Daughter misses cutoff for kindergarten by 1 day, please help, thanks

Hi my son was born in November. I too am an older mom. I found a private school that has a different cut off date than public school. I did not want my son in "preschool" so long. He is only 6 years old now. He is going into 2nd grade in the fall. He is top of the class and very bright. Paying for the school was a big struggle. But I did it and now he is in 2nd grade at 6. I am very happy I did not wait that extra year. If I want he can transfer into public school for 2nd grade. I love his school so much I got a job there. Good luck!

I found your "problem" interesting even if school has started now. I don't of course know how you have resolved your problem, but I hope you will consider this. For really smart children, not going to pre-K or kindergarten will not be a problem unless you need to be at work. You say you are a stay at home mom. What an opportunity to be your child's first teacher. In fact you already are. If you do not need her to be in school for the purpose of returning to work, she can have so much more enrichment than institutional schooled children. Choose music, art or dance instruction, museum visits and visits to other interesting places. Volunteer at a nursing home with her. I didn't notice if she reads already or not, but you could certainly teach her to read. (My three year old grandson, soon to be four, started reading during the latter half of his second year (we didn't set out to teach him, but did read extensively to him from three months, always running our fingers under the words as we read). However, I am trying very hard to convince my son that he should stay home even if with a baby sitter three days a week and not go to preschool. There are home school associations and programs that can help. Homeschoolers in this country are doing a wonderful job. As an only child there are groups such as Mothers and More and other groups that offer socialization for homeschooled children. Some school systems allow home schooled children to participate in supplemental public school classes.

If you go this route, consider that on average children do not develop the motor skills, eye-muscle function or auditory skills necessary for the intense scholastic instruction given in kindergarten. But children do differ, which is why I like the Montessori and Sweden models, which allow children to advance as their physical skills and readiness mature. As an example, my youngest son and oldest daughter did not start school until age seven. In both cases the schools allowed them start and work at the level each was ready for. I had started reading at home but both would not catch up for at least a year. My youngest was counting money by age four but didn’t have much tolerance for reading and in fact was never an avid reader until college, both were behind their classmates. Today my daughter wins labor cases with the EEOC, even thought she is not a lawyer, which amazes lawyers she works with because of the back wages she manages to get for her clients. The EEOC has twice offered her a job with the them. My son is one of the youngest former students to be hired to teach at Georgia Tech. Some public schools would say you have to catch children early if they are to learn; early seems to be getting earlier and earlier.

I have worked in some inner-cities schools in Atlanta in which kindergarten is so scripted that the children don't have recess. Some have difficulty writing their name even at the end of the year. (I have had occupation therapists tell me that if they had their way children would not be forced to write before 8 or 9.) Often even reading to them, something often lacking in their home life and which is a major factor in a desire to learn to read is pushed to the side for a very rigid curriculum.

By the way, even for average children who may be among those with developmental skills not ready at age four, five or six, unless there are abnormal physical and/or mental problems, a better option, if possible, is not starting a child until at least 6 in kindergarten.

We are in the” pushing time”. The thought seems to be that the U.S. will loose it strategic place in the world if we don’t start our children early. But I wonder how many otherwise normal Johnnie’s who can’t read would have been better off if academic teaching had started at say age seven?

By the way, to see how home schooled children compare to public school children check out these websites.

http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14177435

http://school.familyeducation.com/home-schooling/educational-testing/41081.html

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20090811/study-homeschoolers-scoring-well-above-public-school-peers/index.html

A-Z Reading is a website with beginner to at least fouth grade reading levels. It has printable books and stratagies available. You do have to pay for a membership. Check it out.

I had the same problem, found out the following year another school let a child do it. Boy was I mad! I was told if you find the RIGHT school to start her in, then move her to the school you want her in. Or the second thing I heard was find the right preschool, because some school accept their kindergarten as a Kindergarten class and then just start her right in to first grade and skip kindergarten but you have to find the right school. There are atleast 10 schools in our township and there was one who did this, obviously I didn't find the right one at the time. Good Luck.

I have two children with Dec 23,24 birthdays. They were also required to begin school a year later. This opportunity helped their personal growth and gave them opportunity to show academic skill improvement. This is an advantage. barb

I had the same exact problem. My daughter is now a senior in High school. She was the sixth child and because of certain family circumstances I chose not to be induced by her due date so she was born the first of September. So this is what I had to do. It was only option. I placed her into private kindergarten. I found one that I could afford. I had checked earlier with the school asking ahead to make sure I was following their format. Then when she was ready for first grade. The school Psychologist had to test her to see if she was ready to enter first grade. She passed her exams and was admitted as a first grader to the local elementary school. This was the only way I could get her in the school when I wanted her too. Most likely you will have to do the same. Just make sure everyone is aware of your intensions and have it pre-setup in advanced. Then there will be no surprises. Also it would be helpful to read to her alot and make sure she is well advanced in her physical skills. I won't tell you that it was easy for my daughter in school. She had to work hard the rest of school for good grades. Her good study habits didn't kick in gear until she was in ninth grade. Then she became more responsible for doing well in school. She still has to work for her grades but has developed the habit of doing homework when it is first assigned so she doesn't have to carry the worry around with her. I wish you the best in making appropriate arrangements for her.