September Baby

Sorry, no experience with it. My oldest was born in Sept about a week after the cut off date. Absolutely no down side to the extra yr at home.
A leader from the get go. 11 th in graduating class. He knew it all, too, I'm saying.

Prince George's county has a website on the requirements for early admission to kindergarten if a child misses the cutoff. Why not have her tested?

They have the same age cutoff for 1st grade - a child has to be 6 by Sept 1. So if she misses this year, she will also miss next year and have to be tested then to qualify for early admission.

I would at least have her tested this year and see where she falls readiness-wise.

I had to consider this also as my son's birthday is Sept 7. One thing I thought of was would I want him to be the oldest in his class or the youngest. At kindergarten and elementary ages it wasn't as big of a deal but thinking about high school it was. I thought about him being the first or last to get a drivers license, how old he would be graduating and entering college, etc. I wanted him to be the oldest instead of the youngest. So we sent him at his correct time. Just something else to think about in considering this.

Hi J., this won't answer your question and might annoy you (it would've annoyed me, too) but I just want to offer a different angle.

Both my boys have fall birthdays, but the cut off was Dec. 1st. I felt the way you do, they were both ready, so they started K at 4.

Both were very successful all the way through so naturally I felt I'd made the right choice.

However, after having sent both of them away to college at 17 (successful there as well), it left me wondering what was my big Holy rush, you know? Might've been nice to have them home for another year.

Now that they're all grown up of course it occurs to me childhood is painfully short, why hurry through it?

Good Luck either way!

:)

"They" are doing you a favor, let your child be a child as long as possible. You and dad spend time and teach her....they all are growing up too soon as it is.

Here in MO our cut off date is July 31, my youngest was born 8-7. She was past most children her age by the time she was 2. I went ahead with the cutoff. And now at 16 I'm so glad I did. She's one of the older kids in her grade, very level headed. I think it give our kids a boost because they are older for some reason they seem to be the leaders instead of the followers. They only have such a short time to be kids, once in school they are expected to act like little adults. Give her the extra year to be at home.

Love Theresa N's advice! I have a fall birthday girl, and she was exposed to everything earlier, drama/mean girls, gossip, driving, teen pressures (parties, sex, etc.) I know it's hard to imagine all of this now when your daughter is so little but you really need to think long term.
Honestly, if I had to do it again I would have held her back. I know you think of school in terms of academics but it is SO MUCH MORE.
Academically she'll be fine either way, think about the overall dynamics of the class. Because parents tend to hold boys back my daughter was frequently around boys who were two years older. Just overall a lot more pressure than she needed.

Why are you in a rush for her to start school? I frankly think that she will be better off in the long run being among the older students in her class. Many children close to the deadline will be held out another year, it has become very common to start kids later. If you are concerned about her being bored, find some new activities for her like dance lessons. She is only little once and there is plenty of time for school. Don't hurry her mom.

Mom of a October baby who started school early. Today is her B-day, she was only 4 when she started Kinder. She is now a HS sophomore and doing very well. She's away at UC Irvine this weekend with her mock trial team and every bit mature enough for the many responsibilities of a girl in her grade.

She always felt like an old soul and was more than ready to start school at a younger age. She has always been VERY tall for her age. If you feel strongly about this I would do whatever you can to get them to put her where you feel she will thrive. Good luck!

If I am reading this correctly, you want home school when she is 4 turning 5 (since it is just that one week) and then start her the next year in first? Double check with your district. When I assumed I could do that with my son or pay for private kindergarten, I was told that there was a strong possibility he would be forced to repeat kindergarten, because of his age and the state requirements (no one said definitely that would happen, but acted as if it was likely). There is testing in our district for Kindergarten placement, but it is designed so that not many kids qualify, even if they are technically ready. So I would do some investigating before making plans. As far as home schooling for kindergarten, I know several people who had a great experience with homeschooling and then transitioning to public school.

Where we grew up you had to be 5 on or before Dec 31st to start kindergarten.
My sister has an Oct birthday so she started when she was 4.
She would have done better if she had another year of maturity under her belt.
Academically she was ok but socially she was a mess - always crying over every little thing and she was teased for constantly saying "I'm telling Mom!".
I have a late Dec birthday so I turned 6 while in kindergarten.

Where we are now, you have to be 5 on or before Sept 30th to start kindergarten.
Our son has a late Oct birthday so he was 5 for only 2 months in kindergarten before he turned 6.
He's almost always the tallest/oldest in his class unless there are any earlier Oct birthdays.
It's turned out very well for him.
He'll turn 18 2 months into his senior year and 19 2 months into his first year in college which will be a good thing.

