Kindergarten redshirting

[luna99]

"Academic redshirting for young children refers to the practice of postponing entrance into kindergarten of age-eligible children in order to allow extra time for socioemotional, intellectual, or physical growth. This kind of redshirting is most often practiced in the case of children whose birthdays are so close to the cut-off dates that they are very likely to be among the youngest in their kindergarten class."

My husband and I are going to start trying to have a baby next winter/spring.. but it is really important to him that we time the birth so that the baby will be older when they go into kindergarten rather than younger... I guess one of his co-workers children went into kindergarten too soon (even though the parents knew their child wasn't ready) and failed kindergarten. First of all, I didn't realize it was possible to FAIL kindergarten!

So anyway.. my husband thinks that if a child fails kindergarten it's going to send a message that they are dumb or something is wrong and he just thinks it's better if we time the birth out so that our child can go into kindergarten when they've been 5 for a while....

so I was looking up the "cut off dates" by state last night and it just got so confusing! LOL.... maybe I'm just making it more complicated in my head than it is... but could someone help me?

We currently live in new york but we might move to texas someday... I think the NY cut of date was September 30th.. and the Texas date was August 1st.

so basically.. if your child is born after September 30th in New York that means they will be going to kindergarten the year AFTER their birthday....

so if they were born ... say... October 1st.. they would be 5 a whole 11 months before they go to school? Am I calculating this correctly?

lol. Is this really even that important to consider it when planning a baby?

any and all thoughts on this topic would be awesome! thanks everyone!

 

[mom2grace]

Well, you can't really control conception, as much as many of us try!!

I wouldn't worry about it, or try to have a winter baby. You can ALWAYS redshirt, it is very common.

 

[luna99]

Well, you can't really control conception, as much as many of us try!!

I know..that's what I keep thinking! No matter when we start trying.. that doesn't always mean that I'm going to get pregnant right away!

 

[Louisianafive]

I wouldnt worry! Whenever you have a baby, (fall, winter summer or spring), its so wonderful!!!! Parenting can be great and challenging - Dont borrow worries that might not even matter.

Good luck and have fun making that baby!!!!!

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Well aside from the fact that you can't control conception, you can't control what kind of child you will have. I was not redshirted and I have a late birthday. I did great. An older child does not guarantee maturity and academic smartness. Good luck!

 

[rbork]

Redshirting - I didn't know it had a name.
We held back our son (December Bday) and it was a good decision for us since he is 11 now and an honor roll student.
I wouldn't put that much pressure on myself about timing a baby. Things work in mysterious ways KWIM. You can always make that decision down the road. You may not be popular with all the other parents but that's the hard part of parenting - going against the grain sometimes and doing what is best for you or your child. Good Luck on your family planning!

 

[minnie4me]

You have it right !! As a parent w/ a child entering Kindergarten in the fall, I understand the concerns. IMO, every child matures differently, but girls tend to mature faster than boys. My DS turned 5 Oct 30th, cut off was Sept 1st in PA. So we did another year of preschool (3 days a week) and he seemed fine. He is fully prepared, if not overly prepared academically to start school. He will go all day 5 days a week, so that will be a big change for him. His maturity level has definitely changed over the course of the year. We are lucky that I work only on an as needed basis, and am home with him most of the time, so he is constantly learning, whether he realizes or not. I think starting a child in school alittle bit older is the right thing to do. With that said, my parents started me young, I had no problems adjusting really and got excellent grades all through grade school, middle school and high school. I was barely 17 when I started college and that is where my problems started. It was too much for me, I struggled through my first 2 years, then decided to slow down and finish in 6 years instead of 5. When I "dropped back" into the class behind me, I fit in better, especially socially. You will know your child the best, and you should be the ones to decide when to start him/her in school. Most states have an age that children must start attending by, some states do not require Kindergarten, although I think it is a must now a days. If you feel the need to hold your child back, than do so. My nephew repeated Kindergarten this year, and I think it was the right choice. He moved school districts and the new one felt he was not quite prepared for 1st grade. Now he is older, more mature and able to keep up with his class. Better to repeat or hold back early, then have your child struggle in middle school or high school.
Enjoy your children !! They will learn alot from watching you as parents, and the choices you make. Remember, the school cannot do it alone, parents are a must intheir childrens education and soial development. Your son or daughter will be "as smart" as they are, foster their intelligence and encourage them to do their best, and you will all be successful !!

 

[Janet Hill]

My oldest failed kindergarten. She went on to graduate Summa Cum Laude with a degree in math from Virginia Tech.

Don't worry.

