Does Anyone Know? - Omaha,NE

Hi D.
I believe that as long as you provide transportation to the school he started at he can stay for the rest of the year. but if he is truly starting kindergarten and not a 4-k program he may need to do kindergarten over again in the new school district next year.

I am going to guess no becauase of several reasons. 1) 4 year old kindergarten is more like a glorified pre-school, so they won't be learning the same things as in kindergarten. 2) If they don't have 4 year old kindergarten, they won't meet the age cut-off for the new school so they wouldn't be able to start.

If you are planning on moving, you would be better off putting him into a preschool once you move.

It depends on the area, but I know a lot of school districts will NOT allow early entrance and will make the child follow their date requirements unless the child has completed 1st grade.

Food for thought...
I started Kindergarten at 4, and while I was fine academically and socially, it was obvious that I was not emotionally mature enough by Jr. High and High School. It definitely would have been beneficial for me to have waited another year.
My oldest missed the kindergarten cut-off by a month and we considered requesting an early admittance, but I am SO glad we didn't. He, too, struggled emotionally despite being almost six, academically way ahead of Kindergarten curriculum, and making friends easily. He enjoyed school but had a lot of issues with handling stressful situations (bus rides with older, louder kids; changes in routine, substitute teachers, etc.). It would have been a complete disaster if he had started earlier.

I'm not really 100% positive but I don't see why your child couldn't continue to go to the school they are registered at as long as you are responsible to get them there and pick them up. That happened to me I was living in MPLS and moved to St. Paul and my dauyghter was attending school and when I told them I moved the school said thats fine but you are responsible for transportation. Ask the school your child attends it shouldn't be a problem. Blessings!!!

Why would you want a child to start school at age4? What's the hurry? I personally wouldn't do it.

Why don't you put him in a 4-K program. Often times, even if kids are academically ready, they are not socially mature enough yet. I started when I was 4 (back in the 70's) and I did fine but it was tough being the youngest in the class, driving later, one of the smallest, starting college at only 17. Size may not seem like a big deal, but it can make a big difference if your child wants to play sports.

I don''t know about now days but when we were kids my brother started kindergarten in AZ at 4 and when we moved back here to WY, he wasn't allowed to finish out the year. Since you know he is going to be moving, I would wait to put him in. You can see if you can get him in a pre school in the area you are moving too but make sure you put his name in early incase they fill up fast.

As someone who works in a school I would second what Chrissy said - she is right on and made the same points I would have! We see those issues all the time.

However, if you feel very strongly that you want your child to attend school this early I would contact the school district's central office - usually there's a director of student services or pupil services who would be able to tell you if this was possible and what the required procedure would be (any sort of testing and/or paperwork from the previous school district).

D.,

The national cutoff is October 15th. So, if your son turns 5 before that date (which you said he does) he should be allowed into ANY school. There should be no problem with the "grandfather" situation.
Hope this helps!

It is not an automatic ticket in, if he starts at a different school. Every district is different and they all have their own policies. If they have a policy that states a child has to be 5 by a certain date, and you wish for your child to attend, you will have to ask the principal for an exemption. It is up to their chain of command who makes the final call. It may be the principal, it may be the school board, it may be a specific committee or even the superintendent.

Contrary to what most people are saying here, I do know someone who moved to MN from AZ and their daughter who had started kindergarten at age 4 in AZ was "grandfathered" in and allowed to continue in her current grade in MN. That was several years ago though and she is a September baby so she would have been eligible to start kindergarten in MN at age 4 provided she passed the early admission test. However, as many people have stated here if I were you I would give serious thought to whether you want your son to start kindergarten at age 4, especially if he is transferring to somewhere where kids don't typically start kindergarten that early. He will be the youngest kid in his grade and no matter how academically prepared he is that can cause some social and emotional issues. I have a July birthday son and after much agonizing and research we decided to wait and have him start kindergarten at age 6. Here we are 7 years later and it was one of the best parenting decisions we have ever made. At age 5 he was ready for kindergarten academically, but not socially or emotionally. Now he is a soon-to-be 7th grader and excelling both academically and socially. That said, I realize every kid is different and has different needs. Good luck with your decision.

I would not recommend starting your child in Kindergarten that early. My oldest daughter was going to be able to test into K at an early age, but thankfully I ran into someone that had done it, and I have also spoken with teachers about moving her up a grade(skipping a grade level) They both said - DON'T! It may seem right since they are extremely intelligent, and may be more mature than most kids their age, but socially when they get older, it becomes harder. my daughter is still the brightest in her class, but I have been told that she would be perfect for an exchange student when she reaches high school, and instead of having to come back and re-do the entire year, since she IS so intelligent, they said she would be able to test out of her classes and just graduate with her class instead. I am glad I didn't also, because now she is going into the 5th grade, and the "social" part of it, well, lets just say, she is better off not being around people that are at least a year older than her. Good luck in your decision!

I know in the school districts that I have worked in, the child would not be able to continue with Kindergarten. The districts that allow 4 year olds, actually have 4 year old kindergarten and then 5 year old kindergarten. If they do not have the 4 year old kindergarten, then your son would not be able to continue. I hope that makes sense.

there are many great pre-school programs that do basically the same thing as in kindergarten. does your son go to any of them? I know where my son goes to preschool they have a division that is set up for kids who just miss the age requirement for kindergarten.

Hi D. -
I work for a public school district in S.Dakota and I know here kindergarten starts for a child if they have reached the age of 5 by Sept 1st. If your child was going to kindergarten in another state that allowed it at age 4, the child would NOT be able to start school here even though they had already been going in another school.

Check with the district and/or state that you are moving too first so there won't be any surprises and you'll be fully informed.

Good luck!
D.

I think probably not. Each district is going to go by their own dates -- you have to be 5 by Sept. 1 -- and not by whether your child was already in K.

Why do you want your child to go to K at the age of 4? I'd love to talk about this more with you -- I teach preK and used to teach K.