her at home? Those that have been read to every night already have a head start because their vocab has been expanded. Trust your gut!

Tabitha - posted on 04/01/2012

i think in this case the director of the preschool might b wanting to hold on to her for numbers in the school (money) but if she is ready from what u have seen and they say she's ready...but u do need to look at one more aspect her maturity...i started kindergarten early, but was then held back the following yr because i wan't mature enough to go on...then i hated them for doing it coz all my friends went up, now as an adult i'm thankful, but i think it would have been best if i'd stayed in preschool that extra yr. so see what her maturity is like, that will be your final deciding point really.

Stephanie - posted on 04/01/2012

we have young 5 programs here in many of our pre-schools. My child was also ready for kindergarden (oct. 3 birthday) he met the cut off (Dec. 1) in our district. We held him back anyway and sent him to a more intense "young 5's program" We also did a great deal of traveling and out of school enrichment, things that you can't do as easily once your child is in school. It is such a precious age, why rush school? Also, if you look statistically across the nation there are some states with very early cut offs (in the summer time). My feeling is that children learn a great deal from play why sit them in a classroom before you must. My son is doing great in school. He is one of the older kids in his classroom but definitely not the oldest. I can tell a big difference between the kids that are a year younger than he. They are all intelligent sweet children you can just detect the younger ones, they do struggle with certain things. My son is in 2nd grade now. He knows we didn't send him when we could have, he doesn't seem to be bothered by it at all. He has friends of all ages and is at the top of his class. We don't regret our decision at all. Let children be children they have the rest of their lives to sit in a classroom and at a job:-)

And for the record we held our son back not for any edge, as he will never be a big person. Our family is petit he doesn't care for sports, he is very artistic and likes his creative time:-)

Jackie - posted on 04/01/2012

My daughter wasn't 5 to may I was worried about her starting in the feb u know within yourself if she is ready I am glad I did start her she doing great and would have been bored at preschool

Jessica - posted on 04/01/2012

My husband started school early and even though he exceded in academics and he was mature socially he was still the youngest and it posed a problem for him in middle and high school. He said he would never do that to his kids.

Jane - posted on 04/01/2012

I hate to say that they refer to the holding back of kids for the "edge" (and I've heard this is more common with boys as some parents want them to be a bit older/bigger for sports) - is now called in the media as "Helicopter parenting". As a child born in the 70's who went into school as the youngest in class (I had a November birthday) and without a day of pre-school, AND only partially speaking English (I spoke Mandarin) - while socially it was a little frightening at first, I adjusted and more importantly, loved what I learned in school. Fast forward years later, it afforded me the opportunity to stay an extra semester in college and not feel like I was "getting behind". I only wished I used some of the time to travel as well! :) My point is - kids are resilient and yours sounds great and doing so well - why hold them back? Let them make some decisions about using that time later in life. Good luck!

Shaina - posted on 04/01/2012

According to schools they cant start until a certain age, but before i had my twins i had looked into a home school program that said they encourage people to start the kinder schooling as early as age 3. I think we underestimate the learning abilities of our children and too much grouping by age, not by maturity or ability.

Ginger - posted on 04/01/2012

I was told the same thing by my son's preschool but I'm a big believer of letting kids try. Well, I went with my gut and although he didn't have the "best" teacher in KG, he is now excelling in 1st grade and has just been nominated Student of the Year!

Please, let her try! There's no other signs of her not being ready aside from what the director has suggested. Keep in mind, preschool IS a business.

Good luck to all of you.

Lynda - posted on 04/01/2012

We live in PA where the age cut off is Sept 1st I believe. My twins are only just four but I know 1 is so ready for school already and the other is really not. If like you I had a choice to get them in K now or wait Id send the one who is ready - she will get so much more out of proper school. I did find out yesterday that in PA the legal requirement for them to be in school is 8!! We are from the UK though, moved to the US in August, and if we were still in the UK my 2 would start reception in September which is full days from day 1. I have a 6 year old who did a full year in reception in England and is now in Kindergarten - the year she did in UK has set her up to be top of her class and is reading doing maths etc well BUT doing this year as half days has been brilliant for her with the social side of school, less exhaustion at end of the day etc. I really like the way you do school over here.

