New Kindergarten Age Requirements-have You Had Success Challenging Them?

My girls are both spring babies, so this won't be something I deal with...but I was just speaking with a friend about her process in deciding whether or not to start her daughter in K when she is 4 - her birthday is in October, and she would start this fall, so she makes the cut-off. BUT my friend had a thought that hadn't even gone across my mental radar yet...even though her daughter is very bright, and ready to start K this fall, she said to me, "If I start her in kindergarten at 4, that means she will leave my home and start college at 17. If I keep her home, that's another 365 days she'll be at my breakfast table, another 365 days I get the privilege of influencing her. I'm not sure I want to give that up just because she "makes the cut"."

Anyway, just food for thought. Down the road, your kids may appreciate being 2 years apart in school. Take care!

As a parent that held back an October birthday, No kid should start school at 4. It is all about maturity. Maybe not in kinder-but, by 3rd grade it is very obvious. and for girls-they are mean. The other girls will develop quicker...

Why does it matter how far aprt they are in school???

Good luck with whatever you decide. I will be facing this same thing with my daughter. The cutoff date here in Clark County, Nevada is September 30 and her birthday is October 13. She's so mature and can do the academics of Kindergarten already and she's only 3! When I was a kid I was the youngest in my class as the cutoff date was December 31, my birthday. I started school at 4, graduated high school at 17, and college at 21. My age was never ever an issue. I kept up academically and socially just fine. Anyway, I'm worried my daughter will be bored. I'd rather sheone of the youngest instead of one of the oldest. If I try to look on the bright side, I like what one of the other moms said here that we will have a whole extra year to influence them from home. (Except that I'm a working mom, so I guess technically she has another year to be influenced by her babysitter and pre-school teachers. LOL)

If your concern is having your children one grade apart, why not start your son a year later? There is no rush. Another point to strongly consider: A LOT, and I mean A LOT of parents are starting their children, especially boys, one year later than usual. Not because of all the socialization/emotional control issues, but because of sports. Academic-readiness aside, do you really want your son, a late-4 to start school with several early- to mid-6s? Go talk to the kindergarten teacher at your elementary school & ask her/his opinion. As for your daughter & her preschool situation - that's what you should be challenging! Surely they see her regression and can recognize the benefit for her moving into the older class. I completely agree with the person who posted her thoughts about being the youngest one in the class - you are never on equal ground, socially or physically. Also, the workload takes a big jump in 2nd grade, and it's better to have a little more maturity & stronger thought processing capabilities. It's so much to digest & we all want what's best for our children...visit a Kindergarten class and add in that perspective. B.

My kids are all "spring" babies so I don't have to deal with this, but a few friends have.

I honestly do not know any one who has succeeded in beating the system - OTHER than doing a year in private school for kindergarten. A lot of times they will let the child turn 5 by 12/31 and get in. That's the only way I know that people have done it.

In my county in MD to get in early, you have to test knowing everything they teach in kindergarten to get in early. I think it's crazy.

Since your DD's preschool knows her and her advanced level, I don't see why they wouldn't agree to move her up. Problem solved. Or find a preschool that places them based on their level.

Your DD is not going to care if she's one or two grades behind her big bro. Unless you are making a big deal about it, then she probably has never even considered it.

I know the idea of one extra year of preschool tuition and having to deal with two different schools is probably weighing on your mind as well ( I realize you didn't mention this but these would be some of my own concerns). I'm sure having them in the same school would make things so much easier for you, I totally get that. But I love Rebecca G's perspective of having them home an extra 365 days! Your DD sounds very bright and mature. I am sure she will adjust to any situation just fine.

Starting this fall, CA districts are going to be required to offer a "Transitional Kindergarten" program for students whose age falls between the new cutoff and the original Dec 2 date. So, in the fall of 2013, anyone born between 10/1 - 12/2 will qualify. The program may not be at your local school, but will be in your district.

After a year of transitional kindergarten, most kids will transfer to their neighborhood school and go to regular kindergarten; however, there is a possibility that they can go directly to first grade (I think it's on a case by case basis).

