Kindergarten ages

At what age did you send or are going to send you Kindergartner(s) to school? Just curious if I can capture a trend.


Leah will be starting next week. She is 5 but will be turning 6 in October.

The boys have a Dec. birthday so we can send them when they are 5 turning 6 or we can hold them back a year and do 6 turning 7. But I am wondering if a 7 year old in Kindergarten is really too old?? Of course, I realize it is based on when THEY are ready.

 

Since your guys have a Dec birthday, they will already be some of the oldest in the class (which I think is a good thing for boys). I wouldn't hold them back a year. Our guys were soooo ready to start K at 5 turning 6 (Nov b-day). In fact, they were ready about half way through the previous school year. I can't imagine having held them back another year.

 

My girls begin K tomorrow :cry: They are 6y 2mths - they seem the perfect age. They are much more verbal, theor critical thinking skills have sky rocketed in the past couple of months & somehow they turned from baby girls into "kids" over this summer.

 

We have 2 years of Kindergarten here, junior kindergarten and senior kindergarten. Some schools have JK/SK split classes and others have separate classes. You don't have to send your children to JK (or SK for that matter) but nearly everyone does. (it was just the past 2 years when I met a family that didn't do JK/SK - the local convent day care offers a private kinder and they've used that)

Schooling is done by birth year in my area. All kids born in 2006 are starting JK this year. 2005 are SK, 2004 are grade 1, etc.

edit: I went to get the wording from the school board site:

Junior Kindergarten students must be 4 years of age, and Senior Kindergarten students must be 5 years of age, by December 31 of the school year for which they are registering. Students shall be admitted to Grade 1 in September of any school year, provided that they reach the age of six on or before December 31st, in the same calendar year.

 

My oldest starts K 9/01. She will be 6 y 2 m. No way was she ready to go to K last year, even her preschool teachers strongly advised against it.

 

My school district does the grades by calendar year so all the students entering Kindergarten this year were born in 2005 (unless the parents held them back). There are a few local districts around us that have the cut off in December. I do know of a couple of November and December children who are 4(going on 5 ) and staying in a 4 year old program, as well as some 5 (turning 6 ) who are starting kindergarten.

 

My DS1 started K last year, he was4 but turned 5 a few days after the beginning of the school year, he was fine even though he never went to playschool or anything like that before and graduated top of his class (very proud mommy here!!). The rule here is that the child must turn 5 before november. My DS2, born in March will start next year, he currently goes to pre-K so he will be 5 and a half then.

 

Really? I have never heard of waiting until they are 6 turning 7 in K. :huh: Since your boys have a Dec. bday, I would assume you would send them when they are 5 already so they turn 6 that Dec. in K (like Leah will do). They will already be pretty much the oldest in K. Is there a cut off in PA?


Oh and I voted based on Caroline, she is an Oct. bday like Leah. So she started K when she was 5y10m and turned 6 that Oct. in K.

The twins are Feb. so they will be 5y6m when they start K.

 

Katelyn and Jessica will start in 2011 at 5, turning 6 in Novemeber.

 

The kids are 5, turning 6 in April, and they start K tomorrow. They are so ready for K, I couldn't imagine holding them back another year. They were bored to pieces in Pre-K, their teachers advised getting them tested to skip K and go into 1st. Academically, I'm all for it. Emotionally, I think a challenging K program is a better idea. (I think DD could handle the full skip into 1st pretty well, DS I think needs a little more time in a grade school environment before he's emotionally ready. I worried about the effects on their relationship if they were placed in separate grades too, so many things for a mom to worry about!)

We did do the test - it ended up being scantron - what entering K kid can pass a scantron test??? Actually DD did pass the language arts section, but DS was in the 70% range. Both were in the 60% range for math. So, I was still impressed, first test they've ever had, and on a scantron.

We met their teacher last week, and she's prepared to put them into 1st grade language arts and math if they need it, and the counselor told me there are a few other advanced kids in this class with this teacher (there are 6 K classes this year). There's 23 kids in the class. So, we're cautiously optimistic that things will work out. The house has been on the market for 2.5 months, no offers, so we're stuck in this district for now.

We did tell the school that the kids are fine being separated, and there was no pressure from us to put them back together (they were apart for Pre-K). But the counselor felt that this teacher was best prepared to meet their needs, so she chose to put them back together. The teacher has never had twin students in her class before, so I'm a little nervous about that. But they are very independant, and will likely do fine.

To answer the original question - I think it depends on the kid. Academic and emotional maturity should be taken into account before making a decision.

 

The boy started at 5, and turned 6 in January. This year he is in 1st, 6, will turn 7 in January. He was MORE than ready.