Joanne - posted on 04/01/2012

If she is ready to move on let her. You can always hold her back later if she starts to struggle.

Felicity - posted on 04/01/2012

I live in New Zealand, where the cut off date differs from school to school, although there is a set date suggested by the government. My two youngest kids have their birthdays only a few days before the government date. They are both the youngest in their year. Academically they have done well, my son is still testing years above his class level at nearly 16, and sociallyand maturity wise my daughter has flown, she is the youngest in a mixed year class, and has been since about 10 weeks after she started school. I know many think there is an advantage to keeping them back, but in some cases this does them no favours.

Jodie - posted on 04/01/2012

My son is now 17. We started him early because he was academically ready. He was always one of the youngest and smallest in his class. This eventually hurt him athletically. He is also behind in his academics now. I don't have evidence that putting him in school early is why he is struggling now but if I had to do it all over again I would wait so that he had an extra year to grow and mature.

Kathie - posted on 04/01/2012

I'm in the sanme boat with my son - academically and socially he is ready however we are holding back in preschool because I saw my posted classmates struggle cuz in kinder there are usually 30+ in a class where in preschool there are usually no more than 15, which makes a big difference, also what if your kinder teacher say to hold them back and repeat kinder how would your child feel seeing the friends he made move to 1st while they are still in kinder? It's better to hold back in preschool socially it's better Aldo would u like your child to be the youngest in class or the oldest?

Alexandra - posted on 04/01/2012

If you can really choose, if age is not a problem, then I would put her in kindergarten. Why wait? Especially girls mature earlier than boys.

Annabel - posted on 04/01/2012

Most areas of the US have September the 1st as a cut off, but allow parents to enroll kids born in September or October ahead a year if they are ready (and keep back July and August kids if they are not). My advice for the vast majority would be to stick to whatever the standard cut off date is, being the youngest is no fun. BUT actually 4 and half is fine to start school, its normal in the UK where we are living now, and my youngest was just fine (she did preschool from 3-4) the elder actually skipped reception (equivilent of Kindergarten) due to the move and also did just fine, kids are very adaptable. Don't over think it, it will work out fine I'm sure. In a way, as crude as the cut off dates here are, at least it gives you no choice, Aug 31 one school year, Sep 1 the next year year, end of (kids with special education needs occasionally can be kept back but its a real fight to get special dispensation)

Aileen - posted on 04/01/2012

As a kindergarten teacher, I can tell you that if she is socially and academically ready for kindergarten there is nothing she will gain from another year of preschool. The only reason to delay kindergarten is if there are significant gaps in knowledge or major deficits in social skills - and even then those deficits can often be made up within the year of kindergarten.

Michelle - posted on 04/01/2012

I would wait. My daughter also seemed academically and socially ready, but she has struggled until now. She is in 8th grade. I know others who wish they'd started their kids later as well. If your daughter matures slowly at adolescence and is the only one who doesn't need a bra and the only one who has no interest in boys or other girl-talk topics at the lunch table, she might feel left out. I lived in a town where moms left their daughters home till age six, and that put my daughter at a disadvantage. I would definitely start her at 5 if you can afford to do it. Fewer downsides to starting older than to starting younger and she will be emotionally stronger to stand up to bullies and mean comments kids make.

Glynis - posted on 04/01/2012

This problem has been happening for about 3 generations. I was born in 1962, and it wasn't a new problem even then. You should definitely collect advice from moms of older and grown kids, too, and this website is not a place where many of them hang out. I'm only in here to refresh my breastfeeding knowledge because I have to steer my daughter-in-law now.



Here's my three cents, a penny for each thought.



