How old was ur son or daughter when they started Kindergarten?

[hedgehog2owl]

last year in my daughter's kindergarten class of 12 kids....

2 started as young 5's (June and July Birthdays)
2 started at age 6 (August Birthdays, were 'red-shirted'; held back a year by their parents)
The rest were in-between. My daughter started as a 5 and turned 6 in April.

Cut off date here is age 5 by Sept 1st

 

[Mrs. Darcy]

I'm a Kindergarten teacher. The cut-off date is 5 by December 31st, and every child born in the particular year is eligible for class, even if their pre-K reports show them to be behind other children in certain skills. The only reason for a child not to be admitted is if there are too many registered for that year.

I just wanted to add that in general I don't think it's a good idea to hold children back a year from going to K.

 

[Ar1el]

I'm a Kindergarten teacher. The cut-off date is 5 by December 31st, and every child born in the particular year is eligible for class, even if their pre-K reports show them to be behind other children in certain skills. The only reason for a child not to be admitted is if there are too many registered for that year.

I just wanted to add that in general I don't think it's a good idea to hold children back a year from going to K.

Thank you for posting. Are there any particular reasons why you do not think it is a good idea to hold a child back a year from going to K? TIA

 

[Mrs. Darcy]

Thank you for posting. Are there any particular reasons why you do not think it is a good idea to hold a child back a year from going to K? TIA

At that age, the children are so varied in their skills, some can read short words already and some don't even know the alphabet yet when they start K. But they always learn. Even the children whose parents worry that they're socially behind catch up socially. It's really a waste of a year to hold them back. Kindergarten is meant to be an introduction to school and so in my opinion it's for 5 year olds. Someone may have a small 5 year old with immature social skills and decide to make them wait until 6, but during that year the kid has a growth spurt and is the obvious oldest child in the class, which can cause problems for the child later on.

I think too many people are holding their children back these days. From talking to other teachers, I know that years ago this wasn't an issue. A child turned 5 or was turning 5 and it was time for K. They learned and went on. There were no excuses like "my child's too shy" or "my child won't sit still". Parents have become more neurotic these days and it's not good for the children who should have the chance to be with other 5 year olds.

 

[skw444]

My oldest dd has an August 29 birthday and cutoff here is September 1. However, school starts August 9. So, if I had sent her when she should have started, she would actually have been 4 for 3 weeks. We chose to hold her back not because of academics but because she was socially young. She went to a private school and did a year of Transitional Kindergarten designed for kids that weren't quite ready for Kindergarten. She is now is 2nd grade and doing great despite being the oldest in her class.

My youngest dd has an April birthday, so she was 5 for 4 months before she started Kindergarten this year. She did not know all her letters and definitely couldn't write them. She could write her name but couldn't read anything. 18 weeks into the school year, I'm stunned every day with what she brings home from school. She is writing stories and reading books (We love the Bob books). Socially, she is a lot stronger than my older DD and I think this helped her succeed in school despite, in my opinion, her weak start going into Kindergarten.

As many others have said, I think the parents know their child the best and can make the best decisions. Good luck with your decision!

 

[LisaNJ25]

At that age, the children are so varied in their skills, some can read short words already and some don't even know the alphabet yet when they start K. But they always learn. Even the children whose parents worry that they're socially behind catch up socially. It's really a waste of a year to hold them back. Kindergarten is meant to be an introduction to school and so in my opinion it's for 5 year olds. Someone may have a small 5 year old with immature social skills and decide to make them wait until 6, but during that year the kid has a growth spurt and is the obvious oldest child in the class, which can cause problems for the child later on.

I think too many people are holding their children back these days. From talking to other teachers, I know that years ago this wasn't an issue. A child turned 5 or was turning 5 and it was time for K. They learned and went on. There were no excuses like "my child's too shy" or "my child won't sit still". Parents have become more neurotic these days and it's not good for the children who should have the chance to be with other 5 year olds.

Very well said I think its more of an issue for some parents letting their child go.

I would of much rather started my kids later, than repeat kindergarten.
Why? There is a huge stigma with repeating a grade, kids get teased for it all the time.
My kids weren't told,
hey, you could go to kindergarten this year, we choose not to send you.
They were put in a prek class, with kids they started kindergarten with the next year. My kids don't get imput when it comes to choices like that.

We did a load of research, and talked to anyoen and everyone we could about this subject. Very few people suggested putting our kids into school when they were 4. I would say, between 95-97% of people (teachers, principals, parents who had been in the same situation), advised us to wait.