The girls will start at 4, and turn 5 the week after school begins. Their b'day is Aug31 - here the cutoff is Sep1. They couldn't be any younger and be in K! So, they will start K in 2011 at 4 (5 minus 1week). They will be doing pre-K this year, though, and we are prepared to hold them back a year - or do K twice - if we need to. They do, however, have speech and some other mild developmental delays, so I don't really want to hold them out of school for that time (ie, waiting for K until 2012). I want them to be challenged by other kids around them.

 

Ainsley and Bea start K next week. They will be 5 yrs, 2 weeks, their birthday is Aug 12. The cutoff here is Sept 1. We contemplated holding them back, but they are ready.

JMO, but I think 6 going on 7 is a bit old for K. They will only be two months younger than your DD was starting K. Caleb's birthday is Sept 4, so we'll have to see where he's at when he's turning 5. You can have children tested that are just past the cutoff date to enter K.

 

Alyssa is 5 going to be 6 in February... she is considered a late-starter... older kinder
Parker will be 4 going on 5 in November and is considered an early starter... young kinder.... i actually wish it was switched and i have considered holding parker back 1 year so he'll be one of the older kids in his class and not the youngest, but i want to give him a chance this year to see if he'll be ready. The cutoff date here is December 2nd for school

 

I'm always the oddball! Mine are 4, turning 5 in September. The cutoff for Kentucky is October 1, so if they turn 5 before then, they can start when they are 4. We are homeschooling, but even before we decided to do that we knew we would be sending them this year. I can't imagine holding them back a year! They were already learning things in preschool (homeschool, as well) that they would be learning in public school at the end of Kindergarten. I was always bored in school waiting for the other kids to catch up and I don't want them for my kids!

 

Another one here that had a 4 year old in Kindergarten for a week. The cut off was 5 by August 31st. She turned 5 August 23rd. She did great!! and now I just hope it continues this year in 1st grade.

 

I sent the boys to K last year ... the cut off was Sept 1st. They made it because they were preemies and I struggled with whether to send them or not. I decided to send them and explained to the teachers the situation with them being real young. Academically, they did fine, socially, that's still "iffy". They never really made any friends, and Jayden had a real hard time fitting in.
I sort of regret it now. Although they can do a lot more stuff this year, like being able to read and write fairly well. They are entering 1st grade next week and I feel good about them being ready as far as academics .. but still feel they are very young socially.

 

Three of mine are December birthdays. They went when they were 5, turning 6 in December of their Kindergarten year. My other has a July bday, and he started K three weeks after turning 5. He never had any issues, despite never having had preschool or anything like that. Back then (1999) I had never heard of red-shirting. He was not a particularly social child, either, as he is introverted. He has done splendidly and is now a junior in high school.

 

My kids are starting in two weeks. They are 5 1/2. Liam will be 5 yrs 7 months when he starts in 2012.

 

here in canada...we have Junior Kindergarten...which is optional...they start at age 4 or 3 if they are turning 4 by the end of the year. So my two start on Sept 9th. they will be attending every morning for a half day. I am excited to have some free time and for them to make friends and learn new things.

 

In VA, you cannot be less than 5 before entering kindergarten and the cut off date is Sept 30th. My oldest has a December birthday and he will start in 2 weeks.

 

My DD starts Kinder on Thursday. She is 5, but turns 6 mid-September. We have a September 9th cut-off date and she missed that by a week, so we couldn't start her last year. My district makes no exceptions about starting younger kids early based on academic performance, instead opting to allow the child to begin Kinder at the appropriate time, and perhaps skipping 1st grade if needed after Kinder. Not sure if I agree with that, but I do understand the logic.

Academically, she has been ready for quite a while. Socially and emotionally, she has really blossomed this past year. All Kinders get tested before school starts, and she tested in the top 5% of the entering class (don't know where she falls in that top 5% though).

I'm excited and nervous to see how she does in school. The child I see at home is a different child than the one I send off into the world. At home, or out with family/friends, she is a confident, gregarious little girl. When she is in a group with her peers, (i.e. Sunday School, dance class, gymnastics or pre-school) she is much quieter and keeps to herself a bit more. Because of the way she has "blossomed" this past year, I'm glad she wasn't able to start school last year. If we lived in a different state, she more than likely would have. I think she needed that extra year to be more comfortable on her own.

 

all of mine were 5, but turned 6 before the end of the same calendar year.

My twins were 5 but turned 6 in December, 4 months into the school year.

My triplets were 5 also but turned 6 in November, 3 months into the school year.

We did not even consider holding either set back. I could not imagine them being the oldest in the class. I would not want them to be the youngest either. I think their ages were perfect to start school at age 5.

When they start their senior year of High School they will be 17 and graduate when they are 18. If I had held them back a year for kindergarten they would be 19 years old when they graduate High school. To me that is too old.

 

I chose OTHER. The babies will be 4, turning 5 about a week after they start Kindergarten (Aug 24 b-day.) The cutoff here is Sept 1 also. Odds are pretty good they will always be some of the very youngest in their class. Patrick was the same, his b-day is Aug 18 (school started earlier then.)