1. They did a lot of IQ testing back then, and I consistently tested at the highest in my grade school year after year. They didn't toss the "gifted" word around back then. (There's also a difference between gifted and precocious.) My birthday was Dec. 27 and our cutoff the end of the year, so I was always by far the youngest in the class. My childhood was a NIGHTMARE ! It got rather obvious that socially I wasn't ready. The bullying was relentless. I was a crybaby ad a total pacifist, so I was everyone's target.



2. I have 2 sons, 25 and 23 now. The first was a Jan 27th baby, so almost the oldest in his class all the time. He was also extensively tested and has an IQ 2 points lower than Einstein's. Not surprisingly, he just flew through school with no trouble. Well, we did pull him out of one school into private school at 2nd grade because of their unwillingness to give him any advanced work. (He had formulated how to add double digits - carrying the one - in Kindergarten, even though no one showed him.) He was a different temperament than I had been, but also, the next few years, when there were classes just for gifted kids, one of the things they stressed was how to be "Proud not loud". How to be proud of your own achievements, without boasting, but also without feeling like you have to hide the fact that your achievements are SO far above (or earlier) than all the other kids.



3. Since your daughter is a girl (as most of them are, haha), you also have to think far ahead - to high school - to dating. What would be the ramifications if your daughter were 11 or more months older than the boys? Would the boys in her class have a chance with her or feel too intimidated? Would she feel even more than usual that the boys of her grade were idiots? Since girls usually "date upwards" to older boys, how will YOU accept your Freshman falling madly in love with a Senior? What about her last year when all she will date is college "men"? You certainly couldn't expect that if she always, always dated upwards that you could expect her, and the Senior boys, to suddenly accept each other that last year. If she's snubbed them all of high school, they're not going to ask her to prom now. Certainly not any with good intentions (which is like 1% anyway, right?).



It rots that school is also so much about social issues and not academics.



Lastly, it's very typical that girls mature (socially) before boys. The decision to advance one or hold one back is different between boys and girls. Often, if it is a boy, the choice is made to hold him back, for social reasons in early years, would give him a chance later on to be ready to date, and a leg up with sports rather than the worst one on the team. With girls, that puberty thing (sports prowess and embarrassment in the showers for boys) translates into being too old to date her classmates and the greater danger that older boys pose, the danger in middle school of developing breasts and height earlier than her classmates and the teasing that goes with that.

Juli - posted on 04/01/2012

My son is an end of the August birthday and his director wanted me to hold him back. I choose not to and because he competes with his sister that is 2 years older in school he doing fabulous. His teacher was so impressed and has told me he has surpressed her expectations. Yes he is the baby but he will be going to 1 at grade. I am glad I stuck with my guns and am not holding him back. U know ur child best so u make the decision that u think is right.

BARBARA - posted on 04/01/2012

As a teacher of a Transitional Kindergarten class, I would advise you to give her another year of pre-school especially if they have a class for 5 year olds as my school has. In my 25 years of teaching this class I have never had a parent come back & say that they wish they would have sent their child. My class is made up of summer birthday because the cut-off in our area is Sept. 1. Not being 5 until October is very young. Many times the issues for younger Kindergarteners do not appear until they are in the 3rd grade. It is always a difficult decision for parents & I wish you a lot of luck with whatever you decide.

Cynthia - posted on 04/01/2012

I'm in my mid-50's with a mid-October birthday. I started kindergarten at 4 and finished high school in 3 years at the age of 16. I never felt I was at a disadvantage. The flip side of holding kids back at kindergarten is that we end up with many frustrated 19-year-olds who are still in high school. If your daughter is ready, I absolutely would say send her to kindergarten.

Emma - posted on 04/01/2012

My sd started Kindergarten at age 4, she's now 8 and practically a straight A student. I don't think it really matter what age they are; when they are ready, they are ready. If she is ready now then go for it. No point sticking her somewhere where she might get bored.

Rebecca - posted on 04/01/2012

I held my son back and now wish I hadn't. My daughter started kindergarten just before her 5th birthday and is thriving. I honestly think when they are ready, they are ready - forget how old they are. I should add my son was held back due to "maturity issues" that actually turned out to be ADHD.

