https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 11 Apr 2026 07:00:40 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-start-kindergarten#post-67802 Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:15:04 +0000 mommacommaphd 67802@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks ladies for all the feedback! It's great to get the mom perspective and the kid perspective! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-start-kindergarten#post-67666 Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:23:57 +0000 twinmama 67666@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>ETA: Oops, I just realized, Ms Jacks posted pretty much this same note!</p> <p>I was this kid in the kindergarten situation, (only my birthday is in the summer...but I guess that was the cutoff of the time and place). My parents put me in private kindergarten because they felt I was ready for K vs. pre-school. It was just at a local church, not anywhere shwanky and $$$$. But since I had already taken kinder, the public school system let me enter first grade the following year, regardless of my age. This may not work everywhere/anymore, but it might be an option. Especially if you would have to pay for a year of pre-school anyway, private kinder might be a comparable price.</p> <p>Honestly, I'm so glad they did it. I was the youngest in most of my classes, sure, but I was a kid who liked school and did well, so even starting early, I finished early. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-start-kindergarten#post-67661 Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:10:39 +0000 sorrycharlie 67661@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>our baby will be missing the cutoff here in RI by around 3 ish weeks! I am due Sept 25, and our cut off is Sept 1. Imagine how stinky to be born Sept 2?</p> <p>I wouldn't worry about it. My brother was a Dec 6 baby and always oldest in his class. He turned out fine :) The only thing that does stink is having to pay for pre-school another year. :/ </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-start-kindergarten#post-67649 Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:38:11 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 67649@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pastemoo: I know, but it wasn't just being teeny tiny for me. Emotionally, I didn't have a very thick skin... so I was a bit insecure of my place in the world and it really took a while to find my way. It did all work out and I had a great time in college and don't regret any of my experiences for a second... but it was definitely tough (especially in that awful 7th grade that's so tough anyway!) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-start-kindergarten#post-67540 Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:03:29 +0000 pastemoo 67540@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: Although, I was also teeny tiny and every asked me if I skipped. I did not. Everyone gets picked on for something. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-start-kindergarten#post-67539 Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:02:30 +0000 pastemoo 67539@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: Oh, good call! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-start-kindergarten#post-67534 Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:46:24 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 67534@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>( I should also say that I was a true skipper and it was hard). I started university at age 16... and while intellectually I was still with or ahead of my peers, I was also teeny tiny and physically could have probably benefited from staying with my my regular class. No regrets though... I got to where I wanted to go and had a great time in my early 20's traveling the world. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-start-kindergarten#post-67532 Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:43:40 +0000 Grace 67532@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I missed the cutoff by 17 days. I was more advanced than the rest of the class (I'm told), and half way through the year, they put me in grade 1. Having been both the youngest kid and the oldest, I think being the oldest is better. While I did do just as well academically as the older kids, I feel that I was behind socially/emotionally. To be honest, I really don't feel like I caught up until I was In university. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-start-kindergarten#post-67527 Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:28:16 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 67527@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Here's your work around if you decide she's ready at 4 years 8 months. One of my sister's kids is also a January baby, but she was both physically and psychologically ready early. (Still the tallest kid in her class). </p> <p>My sister got her KG tested at a local private school. She did KG at the private school and then transferred to 1st at our local public school. KG at the private school was cheaper than a year of daycare and got her into the right class :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-start-kindergarten#post-67506 Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:31:41 +0000 cvbee 67506@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>She will benefit from this. Many teachers of young students say that they would try to have a January baby because they end up doing so well in school due to the 'early birthday' advantage. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-start-kindergarten#post-67505 Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:27:23 +0000 pastemoo 67505@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My cousin and I have the same birthday but grew up in different states. I was allowed to start kindergarten at 4, he started at 5. We both turned out great!</p> <p>Or you can try to get a certificate from your current preschool showing LO is ready to start if it means that much to you. There are always tests, too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-start-kindergarten#post-67497 Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:00:02 +0000 looch 67497@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Another reason why people keep their sons back is for sports in the future, so they'll be (theoretically) bigger for their age and thus better than their peers. That's a poor reason to keep a kid back IMO. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-start-kindergarten#post-66694 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:31:35 +0000 mrs. wagon 66694@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>There's all this hubbub about parents keeping their kids back in school because older kids do better academically... obviously, because they're a little ahead developmentally! RJ will miss his cutoff by a little more than a week, which sucks. But I just think of it as a nice little advantage he'll have for the rest of his life. </p> <p>No public preschool where you live? :( We're lucky to be in a daycare that is also a private preschool, so he'll attend at the (lower than daycare) preschool rate for most of next year, and then he'll go into public preschool the following fall. </p> <p>I know of people in Rhode Island whose kid was ONE DAY after the cutoff and she had to fight and fight and fight to get him in. I don't think she ended up succeeding, either! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-start-kindergarten#post-66661 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:00:42 +0000 googly-eyes 66661@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I know paying for an extra year of daycare isn't going to be fun, but I honestly believe it's for the best. I have an end of the year birthday and started kindergarten at four. I always did fine in school but an extra year before entering K wouldn't have hurt me. When I got to high school and college, I was always one of the youngest in my class. I was the last to be old enough to drive, last to turn 18 (not the greatest for college), last to turn 21. No, none of these things are the end of the world, but I would have rather been the older one in the class. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-start-kindergarten#post-66420 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:05:04 +0000 Mrs. Bee 66420@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mommacommaphd: that does suck that you'd have to pay for a whole extra year of daycare! i've never heard of anyone petitioning for early acceptance since they have to put the cut off at some point. </p> <p>i guess a january born girl is more than ready for kindergarten, while parents of december born boys worry their boys are not ready! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-start-kindergarten#post-66390 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:18:37 +0000 chopsuey 66390@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My bday is 1/19. I was 5 when I started Kindergarten. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-start-kindergarten#post-66387 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:17:30 +0000 mommacommaphd 66387@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks for the feedback. I'm not really worried, per se. More like I feel it's silly to have to keep her home for an entire year because she misses the cutoff by 5 weeks.</p> <p>She's 2 now and I'm certain she'll be ready for preschool by September. If she's ready for kindergarten by 4 years and 8 months, it would stink to keep her preschool (and pay for it) for another year.</p> <p>There are no public pre-k programs in our school district- or any of the neighboring ones as well. Until I read Mrs. Bee's recent post I had no idea there was even a distinction between preschool and pre-k. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-start-kindergarten#post-66385 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:17:24 +0000 Rock n Roll 66385@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Where we live the cut off is 5 by August 1. Our daughter will be one of the older kids in her class for sure, but I was growing up and it didn't really matter. In fact, it was fun because I got my driver's license first and I had my birthday at the beginning of the school year. My mom actually put me in kindergarten twice (once at a private school that allowed kindergarten early, and then again in public school when I was old enough.) I think it helped me. I was able to read before anyone in the class since I had already learned phonetics the previous year, and was always in the top of my class. The only thing that sucks about having older kids is that they'll be 18 and living at home for a few months before college, so you're more likely to get "I'm an adult!" type arguments senior year. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-start-kindergarten#post-66337 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:22:20 +0000 looch 66337@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son has a December birthday, and while I am not sure of the cutoffs where we'll be moving, chances are he will not be allowed to enter Kindy at 4 years old, meaning he'll have to wait until the following year. He's only 1 now, so we'll see how he does after preschool and if there are any options.</p> <p>What I worry about is the age differences among the kids, I don't know how the teachers can effectively manage a kindergarten when you've got some kids that have ages/abilities that vary so widely. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-start-kindergarten#post-66336 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:09:27 +0000 SAHM0811 66336@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Are there public pre-k programs you could look into for the year before kinder? My daughter is almost 4 and most of her preschool classmates will go to pre-k this Sept at 4.5 yo then kinder the next at about 5.5 yo. </p> <p>I really don't feel one way or the other about how old she is exactly when she starts kinder. I feel like the education/preschool setting she is getting now preps her. We have read about what kids are expected to know/achieve before kinder and have set goals. I also try not to think too much about how she compares in age (month differences) to her peers. At the kinder level the differences in age (months) aren't as apparent as the differences you see when toddlers are in their 2's and 3's. Like Boogs said, there also might be other kids in her class with similar birthdates... that's likely as well. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-start-kindergarten#post-66330 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:33:26 +0000 Boogs 66330@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The cutoff is the same in our area. I wouldn't worry too much about it because I'm sure there will be other kids in her class that are closer to her age. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-start-kindergarten#post-66300 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:40:36 +0000 tequiero21 66300@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i think most kindergartners are around 5-6 years old. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-start-kindergarten#post-66287 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:34:20 +0000 PitBulLover 66287@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't think your daughter will be "too old" for her grade at all. I was always one of the youngest in my class (I turned 5 the Sept I entered Kindergarten), but most of my classmates were older than me by at least 6 months - 1 year. Both of my brothers were 5 going on 6 (turned 6 in Oct/Nov) when they entered Kindergarten. We all turned out just fine! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-to-start-kindergarten#post-66279 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:03:13 +0000 mommacommaphd 66279@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Mrs. Bee just posted about Charlie starting preschool and how the timing will work and it got me thinking.</p> <p>My daughter will turn 5 on Jan 8, 2015. According to our school district, kids have to turn 5 before Dec 1st to start kindergarten that year. (For instance, kids have to be 5 before Dec 1, 2012 to register for the 2012-2013 school year).</p> <p>My daughter will miss this mark by 5 weeks. Meaning they won't let her start kindergarten at 4 years and 8 months. Instead she'll have to wait until she's 5 years and 8 months.</p> <p>Are there other families with kids whose birthdays are near the cutoff? What are you going to do about starting kindergarten? Anyone ever tried to petition their district to bend the cutoff and let their kid in early? Or, were you a kid with a bday near the cutoff? How did it work for you?</p> <p>It just seems silly to keep her home (and pay for more pre-school) for that extra year. We were planning to start her in preschool in September when she's 2 years 8 months- which would mean 3 years of preschool. She'll start kindergarten and be 6 for most of the year. It feels almost like keeping her back a year or something. </p>