What's the rush?
No matter when she starts she's going to face boredom in the classroom (it always moves at the pace of the slowest student).
Will she have the maturity to not act up in class while she's waiting for other students to finish their work?
Waiting a year won't be a bad thing.

I think this varies from state to state, but in my state the preschool director can write a letter to the principal stating that a child is ready.

That said, have you thought about your daughter's social readiness? That's at least as important as academics.

I have one friend who got her daughter into kindergarten at 4 1/2 via a letter from the preschool director. She's doing great academically, but she's a bit of a high-strung kid -- always in tears over micro-level social exclusions, over not being at good at such-and-such as so-and-so is. That's her personality, of course, but as I write this, I wonder if it might have been hard for her to be in a classroom full of kids who are almost a year older.

Loved Theresa N's input. I was going to say something similar. Those six days will buy you a whole extra year of her childhood. Be grateful for that.

My son made the kindergarten cutoff by less than a month. I chose to hold him, so he is one of the older kids in his class. When I was trying to decide, his preschool teacher said something that I really took to heart. She said that he will probably be fine regardless through elementary school, but it's really in middle school and beyond that you notice the difference in physical and emotional maturity between the older and younger ones. My son is on the short side anyway. I figure I'd give him an extra year to catch up. Also, I like the idea that my kids will be three grades apart in school rather than four if we had started him earlier. Just different aspects to consider.

I will say, my son is much further ahead academically than his classmates, and there was some discussion of having him skip a grade last year. (We chose not to do that.) That could be an option for you if you find that your daughter really is too bored with her current grade.

I think the problem with your plan is that if they won't let her start kindergarten at the age of four, they won't let her start grade one at the age of five, regardless of how much she learned homeschooling. She will likely have to do kindergarten again next year. You will have to ask the school though, but that is likely what the case will be. You might just be better off putting her in a good preschool program.

Where I live the cut off is December 31st, so lots of four year olds go to kindergarten and do fine.

This isn't really a kindergarten issue. It's more a middle school / high school issue.

My youngest two are through high school & both in college. One is a late July baby; the other a late September baby. Although both did very well throughout their schooling, my July girl had more struggles with anxiety & self-confidence & sometimes had to work harder to catch up. My September girl, as the second oldest in her class, was much more a leader and just over-all had an easier time.

During the high school years, being the older kid is better.

Where I live, the only way around the cutoff is to have a child home schooled or in private school for both K & 1st grade and then switch to public in second. I don't know anyone whose child fell past the cutoff who regrets waiting to start. I do know one parent who did private school at first to get around the cutoff whose academically precocious but immature daughter switched to public school in 6th grade and has been a world of trouble since then. And I know plenty of parents of late summer babies whose kids did an extra year of pre-K, K or first grade who know that waiting until their child wasn't the youngest in the class was a good move.

A lot of kids have the basics down and then some. The kindergarten teachers are great about teaching to all levels. While, I don't advocate holding back kids, it's also not worth the headache in trying to skip them. I've got two boys in elementary school, one is the oldest in his grade (missed the cut off by a week) and the other is the youngest. I've noticed no glaring differences and going into elementary school, my oldest could do basic multiplication, perform addition and subtraction with positive and negative numbers, read, etc. He was still challenged. You'll be thankful when she's not a freshman in high school at just turning 14, interacting with 19 year old seniors.

Rules are rules. She starts next year. What makes you think she can start first grade at five if she can't start K at five. We all want to believe our kids are superior, when really they are just normal kids. Do t be I. Such a rush to push her out the door.

My daughter is also a Sept. baby. She's also been the youngest in all her classes. She is now a Freshman. She made the cut-off day by (get this) one day! There were times I wish I had kept her back and started her the next year, which was an option. I think in your situation, home schooling for just the one year would be great. I don't think it would be a hard adjustment, as it sounds like she's already geared for learning and absorbing and that would be a shame to squelch that desire.

The deadlines are for a reason. Not just academically but also socially , emotionally etc. When your little one starts school at the proper age if she is way ahead they are required by law to give her the best education possible. This means that they may have to give her extra work or harder work. but keep in mind that most kindergartens are all day now not the 2 hours 20 mins that it used to be it is a full day. So more like first grade than kindergarten.

You can have her tested by the school and depending on those results they may allow her to enter early. Just know Kindergarten is not what it used to be. It is very rigorous now, it's more like what first grade, so she may not be ready.