Tiffany - posted on 04/01/2012

If she seems ready, I would go ahead and send her to kindergarten. If she repeats preschool, it is likely that she will get bored. If it turns out that she isn't keeping up, she could always repeat kindergarten. Personally, I would not move a child on to first grade if she isn't ready. I think it's easier for a child to repeat 5K than to hold them back in later years. Is there a 4K program you can put her in? I have a bit of the same issue because my daughter was born at the end of August, so she has a birthday and starts school the following week. She will be 4 in August and will be going to a 4K program, but we will be in the same boat when it comes time for 5K because she will always be the youngest in her class. She had a speech delay when she was 2, but is now caught up, but we have been told to have her repeat preschool. We believe that the more she is exposed to other kids and to more learning in 4K, the more she will thrive and we believe in giving her a chance. She has also shown some boredom in preschool. If we are wrong, we will likely have her repeat 4K the following year instead of moving on to 5K. Best of luck to you! Don't overthink it too much, which is easier said than done!

Parul - posted on 04/01/2012

my son is 4 1/2 and he is in UKG!

Samantha - posted on 04/01/2012

I would wait. Sure she may be ready now education wise but you should think about the future like when she would be in 10th grade or 12th grade or college. She would be starting college at 17 years ol. I'm only 22 I know what teens do in each grade and I wouldn't want my daughter a year younger for all of those experiences

Michelle - posted on 04/01/2012

I commented earlier about my decision as a parent to give my daughter another year of preschool before entering Kindergarten. I was just sitting here thinking about my school experience and realized she will be a full year older than I was in Grade 12. Basing it on my own experience of school and watching my children flourish I again support your child getting that additional year to prepare and mature in all areas. I think I would have been better off all around.

Pamela - posted on 04/01/2012

We live in California and our daughter turned 5 on July 5th, 2011. She started Kindergarten on August 1st. This year has been a complete struggle for her and us as well. The majority of her class turned 6 prior to November 1st, therefore, almost an entire year ahead of her.



We have her in a private Christian school and until recently found out the work they have been having them do is 2nd grade work! No wonder!!! We are pulling her out after Kindergarten graduation, as 1st grade is going to be even harder, and we do not want her to struggle or fall behind. She is enrolled in 1st grade for the new school year in a Charter school/home school program where I can spend the next year catching her up!



After her 3rd quarter Teacher-Parent Conference last week her teacher said that for this next year she is NOT allowing children that turn 5 after May 31st...each year the children start out great, but start to fall behind as time goes on.



This has been a struggle for both my husband and I as to what to do. In hind site, I wish we would have done 1 more year of Preschool...I'd rather her be the oldest in the class as to the youngest!



Good luck with your decision!!!

Miriam - posted on 04/01/2012

In the US its September for most places to start Kindergarten. If not, go by what the teachers say..start her. All kids are different and sometimes moving them into a more challenging place helps.

Lee - posted on 04/01/2012

In California our laws are changing back to how they were in and before the 70s...it will soon be back to September 1st as a cutoff. But, with that said....public school teaches to the lowest common denominator and if she is bright you could run into issues in 1st thru 3rd grade.. My son gas a December birthday and I pulled him from public school for that reason. You are the parent and just go with your gut. Maybe the director is putting her own ideals on your family.

Heather - posted on 04/01/2012

She will most likely have to stay in preschool for another year. The cut off date is sometimes Sept. 30th or Oct. 1st, and some school districts have NO exceptions. So check into that first.

Rebecca - posted on 04/01/2012

My daughter has that lovely fall birthday too! We put her in kinder when she was turning 5. Her preschool teacher said she was ready for K-she was writing her name, reading 3 letter words, etc.. Academically, she was ready. After the first half of the year in kinder, it was very clear that she wasn't ready to move on to 1st grade. It wasn't the academics, it was social. Dear daughter is very social and she wasn't capable (developmentally-YOU CAN'T RUSH DEVELOPMENT!!!! she was almost a year behind some of the "older aged" kids in the clas! There was a year age difference between her and some of the kids!) She had a difficult time focusing on the task, easily getting distracted, etc... After a very DIFFICULT decision, we decided to give our daughter the gift of time and have her retained in k another year. The principal was very understanding and told me that if she was "bored" or needed to be moved up to 1st grade sooner, we could do that.