Everyone is welcome to do what they feel fits their family dynamics but I'm gonna share my little observation. I volunteered regularly in Micah's K class. There was one little girl who had been red-shirted. She was at the very front of the class academically, she was more mature socially. She was bored out of her gord in class, she had very little patience for the other children in the class and had very little tolerance for the fact that the teacher was accomodating the children who were on grade level. Many parents (general, not speaking to anyone here who has or might redshirt) decide to hold their children back in order to allow them to be better prepared or to give every advantage possible. I do think that sometimes it does just the opposite. Sometimes, that same child will then be put into a situation where they are significantly ahead of the class. This sounds terrific on the surface, some would say to put them into a gifted program...not so fast. The child isn't nec gifted, they're just older. At the age of 4-6 yrs old 1 year on a calendar translates into huge differences in academic and social developement, but doesn't equate to being a gifted child.

Just my $0.02 worth. Good luck with the decision when the time comes.

 

I voted based on our school district's deadlines. It is 5 by Sept 1 to start K. My August b-day boy we kept back one year before he started. My Nov birthday boy went when he was still 4 (turning 5 just after the deadline). Everyone else went if they were 5 by sept. 1.

 

excellent observation Christina and thanks for sharing your experience.

My neighbor held her son back in K (he is now in HS) and he had a very hard time making friends in grade school. Now that might not necessarily be because he was the oldest in his group. He is a pretty smart boy but had no patience for other children in his grade. He has friends now that he is in HS but they are not in his same grade level. My neighbor was going to do the same with her daughter who's B Day is in July. She was going to hold her back a year starting her in K at age 6 but realized that her friends would all be emotionally much less mature and physically younger if she did this and changed her mind.

 

I had never heard of it either, but I have a friend who is contemplating it. He would be 6 turning 7 in the calendar year but before school ends. Here in PA you need to be in first grade by the time you are 8-as it was explained to me. I have not researched that yet. I was just wondering if there were many kids who were 6 when they start K.

 

But how do you have a say in them being the oldest or the youngest if you just go according to age? I know that sentence sounds odd. I mean if you are just going on if they make the state cutoff, then really the state dictates when your kids start school so you really cant choose if they are old or young. Does that make sense?

Why is 19 too old to graduate? Does it make a difference with girls or boys?

 

we'll send ours to K next year (2011) and they will be 5y4mo...

 

My girls were 4, turning 5 about 3 weeks after school started. We chose not to redshirt.

 

Wow, I am surprised by all of the 4 year olds starting Kindergarten. I didnt think that happened anymore. ardon:

 

My kids are 5 and will turn 6 in January, similar to your boys. They are totally ready!

 

My girls will be 5 turning 6 in Oct due to cut off dates.

We moved from MI to IA and IA has a Sept cut off date. If we had stayed in MI, they would have gone to K at age 4 turning 5.

I am actaully fairly upset that they both flew through the K screening in MI and are very ready to go to K and can not. They have no early entry in IA no matter what. It is frustrating since they are so ready...they also have te repeat PreK due to the move.

they will not be the oldest since red shirting is common here and there will quite a few kids already 6 before school starts.

I truly wish there was a national standard cut off age, class size, and day length withAug to Nov Bday sent to K ona case by case basis withflexibility in either direction for kids that are near the cut off. I also think the K screeners should be used more to help parents make and educated choice before enrolling.

I have talked to parents on both sides of the 'wait or go' for late summer/fall bdays. Some are glad the chose to wait/send and others are not. Each child is different and kids right there around 'young 5' needs to be more individual.... It is so hard with families moving and different state requirements.

I think it also matters for all or half day K, more 'young 5s' would attend K if it was shorter.

FWIW if we had stayed in MI it would have been 1/2 day and here it is all day K.

 

I was always one of, if not the oldest, in my class. My birthday is Jan 3, and when I was in school the cutoff was Dec 31. If Caleb does not start school early, then he will be one of the oldest as well (Sept 4 birthday with a Sept 1 cutoff).
Being the oldest was kind of annoying, I felt like I was held back when I wasn't. But overall, there were no ill effects. I made friends, and as school goes on, it doesn't matter so much. Once you get to middle, and moreso in high school, you make friends in all grades.

 

I did not vote but in PA the cutoff is Sept 1st...so when my two start kindergarten, they will follow in the footsteps of their dear old Mama and be one of the oldest kids in the class and start at 5 and turn 6 in December (of 2013).

 

Our school system has a sept 1 cut off date.

Ryan turned 5 on Aug 23 then started kinder 2 weeks later. He is the youngest in his grade and does VERY well. He turns 9 tomorrow and is thriving.

I don't think age alone should ever be an issue when deciding if to hold them back, The only reason I see to hold a child back is if they are ready to handle school.