Once again, its not kindergarten I was worried about. It was college, where my kid would of been 17.

I had posted earlier we held my son back but didnt do so until 3rd grade. There was never an issue of any stigma or teasing with it. I went on to send 3 more kids with similar birthday to school right on time, Including my now 5yo who turned 5 the day before school started. Not one did I even think twice about not sending my kids who all made the cutoffs to school on time.

If was the best thing for my oldest to stay back but I do not like him turning 18 the start of his senior year this year.

 

[Bastiansmom]

I would of much rather started my kids later, than repeat kindergarten.
Why? There is a huge stigma with repeating a grade, kids get teased for it all the time. I choose not to let my son determine his worth by what other 5-6 year olds say. I promise you NOTHING negative has ever been said to my son about repeating KG. A few kids asked about it, but it was out of curiousity. On the other hand, if we hadn't started him early and he still had to repeat, we would have ran the risk of starting 1st grade at age 8. I realize there is a stigma with older kids, but please remember, we are talking about 5 year olds!! .
My kids weren't told,
hey, you could go to kindergarten this year, we choose not to send you.
They were put in a prek class, with kids they started kindergarten with the next year. My kids don't get imput when it comes to choices like that. It wasn't my son's choice, it was a decision made by DH and myself. However, we did let DS know the entire situation. And it was the perfect choice. It would have been pretty upsetting to have waited and him still have had to repeat KG. A lot of parents don't want to admit it, but your child may still have to repeat KG or 1st grade or even 5th grade even if you delay starting KG. My child repeated KG, but since the general rule it to wait a year, he is pretty much the same age as everyone else. I'm glad we started early (on-time) because he so much smarter and much more mature than the other kids in his class. I think this has a lot to do with being in school for the extra year.

We did a load of research, and talked to anyoen and everyone we could about this subject. Very few people suggested putting our kids into school when they were 4. I would say, between 95-97% of people (teachers, principals, parents who had been in the same situation), advised us to wait.
He was a 4 year old kindergartener for all of 3 weeks. Do you realize that asking someone who waited if they are glad they waited is kind of like asking a mom if she's glad she had another kid? Like any parent would say "no, I wish I'd stopped at two, my last child is a burden." Things generally work themselves out. Of course a parent that waited is going to say it was best. If a parent chooses to wait, and the teacher or principal doesn't meet the child until age 6 they have no way of knowing whether or not the child was ready at age 5. Unfortunately, they have to assume the parent made the right decision. I would say there are more kids that could start KG at age 5 and do fine than kids that would need to repeat.

Once again, its not kindergarten I was worried about. It was college, where my kid would of been 17.

I had the same worry!! I'm glad he will go to college at age 18. However, a close friend in HS was a sixteen year old senior. He was valedictorian, baseball star, football player, band member and generally a pretty good guy. He was also successful in college even though he started at 17.

One more thing... DS got glasses at the end of pre-K. We had no idea his eyes were bad. He knew all his letters, colors, numbers, sight words, etc. His eyes are REALLY bad, about +8.5 in both eyes. If he had gotten his glasses before starting pre-K I think there is a pretty good chance he would not have repeated KG.

 

[Mrs. Darcy]

Very well said I think its more of an issue for some parents letting their child go.



I had posted earlier we held my son back but didnt do so until 3rd grade. There was never an issue of any stigma or teasing with it. I went on to send 3 more kids with similar birthday to school right on time, Including my now 5yo who turned 5 the day before school started. Not one did I even think twice about not sending my kids who all made the cutoffs to school on time.

If was the best thing for my oldest to stay back but I do not like him turning 18 the start of his senior year this year.

I think holding a child back in 3rd grade is way different than in K. By 3rd grade you can definitely see if he's having problems in that grade. For being 5 years old, at least give them a chance in K. Let them start out like everyone else and you'll be surprised how they blossom. Later on when their learning abilities or other issues are clear is the time to decide to hold them back. In our school we eve have Kers coming in every year who don't even speak English well (a few not at all) and trust me they all speak English and know their alphabet/numbers by the end of the year. Those parents from Pakistan, China, etc wouldn't dream of holding their 5 year old back because education is so important to them. They want their children to start at that young age because they learn so fast.

 

[QVCshopper]

Our cutoff is Sept. 1, and my DD just turned 6 in Nov. So, she's one of the older ones in her Kindergarten class, but we didn't hold her back. Now, my DS will go to Kindergarten next year; he will be about 5.5 because he's a March baby.