Her second year of Kindergarten started this past September, she turned 6 five weeks after starting school. At her first progress report, the teacher told me that she did not look at her previous years report card because she didn't want to be influenced. She was shocked that my daughter was "easliy distracted" and "not able to focus" beacuse she was the complete oppostie! She said that daughter was a leader in the classroom, helping other kids, grasping all of the concepts and right where she needed to be! I was thrilled!!

I knew I had made the right decision. This year daughter comes home from school and shares all of the exciting "new" things she has learned (even though she leared them last year...her brain was not developmentally ready to apply them and retain them! )

In San Diego, the age cut off wasto be 5 by Dec 2nd. Over the next three years, they will move up the cut off up every month until the final cut off will be Sept 1st. If that was the case, I would not have had to make that difficult decision. In several parts of the country, the cut off is Aug 1st and most private schools, the cut off is June1st.

I am soooo glad I gave my daughter the gift of time. I learned there is no need to rush. Let kids be kids! Besides, I don't think the "world/college" will be ready for dear daughter at the tender age of 17!!

Food for thought: I have never heard of anyone regret the fact that they retained their child in Kindergarten, but I have heard many wish that they had.

Good Luck with your decision. It's not an easy one!

Amina - posted on 04/01/2012

I would put her in Kindergarten, In Europe kids start K at 4 years old. You may want to check around for different school that is more hand on academic. I personally home school my son. he was very ready for Kindergarten. right now he's in the first grade and he's doing fantastic compare to his classmate. he's advance in math, reading and writing and he tested GT.

I believe in teaching the kids reading and writing at young age so they can be ready. Good luck.

Hellen - posted on 04/01/2012

Wow how totally different it is in the USA to the UK, here there isn't a choice to keep your kids back, you can work out the day they will start school by their 5th birthday, you can legally keep them back until their 5th birthday But they will still be put into the school year they would have been in had they started school with everyone else. I hope that makes sense. I.e all the children in 1 class will all be born between 1st September and 31st of August so by the end august they will all be the same age. It's not always ideal as there can be a year difference between children. My brother left school legally at 15 where as I was nearly 17, your way would be much better! I know I live in a different country but given A chance I would have kept my son back a year just to mature, but only if I was happy that he could still learn and expand more where he was. Good luck it's a huge decision, at least you have the choice!

Stephanie - posted on 04/01/2012

There is

Usually a cut off date of September first you have to turned five before that day

Jinjer - posted on 04/01/2012

My son will be 6 in August and just starting kindergarten. My son was ready but lacked in some areas therefore we held him back. My daughter will be doing the same thing. I would rather have my children be ahead of the class than behind. Parents need to set their children up for success rather than failure, in my opinion. My sister did the same thing with all 3 of her children, her kids had the same problem as mine, and her children are at the head of their classes still to this day. Her kids are 16, 12, and 11. They have been on the honor roll their whole school career and continue to excel in their classes. If that is not an example of what setting your children up for success is then I don't know what is. Plus, her kids and mine LOVE school. They look at it as a challenge and are constantly wanting to learn more. A parent has to make a child feel school is not a bad place and if they are struggling and not enjoying themselves they won't like school.

Jill - posted on 04/01/2012

You should definitely keep your daughter in preschool one more year. I am an elementary school teacher and I can't tell you how many kids we have seen struggle that are sent to school at too early of an age. My oldest son is extremely bright. He was in a gifted kids (whatever that means at that age) preschool and was totally ready academically for Kindergarten when he was four. We decided to wait until he was five to send him with everyone else his age. It was the best thing we could have done. Instead of making him one of the youngest...and always having to struggle to keep up...we made him one of the top in his class. Now that he is in third grade he is excelling and was even asked to be part of the gifted and talented program here. Even if your child is academically and socially ready...she is most likely not emotionally ready. I can tell you that very rarely do schools suggest moving kids ahead anymore....primarily because of all the problems that arise later on.