You can find out more here by reading through the PowerPoint presentation here: http://www.californiakindergartenassociation.org/2011/07/...
You may also want to contact your district to find out the specific details of the transitional K program in your area.

I'm in the same boat as you - my daughter was born in October and is going to miss the cutoff now as well. I'm super bummed, as I wanted her and my son to be 3 grades apart and now they will be 4 grades apart. She won't enter kinder till the fall of 2016 now, so she won't qualify for TK either. :(

My Son's birtdhay is December 2nd, THE current cut-off date. My husband and I debated on keeping him back, but since he had 2 years of district pre-school (he is in special ed for speech issues), we decided that he would go into kinder now and although the teacher isnt pleased with it (she thinks he is a little immature) he can clearly do t he work, and is excelling in that aspect. if all is good, he can go into 1st grade, however, he may benefit a 2nd year of kinder, and we will make that deterimination in May. I too, was a winter baby (Mid Jan) and missed the cut-off date for my local district. My parents sent me to catholic school for Kinder & 1st, and then I went to public school for the rest. I was always the youngest, graduated high school at 17 and college at 21.. I had no issues with it. You know your children bettern than anyone. You will make the best decision for your child.

Kindergarten, in most States, is not even mandatory.
So, keep that in mind.

Most schools have, for the "late born" kids, a "Jr.K" or a "Pre-K" class.
Ask if your kids' school, has one.

Then, aside from that, don't worry that your younger child will have a psychological complex or problem, if she is not in the same grade as your eldest child. She is... the "younger" child. They are not the same age or grade levels. And, 13 months (the difference in age of your children), makes a big difference, in terms of a child's maturity and emotional cognizance and responses and in behavior.

Or you can home-school your child.
Or shop around for another school, and see what their age cut-offs are for Kindergarten.
Or, find a school that has mixed ages, grades. Some private schools are that way.

What do her Teachers... say? How would they ascertain your Daughter and per Kindergarten and the new age cut-offs?
Do they feel as well that she is and would be ready for Kindergarten, too? At the same time as your oldest child?

Try seeing if your kids' school has a "Jr.K" program, for the late born kids. Then you can enroll your youngest child in that.
At my kids' school, they have this. AND they teach the SAME things in this Jr.K class... except it is for the later born kids. Because, they are a tad bit lacking in the emotional maturity arena.

From talking with some friends that had the same questions, they had wished they kept their kids back. One friend in particular- Even though her duaghter was 6-9 months younger it made a HUGE difference in school when it came to Jr. High and High School. From dating, school dances and driving. She was ALWAYS the youngest and always felt that way. She just graduated High School, and still hates being younger than everyone. Now she is in College and resents the fact that she is going to school with 19 and 20 year olds and she just turned 18.
She is and always has been smart enough to keep up with her classes, but I agree- its a maturity thing.
Something to think about.....

I don't know how it's done in CA, but in CO where we lived at the time, my daughter (who also missed the cutoff by a few weeks) was able to "test in" to early kindergarten. She was evaluated by a school psychologist and had to go through a battery of tests, which took all day. She passed easily and the school system recommended she enter kindergarten early. In our case, it was the best thing we did for her. She's chronologically the youngest in her class, but is one of the tallest and academically is doing very well. When I look at the kids that *should* be her classmates (one grade below), they seem MUCH younger than her. Her current friends (who are generally older) are a perfect fit and she's very happy and well adjusted being right where she is. We just asked our local school about their policy for early entrance to kindergarten and they actually had the testing policy in place, so all we had to do was follow it. If your own school is unsure about what to do, I'm not sure how high up you can go...School Superintendent, maybe?