When you home school in MD you have to let the school board know within 2 weeks ( I think its 2 wks) of the start of school. You keep a binder of your curriculum and exemplars of her work. You have set times throughout the year that you present these things to them . As long as she learns and knows what the state says she should in kindergarten, next year she can enter first grade.

I don't know what county Fort Washington is, I've heard of it, but Montgomery County has a strong home school community. You don't have to live in Montgomery county to join, but logistically it makes sense if you do. Also Upper NW DC has a strong home school base as well.

Oh and in regards to her being around older children, remember family is different, the rules and dynamics that apply to family do not apply with strangers. That is why children who are never exposed to other, non family, children can still be socially inept. That is part of the reason why home schooling got a bad rep in the past, the children were only ever around siblings and cousins; in real world situations they didn't meet the cut, socially.

Good luck!

ETA: I just want to respond to the point about her still not being able to start first grade, she will be able to. The requirements for first grade are that she completed Kindergarten. There isn't really an age requirement, at least not in Montgomery county and DC. I went through this with my son. If you home school her she had completed Kindergarten and can move on to first grade without a problem. Even if you didn't notify the school board ahead of time, she would just have to be tested to make sure she has all the knowledge children in public K have. It's better and easier if you notify the school board prior to homeschooling though.

My son is 6 turning 7 tomorrow and he is in the second grade. My daughter is 15 and a Junior in HS. I think her would've benefited from that extra year. She just made the cutoff when she started years ago. She says now she doesn't like being the youngest. She feels intimidated at times, but she does fine. This didn't start until high school, she was fine before.

Hi, J.:

That's the law. There is no way around it.
Good luck.
D.

I see you are in MD, me too. My kids are all spring babies, so I haven't had to fight this, but I know of a few people who have.

Some have sucked up the cost and done private school for kindergarten. Other's have done things like Montessori (I know, same kind of thing). Still others have fought the rule and won. Their kids are fine where they are now, one in 3rd grade and one in 5th grade. They seem to be socially and academically find, as I would expect them to be the same as a child 5 days older than they are.

You can fight the rule and have your child tested. It works often enough where I live, and I hope it works for you.

My daughter has an April birthday and she is still one of the youngest in her class. It seems that so many parents hold back their kids if they have spring or summer birthdays. Your daughter will probably always be the youngest if you push her ahead and she very may be 1 year - 1 1/2 years younger than many of her classmates. This is not necessarily bad but it very well could make her less competitive against her peers. You know your daughter best however. I can tell you my daughter with the April birthday really does not like the fact that most of her friends can drive now and the ones who can't at least have their permits.

My oldest is also an "old soul" and is in the gifted program. Quite frankly, even if she had skipped 2 grade levels, academically she would probably still be advanced. Academic performance is only one aspect. Additionally, even if your daughter is ready socially now think about high school and dating, driving, leaving for college etc.

If I were you I would look for an academic pre-K program.

Edit- saw your So what happened... That is just it... Most people, actually pretty much everyone that I know that had a child with a summer birthday decided to hold their child back although they technically could have moved on to the next grade. Most parents don't want their child to be the youngest so they hold back. They see the cut off date and think if my child was full term, or if I delivered on my due date, or if I was a week late giving birth, my child would not be able to go to kindergarten. Just be prepared that many kids could very well be at least one year older than your daughter.

I don't think it will make any difference, they still have to meet the age requirements for that school year.

She'll just be a smart kiddo. Home school her anyway. It won't hurt her by any means.

I strongly feel kids should be with their age group and not start school before they are a full 5 years old. They are supposed to be 5 and turn 6 in kindergarten so they'll be 17 and turn 18 their senior year.

If she starts now she'll be 16 at the start of her senior year and that's just not right.

I do agree about how silly the age things are. My granddaughters best friend for 6 years was just a few weeks older than she was. She started school a year earlier too. She was constantly telling my granddaughter how she was smarter and stuff. It got old fast so I kept reminding her that they were basically the same age, that her birthday just put her barely old enough to start then.

They stopped being friends after a few months. It was just too much.

You can request an early enrollment. Contact your district's gifted education department and ask for the form and procedures for early K enrollment. Schools don't tell you this, somehow you're just supposed to know....

My son turned 5 in Nov, but we got him into K early, even though our district has a cutoff date of Sept 30. He would have been bored to tears if he had to wait another year... he was so ready for school!

The district will have to test your child at their own expense. And they will ask you to complete a questionnaire. If they score high enough on the achievement and /or IQ test, they're in.