 

[blessedby3]

I think you are putting way too much thought and planning into this. So much depends on the actual child, not when they were born, as to how ready they are for school. For example, my son (now 13) was born June 1st So many people said that boys were less mature and that he would have problems if we put him in school right after he turned 5. We felt he was ready and put him in and he has done great- no problems. My daughter(now 9) was born on November 20th and was one of the oldest in her class turning 6 a few months after entering kindergarten. She has had some struggles and issues and things have not come as easy to her. She does have ADHD also and that makes things more complicated. On the other hand, our 4th baby was due at the end of Sept. this past year. Our cut off date for school in our area is Sept. 30th. I very much wanted for her to be born before that date so we would have the OPTION of putting her in- since we were right at the cutoff date. I was induced on the 28th and that is her birthdate. When she is eligible for Kindergarten we will evaluate if she is ready then.
You can never be for sure when you will get pregnant. It took us 6 months to conceive DD#1 (now 18) and DD#4 was conceived on the first try. Since you cant really be sure how long it will take, you would have a hard time pinpointing a certain time you want your child to be born just for school purposes. Just relax and take the timing that you get. Everything works out for the best in the end.

 

[Ohio Disney Girl]

I'm a teacher, so I get asked this a lot! It honestly, truly, really depends on the child.
Personally, I have a 6 year old daughter that made the age cut-off and had been in programming (day care, preschool, music, dance, gym classes, etc...) her whole life up to that point and we even elected the optional full-day kindergarten for her as she was SO ready! She has blossomed.

I have a now almost 4 year old son whose birthday is early November who will not go until he is 6. I will not fight that at all. He has always taken a little longer to "warm up" socially, tends to "blend" in way too easily and can get "lost" without a little extra encouragement. Some of this is personality, some is the first child/second child effect, I think, as his sister "leads" and he "follows" and they're both good with that!

The age guidelines, though they do vary, (as do the state content standards) are there for a reason. They were put in place because the district or state feels that is the general cut-off that allows the child to be most ready and able to handle the content. There are always exceptions, but GENERALLY, those age-cutoffs are pretty reliable.

I can also tell you that people who "redshirt" an age-eligible child in an effort to make them "the smartest, most mature" child in the class the following year are silly! Research supports that many children who are a little "ahead of the curve" early on, often "even out" by age 6-8 anyway.

I would NOT in any way, worry about "timing" a birth for that reason! If your child should go to K that year, and you don't feel he/she is ready, TALK with your building principal at that time. If your child is ready and they miss the age cut-off, talk with the building principal. They often allow children in that situation to be screened for possible early entrance.

Welcome to the world of worrying about your child! Raising a child is a huge responsibility and you will often wonder if you are making the right choices (Don't you wish they came with instruction manuals!?!) and just about the time you think you "know" what you're doing, they'll throw you a curveball!
When in doubt, look carefully at YOUR child and make the decision that is best for them. They don't come with directions, but they often "tell" us what they need if we listen carefully enough!

 

[imthatgirl]

i wouldnt put much pr any thought into what time of year the baby is born. many many many kids are on the younger side of kindergarten and do just fine. then there are kids like my nephew who was born a week after the cut off so he went the next year and still had to repeat kindergarten. hes now 9 and going into 2nd grade.
you cant control how your child will fit into the acedemic spectrum, you just go with what happens.

 

[crisi]

You cannot control conception - we tried for three years and then adopted. Take what God (Fate, Luck, your body) gives you and be grateful.

On kindergarten, cross that bridge when you come to it. Redshirtting is fairly common in parts of the country - less common in others. Some kids have the maturity to start kindergarten at four - others are better off waiting until six. There are three parts to maturity - physical development (a short young kid might have issues - particularly a slight kid who enjoys sports), intellectual development, and emotional/social development.

We have a son with a late August birthday and a September 1 cutoff date. We held him because he was THREE DAYS from the cutoff. This has made him a little readier acedemically, a little better at sports and a little better adjusted. My daughter is also one of the oldest in her class with a September birthday - she missed the cutoff by two weeks. Although she is really smart, the extra year really didn't help with physical or emotional development - had we held her from starting at four for those reasons, we'd have been disappointed with the results.

 

[dougsmom98]

I wouldn't worry about when the baby is born at all, just make good decisions for the child when they are here. You will know what is best for your child when the time comes. Cut off dates are arbitrary and they vary from state to state. You will know if your child is ready or not. I didn't have to make any decisions because my boys all missed the cut off, but my daughter is a June baby and I wish she was going to be older when she goes to kindergarten, but she is already more socially and academically more advanced than her brothers were, so I will likely send her on time. If my twins had made the cut off (they missed it by 13 days), I would have kept them out. They were not ready and had developmental delays. My oldest is very shy socially and gets anxious, I would have kept him out another year too. Trust that you will know what is best for your child when the time comes.

 

[monarch1996]

That should be the least of your concerns when trying to get pregnant I certainly wouldn't hold off on "trying" just because they may be born too close to the school cut-off date. One thing you definitely cannot control is conception and delivery.