That said, I just wanted to encourage you to work with your son. I just had my parent conference for my DS4 and was told such things as "he cuts too slow" (although it was a perfect circle), uses too much glue, misses a few letters in the ABC song, and doesn't write too well yet. They also think he has a speech issue (first time anyone has ever mentioned it to me, but the speech eval is now scheduled; doubt he will qualify for services, though).

So, I started working with him more and involving him in my DD's Kindergarten homework. In just three weeks, I think he can now do everything they were concerned about; we are practicing writing the alphabet and sounds. And cutting faster--LOL! Kids at this age are sponges. He even wrote FUN and ELF today (although it was by accident; we were just practicing writing letters).

I bet you'd be a great teacher to your DS! I'm doing this with DD as well, trying to get her to read faster. It's becoming apparent to me that while school is great, I'm also a very important teacher in their lives. Good luck -- I think you still have a lot of time before you decide.

 

[herdtoDisney]

I posted earlier about how I've had 3 of 5 kids start K at age 4. I wanted to mention something I observed, in relation to physical development of kids...my oldest is now 18 and graduated this year. I remember when we went to his freshman open house in high school, and the boys were at such varying stages of development. Some were tall and had deeper voices, and some still looked like little boys yet. It wasn't related to their birthdays-just that all kids develop at different times. My ds was the youngest, but he didn't look youngest or oldest for that matter.

Fast forward four years (and it goes FAST!) and we were at graduation. ALL the boys looked like young men now! Even my 'young ' guy

He did go off to college at 17 and it was scary for me. But I think it would have been scary even if he was 30 I'm not saying anyone should or should not start their kiddos in K at 4-and in my state, that is not 'early'- just that you should carefully consider it if you feel it could work for your kid. I don't think it is a blanket right-or-wrong scenario, and had we lived in, say, FL, some of my kids would have had to wait anyhow. But, the mentioned negatives of it were not the reality of what we experienced, and a few were actually positive, in my book-like the later driving.

 

[Tiger926]

Thank you! I think so many parents fail to realize that repeating KG is an option. Hopefully, a child that starts KG at a young 5 will do great and not have to repeat, but if s/he does at least s/he isn't 7 or 8!

Also, in some ways, isn't it negative to tell your child "you are supposed to start KG at 5, but you're not smart or mature enough to do so we're going to wait." ?

We told DS when he started that he was (literally) the youngest in his class and that he would probably repeat KG. We just made a point of telling him how great it was that since his birthday was so early he got a whole extra year in school! Must have worked... straight A's and one of the smartest kids in his class.

As far as maturity goes, you don't gain maturity by staying in the same situation or doing the same things. I would say that if there was a "test" for maturity, the 6 year old that waited to start kindergarten is no more mature than s/he was at 5 if s/he didn't experience new things throughout the year.
Pre-K and KG are not just about learning colors, letters and numbers. They are also about learning how to be a student. It doesn't matter how smart your kid is, or how much you or the babysitter works with them, there are just some things that can ONLY be learned in school.

Can you tell I feel strongly about this? I rarely post... but have blabbed about this forever!

I agree with much of what you say, but I disagree with telling your child that because he was the youngest in the class, he would probably repeat. That sets kids up for failure. You made a connection between age and success, and that was not necessary, IMHO. Kids are sent to school, and encouraged right from the getgo that it will be a successful experience, end of story. If it is not, then you handle it at that time.

I have enjoyed reading your blabs - LOL!!

I would of much rather started my kids later, than repeat kindergarten.
Why? There is a huge stigma with repeating a grade, kids get teased for it all the time.
My kids weren't told,
hey, you could go to kindergarten this year, we choose not to send you.
They were put in a prek class, with kids they started kindergarten with the next year. My kids don't get imput when it comes to choices like that.

We did a load of research, and talked to anyoen and everyone we could about this subject. Very few people suggested putting our kids into school when they were 4. I would say, between 95-97% of people (teachers, principals, parents who had been in the same situation), advised us to wait.

Once again, its not kindergarten I was worried about. It was college, where my kid would of been 17.

Very good post! As I mentioned, around here, we have JK, which is pre-k, and kids are elgible if 4 by Dec. 31st. No one repeats JK or SK around here, as they are not mandatory. As I stated, if kids don't go to kindergarten, or any other preschool for that matter, they are placed in grade 1, straight away, as that is when school is mandatory. It is advantageous for kids to go to school, and that is why our government pays for kindergarten programs.