There is something to be learned at every grade level and while a child may be ready at 4 almost 5 academically speaking (my daughter was), what about socially and mentally? Especially in all day K with a group of kids? Even if you were to homeschool for K and then she was accepted to start 1st early, that may be worse than starting K early or on time because in K it's about the social adjustments as much as academics. If you homeschool her she will miss that and be dumped unprepared into 1st where the others already have that previous year to adjust to school.

Each state is different and I see you are in MD. I know their cut off is the same as DE. I would suggest, if you truly feel she is ready, go to the district and find what their rules are regarding early entry for those with close birthdays. Chances are she will need to be tested for all aspects of readiness. Here in DE, the parent has to really push for it AND they have to test at or past the 1st grade level to start K early (such as reading...not just knowing site words, for example).

I have a July birthday so the cut off never affected me (and I did graduate when I was 17). When I was in school in DE, the cut off was Dec. 31 but they changed it to Aug back in 1991. In 2002, MD changed theirs from Dec 31 to Aug 30 as well. I know many say that waiting is a good thing, and it can be especially for boys, it is also not always the right decision for every child. My son's birthday is in Oct and due to the changes in DE, he would have started when he was almost 6. But we had moved to MD so he started just before he turned 5...he was more than ready (but ended up hating school because he had a horrible teacher who didn't challenge him). When we moved back to DE, he was a year younger than the other kids in his grade. From an althetic standpoint, he was sometimes at a disadvantage (although from a maturity level he seemed older). I was so glad he graduated before he turned 18. While I wasn't thrilled with him leaving for college at 17 it was great in that the college still HAD to deal with me early on (there were some roommate issues). I know several kids who turned 18 during their senior year or just before and because they were now "adults" it made things quite difficult and stressful for the parents.

Being ready for kindergarten is more than academic. It's the ability to pay attention, listen to instruction, and various other social skills. Make sure you get her evaluated by a professional before proceeding.
One of my friend put her son in the Montessori school for this reason. The next year, she had him evaluated and the district said he could either go to K or 1st grade. She chose to put him in K because she wanted him to be one of the bigger kids (he was smallish) and the brightest in his class.

I am a late Sept baby but made the cutoff to start school at 4. Alhough I did just fine academically and socially, I didn't particularly like being the youngest in the class, being the last to drive, etc. My middle child (now in HS) is an early Sept baby and made the cutoff as well. However, he has been much slower to mature socially, although academically he kept up just fine with the rest of the kids. I sort of wish we had started him a year later because I think he would have fit in better socially when he was younger, but he seems to fit in just fine now. He too doesn't like being the youngest in his class. All of his friends will be driving long before he does. So, I think it sort of depends on the child.

I don't get it. Even if you home school for Kindergarten, isn't there a cut off date for First grade? I literally don't understand it because my kids go to private school. My daughter has a September birthday but it was never an issue. She is always the youngest in her class but does just fine.

I have been on both sides of this, with a daughter who missed the cut off and was almost 6 when she started k and a son that was just 5. Both did fab with kindergarten. The real problems with the younger one started when we got to grade 1 when it gets harder. That being said, a friend of mine has a very mature and smart daughter who missed the deadline by 3 days. She started k early in private school then moved to public school in grade 2. She is doing great. Good luck with your decision.

I just want to add- I was 3 days past the deadline for k entrance and the school would not allow me to start. My mom put me in private school for 2 years (she also had me skip formal kindergarten). I was always the youngest. It took me until grade 3 to catch up to my peers academically and I was always a step behind socially. I believe if I had the benefit of a formal kindergarten program it would have been easier.

My oldest is a September baby, and I can't fathom having held her back a year because she was a week too young. She's more than mature enough to handle being with peers of varying ages (she's now 11, going on 45 ;), and has always done very well in school.

That said, we are currently homeschooling both of our kids, and it's going very well. We are using the K12 curriculum via a local public charter school, and I've found the curriculum to be very solid, as well as very user-friendly. There's no reason you couldn't homeschool Kindergarten - and who knows, you may like it so well that you keep doing it after Kindergarten. :)

Some kid has to be the youngest in the class and someone has to be the oldest. My son has an October bday. Hes one of the older kids in his class. Look at it this way. Would you rather have her be the oldest or youngest kid in her high school class? I would rather my kid be the older leader as opposed to the younger follower. My son went into k at a 4th grade reading level and 3rd grade math. He was in top reading and math classes with his age appropriate peers and wasn't bored. What about when the cutoff was 12/31. What about the kid with a Jan 1 b-day? Should they be able to go up cause they missed it by 1day? Its an arbitrary date thats new to us. Why does everyone feel they have rush to push their kids ahead? She'll be one of the few kids in college who cant even have a checking acct yet because she isn't 18.