My husband and I are in exactly the same place as you with our two youngest (youngest girl is 4, very social, very bright, and an Oct. b-day). Our district has an early testing process in place - I would call the district office & inquire - seems that they typically don't make this info easy access - maybe want to discourage parents from doing it? However, that said, we just decided no, we won't pursue it. Primary reason is looking ahead and not wanting to put her in a position where she is a year or more younger than her classmates and having to possibly grow up more quickly than she would otherwise. She will be involved with plenty outside of school to challenge her intellectually and socially. There are always accelerated programs, etc... if we find there is a mismatch. At the end of the day, we'll err on the side of caution! Honestly, I have to admit that big factors pulling me to do it was the idea of having all my kids (3 of them) at the same place, at the same time & no more day care payment. Unfortunately, when I took those out of the equation, the answer was pretty clear! :-/ Good luck with making your decision!

My grandson misses the eligibility cutoff for the 2012 school year by TWO WEEKS. Like you, my daughter and I are concerned that he'll be bored by being stuck in transitional kindergarten (which I have to admit I've been secretly calling "Kindergarten for Dummies").

While he's probably no genius (I'll admit to a secret feeling that he qualifies for GATE programs, but cop to being a proud grandma who may be blinded by adoration), my grandson is, like your daughter, very mature for his age. He has an extensive vocabulary, a vivid imagination and a near insatiable curiosity. He's very outgoing and his verbal skills are well beyond those of an average 4 year old. He's already experienced several preschool programs and his last teacher (who's been teaching for more than 20 years) said "out of all the children in the class," he was the only one she believed could move up to kindergarten and succeed.

While I understand the state's reasoning behind the program, I feel it doesn't account for individual children's abilities and experiences. Instead, it simply lumps them into groups as though a birth date was the sole factor in any child's development and readiness when as everyone knows, age is not, and should not, be the sole deciding factor in determining whether or not a child is ready to begin school.

We feel stuck. We can't afford private school this year so that's out and our school district is adamant that no exceptions will be made to the cutoff date for entry. So for now, we're waiting for someone at the district offices to answer a few questions before we make our final decision.

~ If we enroll him in TK, is he stuck attending for a 2-year period or can he transition to first grade after 1 year of TK if he's found to be capable and ready to move up?

~ If we enroll him in TK and he's already mastered the material the rest of the class is doing, will the teacher be able to work with him and give him more challenging material suitable to his abilities?

~ If we enroll him in TK will we still be able to petition his home school for late start (enrollment in traditional Kindergarten upon his fifth birthday) or will his enrollment in the TK program mean he's stuck at that level without a way to get out?

I wish there was a way around the birth date regulations (forged birth certificate, anyone?) but since there's not, that's the best we've been able to come up with. It's either that, or home schooling.

I'm going to try to get my twins in to a neighboring school district for a jr. kindergarten. This means it's for children with late birthdays, but before 12/1. The state of Michigan has a cut off of 12/1, but with the change and intensity in curriculum a few years ago, many parents are encouraged to wait. My kids' birthday is 11/6 by the way. If we don't do this, then it's a third year of preschool - three half days a week :(.

It's like the admin at the school said, parents with kids who have late birthdays are tired of paying for preschool. Now THREE years are recommended for those with late birthdays. For my kids, my hubby and I believed that they NEEDED the stimulation of school, so we started them in preschool just before they turned 3. However, I don't think mine will be ready to start kindergarten just before they turn 5 - that's what we've been told. Maybe you can ask around for a program in a school, like what I've mentioned. It's free through schools of choice for us. GL.

This might help:

http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/gs/em/kinderinfo.asp

If you moved to the district from another city or state and changed schools she would not have to go back a grade to accommodate the differences in the previous school district to the new school district...If she transfers into the public school system from a private school that she could attend for one year, then she would go right into the next grade. If you can afford to send her to a private kindergarten then she would enter your son's public school when he is in second and where she could begin first grade as a transfer student. If this doesn't make sense send me a personal message, it is late and I might not be as clear as I hope, but I do know what I am trying to convey, and it works to bypass the new system.

I always lean towards letting kids be kids as long as possible, it is not just a question of ready at age 4 it is what will they and their peers be like in middle school and also high school and then entering college. The question of when a child starts school has ramification for years, this is not a straight forward question.