@jellofishxo I think you just have to go by whether your son is actually ready. If he's got multiple teachers/other professionals saying he's ready, then I think its a pretty good indication that he is!
You can also talk to the school itself and ask what the anticipated age spread is. If most kids, especially the other boys, in the class will be on the "older" side of 5 (or even 6), then yeah, maybe wait. But if the spread is decent and there's going to be a few "summer boy" babies also going as young 5 year olds, then he's likely in good company.
@jellofishxo I think it’s up to you and how you feel your child would do. If those people are saying your child is ready though, I would strongly recommend that he go.
I have a summer birthday, July, and I went to preschool at 3 years old. Kindergarten at 5. I never struggled with anything academically or socially.
I have a child with a July birthday, she will be 3 this year. she is going to preschool this fall and I plan to send her to kindergarten when she is 5, unless she is showing signs of not being ready by then, but I think she will be good to go.
@jellofishxo I have a (late) July 2018 baby and we are starting him in Kinder at 5. He is educationally ready and will catch up with his peers where he lacks. I cannot fathom holding him back because he is already bored in preschool. That being said, red shirting has its advantages and is right for some people. Go by your kids readiness.
@jellofishxo I think it's all based on the individual kid. I was a November birthday and started kindergarten at 4, and plan to have my August child start at 5. If we get close and he doesn't seem ready, we'll hold off a year.
Obviously you know your kid best, but if the teachers who are with him all day in a school-like context say they think he's ready... seems like he might be ready.
@jellofishxo I was always one of the youngest students in my grade and it was wonderful, particularly in high school. I got to watch everyone else take their first steps from childhood to early adulthood and then see how it panned out. At the time it was a little frustrating because I wanted to hurry up and get on with life, but in hindsight I’m glad I was forced to properly finish that chapter of my life (I didn’t turn 18 until after graduating).
@jellofishxo I personally think it’s unfair to redshirt kids. It’s unfair to the rest of the families who don’t have the means to redshirt. Unless there are serious developmental concerns, if your kid makes the cutoff, they should go.
@jellofishxo I think if they meet the cutoff age and they are ready, then it's fine. People are making a big deal about redshirting boys, but the effects are small.
The difference is when kids are very close to the cutoff and you push to send them early- that's not beneficial. For example my daughter will miss the age cutoff by about a week or so. We would have to apply to have her more or less evaluated for readiness to see if she can go early. We'll likely just wait until she meets the cutoff even though we know she would be ready earlier. She'll be among the oldest in her class.
@jellofishxo For a slightly different perspective — my stepson has an October birthday and is one of the oldest kids in his class (started kindergarten right before he turned 6). Now he’s struggling in high school and the best thing for him would probably be to repeat 9th grade, but that’s not really an option because he would be SO much older than the other kids. If he’d been ready to start kindergarten as an almost-5-year-old, there’d be more flexibility for him now.
@jellofishxo My daughter is Sept 6th and the cut off here is also September 1, but our schools offer a transitional kindergarten class that is all the cut off kids together in a class. Thats what we plan on doing.
@jellofishxo I have a very late August girl. She started Kindergarten at 4. Turned 5 3 days after starting. Let me tell you she has excelled in school. She’s reading (upside down too), spelling (was even in the spelling bee for her class), adding/subtracting, and has tons of friends. It all depends on your child. You know your child best but if he’s there academically and is emotionally ready, I say go for it. If anything, you can do another year of Kindergarten if he needs it.
@jellofishxo It's up to the individual really. I teach Pre-K we have 2 kids that would be turning 5 earlying in thestart of the kindergarten. One is ready and one isn't. Both birthdays are within weeks of each other.
@jellofishxo When I was a kid, everyone redshirted their summer kids. I think, because of that, I always just assumed that was the thing to do. My husband has a summer birthday and started kindergarten at 6. Same with my sister. I'm wondering if you're having the same pre-programmed thoughts.
Now that I'm a parent, I don't necessarily agree. I think some kids are ready, and some aren't. My SIL planned to wait a year for my niece but she was so bored in class she was getting into trouble - they moved her from Pre-K to K in October. My oldest nephew has a summer birthday and was not ready socially to start kindergarten so he waited a year. His younger brother has a summer birthday and didn't wait, and he's doing really well. It really, really depends on the kid.
It sounds like everyone thinks he's ready, so I would send him.
@jellofishxo Thanks for this thread! I am due with a July boy and have a November 2019 daughter. Our school district is also September 1st, so she will have to spend a year in Pre-k. Some people complain about having a fall baby for this reason because you have to pay for another year but I like that she’ll be on the older side.
My nephew is a mid July boy and his preschool teachers recommended that he take an extra year because he wasn’t socially ready. He’s the kid who is more into trains than people. Even though he’s academically bright and retains information like a champ, the social component is really important. He’s turning 8, so the pandemic wasn’t a factor.
If it were me, I would just wait and see. His preschool teachers are probably used to summer boys (I don’t know, but girls sometimes seem more emotionally mature and ready for kindergarten expectations) and can help you asses his needs.
The pre-k I’m sending my daughter to actually has a transition year kind of set up where it has a lot of summer boys.
@jellofishxo I have the a similar situation with my three kids. All have later summer birthdays, with the cutoff for school being 10/1. This is just our situation, there’s a lot of factors that could make the decision more/less difficult, including delays, work schedules, costs for childcare, etc.
oldest son will be 6 in August and will start K a week or two later. Was recommended by our pediatrician for boys born Aug/Sept to wait until they were older, rather than be 5 the entire school year. I talked to a few teachers at K orientation and they agreed and said thank you, lol. He did one year of private Pre-K. If I could go back, I would have sent him to the public preschool instead. Private was costly and he didn’t come away with anything better. He is very shy and the few friends he made are going to different elementary schools.
twins are 3.5 and will be 4 in September. They’ll do standard preschool this year, a kindergarten launch program next year and start K at 5 yo but turn 6 within a month. My girl is very social, my boy is more academically-inclined. It will be their first time out of the house for childcare.
@kevfr Sounds like you’ve got a great plan! I did not consider that if I send my child to the private pre-K next year, he will go to kindergarten with entirely different kids the following year.
@jellofishxo I have a July 2019 child as well. He is autistic and I PRAY they let us send him to kinder at 6. It sounds like they would just put him automatically in grade 1 though. Its absolutely ridiculous.
@jellofishxo I’m a July baby and my parents sent me at 5. I was always the youngest in my class. I was at a private school so they tested me to make sure I was ready. This was the 80’s and I’m a girl so this is anecdotal not meant to tell you what you should do. But I was fine. If he’s used to being around his cousin it might be worth it. But also you are the one who knows your kid the best. If you don’t think he’s ready then don’t feel pressured into enrolling him yet.
@jellofishxo We are sending our July kid this year at 5. He seems more than ready. I was on the fence about it last year but he’s matured so much in the the year I’m not worried about it anymore.