I'm a Kindergarten teacher. The cut-off date is 5 by December 31st, and every child born in the particular year is eligible for class, even if their pre-K reports show them to be behind other children in certain skills. The only reason for a child not to be admitted is if there are too many registered for that year.

I just wanted to add that in general I don't think it's a good idea to hold children back a year from going to K.

At that age, the children are so varied in their skills, some can read short words already and some don't even know the alphabet yet when they start K. But they always learn. Even the children whose parents worry that they're socially behind catch up socially. It's really a waste of a year to hold them back. Kindergarten is meant to be an introduction to school and so in my opinion it's for 5 year olds. Someone may have a small 5 year old with immature social skills and decide to make them wait until 6, but during that year the kid has a growth spurt and is the obvious oldest child in the class, which can cause problems for the child later on.

I think too many people are holding their children back these days. From talking to other teachers, I know that years ago this wasn't an issue. A child turned 5 or was turning 5 and it was time for K. They learned and went on. There were no excuses like "my child's too shy" or "my child won't sit still". Parents have become more neurotic these days and it's not good for the children who should have the chance to be with other 5 year olds.

Excellent post!!!! In my vast experience on these boards, I see so many nervous parents, and this is not the norm where I live. This holding back due to immaturity or kids not being ready is really not applicable - they are small children, so that is really not developmentally appropriate. They may be nervous, but so what? They learn colloborative skills, taking turns, patience, etc., plus some academic skills. It's a win-win situation.

I wish you a most successful year!

Very well said I think its more of an issue for some parents letting their child go.

I had posted earlier we held my son back but didnt do so until 3rd grade. There was never an issue of any stigma or teasing with it. I went on to send 3 more kids with similar birthday to school right on time, Including my now 5yo who turned 5 the day before school started. Not one did I even think twice about not sending my kids who all made the cutoffs to school on time.

If was the best thing for my oldest to stay back but I do not like him turning 18 the start of his senior year this year.

I agree it's the parents as well. But holding a child back in grade 3 is very different than 4 or 5 year olds. In grade 3, we can begin cognitive testing for learning or behaviour challenges, so holding back in grade 3 is much different.

I think holding a child back in 3rd grade is way different than in K. By 3rd grade you can definitely see if he's having problems in that grade. For being 5 years old, at least give them a chance in K. Let them start out like everyone else and you'll be surprised how they blossom. Later on when their learning abilities or other issues are clear is the time to decide to hold them back. In our school we eve have Kers coming in every year who don't even speak English well (a few not at all) and trust me they all speak English and know their alphabet/numbers by the end of the year. Those parents from Pakistan, China, etc wouldn't dream of holding their 5 year old back because education is so important to them. They want their children to start at that young age because they learn so fast.

Great post, once again!! If you talk to many immigrant parents, they are clamoring to get their kids in school, yet many U.S. parents are worried about sending their children as they may not be ready. There is a huge disconnect here. You talk to ESL or immigrant families, and they know that school is so important, and that their children should be there, despite language and cultural barriers. Why the disconnect?

Tiger

 

[Ar1el]

OP here.......thanks again to all of you, I appreciate it. Before this letter came home with my son I did not even think to hold him back a year. I thought lets give him a chance and see how he does. I know he does not know his letters, numbers and such but he can tell you what sounds the letters make
He enjoys the interaction with the kids. But ever since that letter came home it is really making me question my original thought. With that said, this thread has given me an eye opener again that maybe he does deserve that chance to succeed at his age and just give him the encouragement that he can. It may be a long year but at least we gave it our all.

 

[crisi]

also, my parents were not thrilled when I was 13 and there were 16 year old boys in my class who had been held back)......
QUOTE]

Holy crap! I hadn't even thought about that. Thanks.

When I was sixteen (and a senior in high school) I dated a guy who was 22 for a little over a year off and on. The deal being he asked me out with little clue on how young I was - I was good friends with his brother, who was in my class and was over a year older than me. So he figured I was "around eighteen" like his brother - not "not yet seventeen" like I was. And I think by the time he figured out I was THAT MUCH younger, he was in fairly deep.

He was very gentlemanly about the whole thing (I'm sure "her Dad will charge me with date rape if I go over the line" was in his head - and in that I'm lucky). And I eventually dumped him for someone my own age - who wasn't nearly so serious. Not surprisingly, the goals for a relationship when you are a 22 year old college Senior and when you are a 17 year old high school Senior looking towards college are not well aligned. I'm also fairly lucky in that I realized that I wasn't ready to marry my high school sweetheart. Not that he wasn't a great guy, and I'm almost certain I would be happy with him - but I don't regret the path I chose either.

