3Yr Old & School

A lot of school systems have the ability to assess a child who's on the borderline of one grade vs. the next to see if they're ready to enter early despite the cut-off.

Personally, I'd recommend calling the school system and asking. Or, you can always opt into a private school that may have fewer restrictions on age and then integrate into the public school system.

Good luck!

I feel the exact same way. You always hear how thier little brains are like sponges and that they learn at an alarmingly quick rate when they are young. I think there are lots of neurons and connectors rapid firing right now that we aren't really taking advantage of. If the brain is a muscle, I try to help my son exercise it, but I think we are losing valuable time. He's ready. He has shown interest and he is socially ready. I do my best to give him lots of variety and lots of fun learning opportunities. We play ALOT. But there aren't any pre-k programs that aren't income based in my area. I have been told by some moms they took thier kids to Charter schools, mainly in Dallas. But I don't know of any in my area either. I think the only option is one of those very expensive kinder college type places if you are trying to socialize him and take advantage of this time to learn. So far as getting credit for public school, I don't think that's available.

You have to check with your local districts - they all have different cut off dates for age requirements. Our cutoff date is December, some are Sept, Oct or Nov.

I know people who have started their kids in private school at age 4 and then moved them to public school in first grade. I am not sure what the cutoff is for private schools, or what restrictions they are subject to. You might want to find a local private school and check into it.

The birthday cut off is Sept 1st in TX, so yes he will have to start Kinder just before he turns 6. Maybe call the school district and talk to them they might have some other ideas. I have the opposite problem my son will be 4 August 21st and will be in Kinder next year just 3-5 days after his 5th birthday. He to is super smart but we are keeping him in the school he is in now and doing private Kinder and then moving to public school for first grade.

I researched this heavily for my son. He turns five this November. I also wanted him to start while he was 4, since he is almost 5 years old. In the state of Texas, this is nearly impossible to start kids early. There is a test they can take, but it tests over material that is higher than the kindergarten level. The woman who administers the test for the district I live in has given it to 26 children and only two children passed. And of those two, one did not have a successful kindergarten year. I also looked into the option of paying for private kindergarten and going around the rule that way. First I only found one school in my area that would take a 4yo. Secondly, the school district told my that they would not accept the schooling, since he would not have met the age requirements for kindergarten and he would have to repeat kindergarten before they would allow him on to first. There is pre-k offered in Texas through public school, but you must qualify to be a part of it. You must be one or more of the following: limited English, qualify for free lunch programs, homeless or the parent of the child is in the military and was injured or killed in active duty. Otherwise, you will have to pay for a preschool program. I found some great programs in our area that were reasonably priced.

Initially I was a bit disappointed by this information. I graduated early and so did my husband....we were hoping the same for our children (our daughter has an October birthday as well). But we can't get around the rules. There are many children in the same situation. Your son will not be the only one. (Think of all the mothers that were in the hospital when you delivered :) ) There are also benefits to starting a little later including physical and emotional maturity. I am changing my outlook. Now I get one more year with him at home before he heads off to "big school" and no longer wants to spend all day with mommy. Time is fleeting, in the scheme of things, it's not that big of a deal.

Call your local school district as it is different everywhere. Locally a child can start kindergarten at age 4 if he passes an assessment and will turn 5 by mid-September. To my knowledge children are not permitted to skip kindergarten but may go on to skip first grade (which is what my 5 year old niece will be doing) simply for social reasons.

B.,

While it is the trend to send kids later now, it is a very bad trend for many reasons. The reasoning I hear that is most inaccurate is "if your child has any learning issues they will be better able to handle it if they are older" and nothing could be further from reality.

I guess what strikes me is the very small statement you made that he is antisoical and very anxious. I don't mean to be alarmist, but frequently, kids with this issue also have others (even very smart kids do, which is confusing, but common.) The younger he is, the more advantageous it is for him if he needs a targeted, structured, learning method. Children are judged by grade, not age, and if he needs intervention, he will still need interveniton if he is older, so the sooner he qualifies, should he need it, the better off he is.

Espeically for reading issues, there ia a critical time period, usually between ages 8 and 9 where learning to decode is much easier. Beyond that point, it is far more difficult and time consuming and children begin to learn by reading and writing instead of learning to read and write. By far, if you child is academically capable and is allowed to go early, with the snipit of info you provided, I would highly suggest that you persue testing and find out if your son can start Kindergarten next year (20011.)

As an educational advocate, I see this more and more frequently. The trend to hold kids back until they are 6 to start kindergarten actually backfires for a great many children.

Incidentally, I share his birthday, and I went to Kindergarten at age 4, started college at age 17, and did just fine.

M.

I would never want my child to start school early, at such a young age. We actually held back our dd from starting K for a year. She has a summer bday and started the fall she had just turned 6, rather than turned 5. It is VERY common these days for kids to start school at 6, so I would not be too worried about that. It is REALLY hard to know now, at 3, how ready he will be for school in 2 years. I would look into having him in some type of preschool or other activities (gymnastics, swimming, soccer, etc) instead. He will NOT be behind starting K at almost 6, rather than almost 5. Chances are he will struggle in K at a young 5 and that could carry on for years. He would then graduate high school and go to college at 17, do you really think that is best for him? Like I said, my dd started K at 6, versus 5, and she has done WONDERFUL and is always at the top of her class. I would rather she be on the older end and be successful, than be on the younger end and struggle. When to start K effects their whole school career, not just the first year. It is a lot to think about and only you know what is best for your child. Good luck.
S.