Lauren - posted on 04/01/2012

My daughter's birthday is Oct 10; she is in 7th grade now. She went to kindergarten at 4, turned 5 in October. She gets all As and is doing great. She was reading very early, though, and is very tall, so those things contributed to our decision. I can't imagine her in 6th grade right now, nor can she! And two of her best friends, also A students, have Sept and Nov b'days.So, if she is mature, is at least sounding out words, I say send her.

Laura - posted on 04/01/2012

There are a lot of factors involved in this decision. As a teacher, but also a mother of a couple of precocious children, you have to think LONG TERM. At this age you have no way of knowing if she will be an early or late bloomer ... but from what I have seen repeatedly being older is beneficial. When puberty hits everyone except your child, and the other girls are boy crazy, her grades may slip along with her self esteem. It is also easier to think of an 18 year old going off to college than a 17 year old. Being older will give her an advantage if she chooses to play sports, and she will hopefully be at the top academically, instead of struggling to make the grade. I have never regretted waiting on two of my three kids (one is an April birthday so there was no debate). Wouldn't you rather she be looked up to as a leader?



My youngest is a September born child. When he was 3 he asked why his brother got to read and he did not. I decided to homeschool him and was teaching him the same materials at age 3 1/2 and 4 that his older brother was using in first grade public school. Then we moved and he did not make the birthday cut-off for the private school where we teach. He was put into the faculty preK. His teachers were wonderful! They always found ways to challenge him even when his peers were learning their alphabet. He went to read with the principal once a week. When his class did a play, they let him be the narrator because he could already read. Now he is in first grade and reads Harry Potter .... but socially he fits right in with his first grade friends. I have been really pleased with his teachers every year finding ways to challenge him and meet his intellectual needs. So .... I say let her wait. I don't regret it one bit.

Jackie - posted on 04/01/2012

My Kids are both November Babies and when they started school they were 31/2, they both entered Jr. Kindergarten and loved it. The director is likely looking at the financial gain he has from keeping you there. School at that age is fun for them. I would say go to school! Good Luck

Cassie - posted on 04/01/2012

This is the way I see it, I read the person's response with the red shirting issue, to me that is cheating. If you feel without a doubt that your child is ready for kindergarten then send her. If you aren't so sure ask yourself these questions. Is kinder all day? Will she be able to handle all the acedemic pressure there is now and succeed? Will she benefit from it now or wait a year? I have seen kids start kinder at 4 and get lost because they aren't mature enough for the curriculm they are forcing down these kids throats at an early age. Kinder isn't about fingerpainting and naps anymore. They are expected to learn to read and write and learn their basic numbers and even spelling in some states. Is she ready for all that? If not, is there a transitional kinder program she can attend? It is a program between preschool and kinder for kids who are well past the pre school program but not quite mature enough for a full blown kinder program. Trust your instincts, she is your child and ultimately you will do what is best for her even if you aren't sure now. Talk to a kinder teacher at the school she will attend if you can and ask them what the expectations and curriculm are for kinder, that will probably help you make your decisions.

Iesha - posted on 04/01/2012

The director's job is to keep the clientele and get more so its no wonder she is encouraging your child to stay when the teachers are the ones who interacts w/ your child daily and they approve and that's who opinion matters.

Iesha - posted on 04/01/2012

If she is ready then kindergarten it is. You and Daddy were her headstart & preschool has already been used to her advantage so let her elevate because if she gets bored w/ preschool then her attitude will change toward school early and she wont give kindergarten her 100%.

Stephanie - posted on 04/01/2012

There is an article in The New York Times addressing this.

Google it and see if that helps. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/opinio...