That was the most "serious" of my "older man" relationships, but thinking back I realize that I spent a number of years from around twelve to fifteen or so innocently dodging things that weren't at all innocent - they were going over my head and "being dumb" about them was sufficient protection. I thought the guys who were coming onto me were teasing me because I was so young and treated them like they were being mean to me. Thirty years later, no, they were coming onto me.

 

[LisaNJ25]

I agree with much of what you say, but I disagree with telling your child that because he was the youngest in the class, he would probably repeat. That sets kids up for failure. You made a connection between age and success, and that was not necessary, IMHO. Kids are sent to school, and encouraged right from the getgo that it will be a successful experience, end of story. If it is not, then you handle it at that time.

I have enjoyed reading your blabs - LOL!!



Very good post! As I mentioned, around here, we have JK, which is pre-k, and kids are elgible if 4 by Dec. 31st. No one repeats JK or SK around here, as they are not mandatory. As I stated, if kids don't go to kindergarten, or any other preschool for that matter, they are placed in grade 1, straight away, as that is when school is mandatory. It is advantageous for kids to go to school, and that is why our government pays for kindergarten programs.





Excellent post!!!! In my vast experience on these boards, I see so many nervous parents, and this is not the norm where I live. This holding back due to immaturity or kids not being ready is really not applicable - they are small children, so that is really not developmentally appropriate. They may be nervous, but so what? They learn colloborative skills, taking turns, patience, etc., plus some academic skills. It's a win-win situation.

I wish you a most successful year!



I agree it's the parents as well. But holding a child back in grade 3 is very different than 4 or 5 year olds. In grade 3, we can begin cognitive testing for learning or behaviour challenges, so holding back in grade 3 is much different.

Tiger

Exactly.. and that is why I sent him at age 4 to Kindergarten and dealt with issues at an older grade. There was always a chance there would of been no issues. I don't believe his issues came from starting him when he was 4 .

 

[Bastiansmom]

I agree with much of what you say, but I disagree with telling your child that because he was the youngest in the class, he would probably repeat. That sets kids up for failure. You made a connection between age and success, and that was not necessary, IMHO. Kids are sent to school, and encouraged right from the getgo that it will be a successful experience, end of story. If it is not, then you handle it at that time.

I have enjoyed reading your blabs - LOL!!

Tiger

There were other issues as well, not just his age. He knew his numbers and letters in pre-K, but was VERY lacking in fine and gross motor skills at the end of the year. Cut a circle? No way! He could barely hold the scissors. We found out later that he has really poor eyesight so he couldn't see the teacher when she was explaining things. He pretty much just sat there in a daze all the time. I think the only reason he knew numbers and such is from Sesame Street and Nick Jr. (I guess there was some value to DH buying a big screen plasma before they were the norm!) He was put on an IEP and was in LD classes for the most part his first year of kindergarten. We didn't start out saying he would HAVE to repeat. Or even probably repeat. We just told him that we expected him to work really hard and do his best, but if he had to repeat it wasn't a big deal. I knew (or thought) that kids got teased about this and I also knew that repeating was definitely a possibility (not because of his age). I wanted him to understand why we didn't wait and that if he had to repeat, it wasn't because there was something wrong with him or that he had failed.

I guess my point is, if we had waited until age 5 to start Pre-K, most likely he would still have had to repeat due to the other issues. Then he would have been a 7 year old kindergartener. You never know what will happen. It sounds silly, but we had no idea his eyes were bad. DH and I don't have vision problems so none of the subtle signs were obvious to us. He had taken eye tests at school (head start) and at the pediatrician's office and no one had said anything.

I also want to mention that I fought tooth and nail to get him out of LD classes for his second year of KG. All the specialists wanted to keep him in there, but I was determined for him to have a chance to succeed in a regular classroom. He did GREAT! He was re-evaluated at the end of 1st grade and the IEP was terminated.