My daughter's b-day is 07/01 so she made the cutoff by 2mos and started kindergarten at a young 5. She did fine although she was a lot smaller than some of the older 5's in her class.

You'll just have to wait until that time and determine if your child is ready to begin school regardless of his/her actual birthdate.

Good Luck getting pregnant!
Robyn

 

[Chipmunk89]

Don't worry about it. In the long run its not gonna matter in your child is a Spring baby or Fall baby.

As for starting them too early, you'll know if your child is ready to start Kindergarten. My DS was a fall baby, and just made the cutoff to start school. So he was 3 in Pre-K, and 4 in Kindergarten. And he's doing excellent.

 

[DVCLiz]

We are lucky that I work only on an as needed basis, and am home with him most of the time, so he is constantly learning, whether he realizes or not.

Sorry, minnie4me, but this is way too smug and offensive for me to let pass. ALL children learn constantly, whether they are home with a loving parent or in preschool or daycare. Being a stay at home mom doesn't have anything to do with the amount of learning a preschool child can achieve.

 

[K and K's Mommy]

I have three kids and two were conceived easily. One was not, so you just never know.

Having said that, I am a former teacher. My DD's due date was Aug. 27. I wanted the baby to be 5 days late so I would not be able to make the kindergarten decision!! She was only two days late, but we did not send her.

 

[Sorsha]

Many many children repeat kindergarten, my middle daughter being one of them. After 2 years of kindy her first grade year was wildly sucessful.

I was told by her kindy teacher (a highly educated woman with at least one Master's degree, certified in Montessori method, and many many years of experience) that if a child needs one more year, kindergarten is actually the BEST time to do it. They are too young to really understand that they have "failed" in some way and they usually adore their classroom and teacher so they are excited to be coming back to it for another year. If they need an extra year, much better to do it now than to wait till they are in 4th or 5th grade and suffer the teasing of their preteen peers.

I am, personally, an advocate of kids being 6 yrs old in kindy anyway. It has been my personal experience that there is a HUGE amount of maturing that occurs between 5 and 6. That said, DD5 will be starting kindy this fall - not my first choice, but I have personal commitments that necessitate her going *somewhere* and I prefer kindy over daycare. She will be in the same school/class her sister was in, and if she needs to repeat K next year, I'm cool with it.

 

[aurorafan]

As the others have stated I really wouldn't worry about it. "Failing" kindergarten won't be that big a deal either--my youngest stayed in preschool an extra year while most of his classmates went to kindy and he was fine with it . You will know your child best when the time comes, and if they are in preschool or another program of that type the teacher can help you with the decision as well. I felt (and his preschool teacher confirmed) that while my youngest was ready academically he wasn't socially so we kept him back a year. My mom said at the time that she really wished she and my dad had known redshirting was an option when we were young because of my brother. He made the cutoff date but wasn't ready socially and he struggled until high school--not so much academically as socially.

My youngest just finished first grade where he thrived both academically and socially, so I know we made the right choice

 

[kristenrice]

My DD5 will start Kindergarten in the fall. She turned 5 in June and they said she should enroll in the Developmental Kindergarten because of her birthday. She is very high-strung but extremely intelligent and extroverted. I think they are recommending DK for her because she has SO much energy and it was hard for her to stay focused in preschool. The problem is that DH and I both work full time and our schedules are not flexible (they are set for a year in advance) and the DK is in the afternoon. DD2 (will be 3 in Sept) is starting 3 yo preschool and she'll go Tu and Th mornings. The one day that DH and I both work is Tu so having one in school in the morning and one in the afternoon (DK) is not feasible. The girls go to granny and papa's house on Tuesday afternoons. When DD2 goes to 4 y/o pre-school, DD5 will be going to school all day and I can have DD2 in the morning preschool. That way, I can get them off to school and return home for a nap. Mom will pick up DD2 around noon and then pick up DD5 at 3. It's great that grandma and grandpa live closer to the school than I do!

A lot of people have given us grief over not putting DD5 into DK when that is what was recommended. We did not take our decision lightly or selfishly. We've looked at it from several angles and talked to other parents. The one statement that made me feel a little better was that if she doesn't do well, she can always do kindergarten again. They didn't have DK when I was that age and I have an October birthday. I was always one of the youngest in my class and I made it through. They say it is a matter of "social maturity" but I am not sure how she is going to learn social skills any differently in DK than regular Kindergarten. There are only 18 kids in her class with 2 teachers so I don't think it is a class-size issue.

I guess we'll see what happens. DH and I are working with her this summer. She is making a lot of progress in keeping her attention on her projects. We have been getting her out to play in a group setting and she is doing very well. We're thinking positive thoughts for this upcoming school year!