 

[Tiger926]

There were other issues as well, not just his age. He knew his numbers and letters in pre-K, but was VERY lacking in fine and gross motor skills at the end of the year. Cut a circle? No way! He could barely hold the scissors. We found out later that he has really poor eyesight so he couldn't see the teacher when she was explaining things. He pretty much just sat there in a daze all the time. I think the only reason he knew numbers and such is from Sesame Street and Nick Jr. (I guess there was some value to DH buying a big screen plasma before they were the norm!) He was put on an IEP and was in LD classes for the most part his first year of kindergarten. We didn't start out saying he would HAVE to repeat. Or even probably repeat. We just told him that we expected him to work really hard and do his best, but if he had to repeat it wasn't a big deal. I knew (or thought) that kids got teased about this and I also knew that repeating was definitely a possibility (not because of his age). I wanted him to understand why we didn't wait and that if he had to repeat, it wasn't because there was something wrong with him or that he had failed.

I guess my point is, if we had waited until age 5 to start Pre-K, most likely he would still have had to repeat due to the other issues. Then he would have been a 7 year old kindergartener. You never know what will happen. It sounds silly, but we had no idea his eyes were bad. DH and I don't have vision problems so none of the subtle signs were obvious to us. He had taken eye tests at school (head start) and at the pediatrician's office and no one had said anything.

I also want to mention that I fought tooth and nail to get him out of LD classes for his second year of KG. All the specialists wanted to keep him in there, but I was determined for him to have a chance to succeed in a regular classroom. He did GREAT! He was re-evaluated at the end of 1st grade and the IEP was terminated.

I am so glad everything worked out well for him. The first things we look for are vision and hearing problems, so I'm surprised your school didn't look out for that? Both of my kids had glasses at 2 and 3 yrs. old, and so we have been down this road as well. Glad the school worked with you on an IEP - his issues sound like they were visual in nature, so once he worked those out, no need for an IEP. As Spec Ed teachers, our hope is that kids will no longer have need for IEPs. That is why we constantly re-evalute and assess, as certain issues can be outgrown, or, in your case, worked through.

So glad you got his vision checked out! Continued success to your boy, Tiger

 

[mom2aredhead]

At that age, the children are so varied in their skills, some can read short words already and some don't even know the alphabet yet when they start K. But they always learn. Even the children whose parents worry that they're socially behind catch up socially. It's really a waste of a year to hold them back. Kindergarten is meant to be an introduction to school and so in my opinion it's for 5 year olds. Someone may have a small 5 year old with immature social skills and decide to make them wait until 6, but during that year the kid has a growth spurt and is the obvious oldest child in the class, which can cause problems for the child later on.

I think too many people are holding their children back these days. From talking to other teachers, I know that years ago this wasn't an issue. A child turned 5 or was turning 5 and it was time for K. They learned and went on. There were no excuses like "my child's too shy" or "my child won't sit still". Parents have become more neurotic these days and it's not good for the children who should have the chance to be with other 5 year olds.

Thank you! I couldn't agree more!

I am the parent of a November boy in a district with a 12/31 cutoff, so I have one of the younger ones. He had been in daycare part time, and we also have Universal Pre-K here which he attended, so he was used to a classroom setting. He had started reading (easy 3 letter words) in Pre-K, was very social, and there was not a reason in the world for me to hold him back. I never even realized how common it was to do so until I started reading these boards LOL! He is now in 2nd grade, doing well, no issues academically, socially, behaviorally or otherwise. Of course I could do without the "Everyday Math" but that has nothing to do with his birthday!

 

[poegirl30]

Our cutoff is Sept. 30, so my oldest (dd) started K at 5 yr. 4 mos, and it was difficult more so because she had not gone to Pre-K, and had a hard time leaving me.

My ds (16) started K at 5 yr 9 mos and had a better transition, but he went to Pre-K, so he was more used to staying all day, etc...

My youngest ds will be 5 yr. 10 mos when he starts K next year (he's in a Pre-K program right now).

Having my oldest in college and being a fairly young 18, I am glad that my boys will be closer to 19 when they go to college. Now that first semester is almost over, she's gotten fairly adjusted, but it reminds me of her first few months of kindergarten!

 

[duffy]

My daughter was 4 years, 11 months and a few days. She did fine. She is not the youngest in her class, but almost.

It's been harder this year, her sophomore year of high school. She turned 15 a few weeks into the year, and her friends were all turning 16 and getting their learner's permits to drive. She will have to wait until early next fall. Poor baby.

 

[tam626]

My sons birthday is Aug 13th & I knew he was not ready to be in school all day so I am waiting until next year to send him & he is in preschool for the 2nd year. My older sons birthday was July 22nd & I sent him at 5 but back then it was half day kindergarten. He tells me now that it was hard being one of the youngest in his class & he struggles for the first 2 years of school.