DD1 is an October baby, and in our state she's not able to start kindergarten until she's 5, she will be closer to 6 when we she starts. Daycare suggested she start preschool this year, so she would have 2 full years, but logistics don't work for us and she will probably only get one. Did you do 1 or 2 years of preschool for your "older" kid?
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DS2 was born early December. Our state cut off is 10/15. So, he won't start K until almost 6. He's starting a toddler program at the Montessori school we go to in the fall, just shy of 2. I'm going to see if he can do his preschool year starting just shy of 3 (instead of doing 2 years of a toddler program)....and then either another year of preschool or a pre-primary year there (which is the same as preschool, just full time) just shy of 4....and a year of jr. K there just shy of 5. SO MANY years of childcare ahead.
DS3 likely will be in the same boat. His due date is 10/31 and even though I usually go a little early, I doubt he will be before 10/15 cut off date. We'll see.
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DD's birthday is Sept 3rd and the cutoff date for Kindergarten where I am is August 31st, which is my son's birthday! I started my son in preschool at 3 and he will go to kindergarten at 5. But since my daughter misses the cutoff by 3 days I'm not starting her until she's 4. She will get two years of preschool, just like DS.
But I'm a SAHM and the main reason for me wanting them to got preschool is to get them used to being away from me, listening to instructions from a teacher and learning to socialize. Since your daughter is in daycare she's learning all those skills so I don't think 2 years of preschool is necessary!
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DS was born in November, and he misses the school cut off of 9/1. He's in daycare now and it has an integrated preschool and pre-k. He will do preschool this fall (the year he turns 3) and then he'll have to do 2 years of pre-k (years he turns 4 and 5). So 3 years of "preschool".
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DD is an early Oct baby and we have the opposite problem, which is that I feel she is going to end up with too many years of preschool. She is starting this fall (at almost 3) and won't be eligible to start K until she is almost 6, so that is 3 straight years of preschool. The daycare/preschool we use is Montessori, so all kids age 2.9-6 are in the same room, which means she literally wouldn't move from there for 3 years.
Our current city has pre-K which starts at age 4, so we may try to put her in that, but it's a lottery system so we don't really know where she will end up, plus we'd like to move to a new city anyway (with no pre-K). So that 3rd year is really up in the air right now.
I wish there was some way to fast track her into K, honestly. I was in her shoes as a kid too (Jan bday, with Dec cutoff) and I was so bored with school until I got to high school.
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Our school recommended starting this fall for DS 09/2013. That'd have been almost 3 full years of preschool and I declined, I do not see the point. We just had a nanny start this year instead of an inhome daycare and she keeps them busy with story times and fine arts and gymnastics and so I could not see sticking my very busy little boy in half day preschool. Truthfully I do not know that I will do it next year either. I think we will probably do a year but I am not concerned if he does not get that much. He is picking up a lot at home and with the nanny and I have a really hard time justifying starting school early when they'll be in school for the next 12-18 years.
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@catlady: Can you apply to have her accepted early? I know some districts allow this. I have boys, so don't mind them being older as much....plus our montessori school is broken down by age (18m-3y; 3-4y; 4-5y in different rooms)
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M was born 12/11 and cut off is 12/1. So she's doing 3 years of preschool. Currently in the 2's class but turned 3 in Dec.
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@winniebee: It depends on the school district but the ones we're considering don't allow it. These districts are all considered much better than the one I grew up in though, so maybe she'll end up challenged more and it will all work out. I think some people around here put their kids into private school for the first year or two and then transfer to public, which seems like a loophole.
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DS has an early Sept. birthday but our town has a strict cut-off of 5 years by 8/30 so he will turn 6 within a week or two of the start of K.
We had the option to start him in preschool this year, when he turned 3. Most preschools in the area allow kids from 2.9 to attend but often they will be stuck repeating a year because they won't be able to start K with the rest of their class. At his school, he actually started with the 2 year olds (despite already turning 2) who will be in the same grade. So long story short, he'll go to preschool 3 years. He does not go to daycare so I feel ok with him going for 3 years mostly for the socialization aspect of it. I had planned for DS2 to go the traditional 2 years but he loves the school and I also want the socialization for him, so he will start at 2 and also attend for 3 years. At this point I don't really know what is the difference between what they would get at preschool vs. daycare. Like most of the day they just play and don't really do academics. -
@catlady: Since she's in a Montessori program, I assume it's a kindergarten inclusive class. For her third year could you all that she be included in the kindergarten group and then attempt to get her to skip true kindergarten? The great news with where she is is that a true Montessori 3-6 room has a curriculum that's designed to cover three years worth of learning so doubt she'll get bored there, it's after she moves on where you might see an issue.
My daughter has an October birthday too and it's so tricky. I have so many friends who send their 1.5/2 year olds to 1-2 days a week of a moms day out program so I feel this weird pressure to send her so she's "not behind." In a perfect world though I will send her at 4 and then we'll do a young 5s program the year before kindergarten.
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@Cole: That's a good point, I should ask about the Kindergarten thing once she switches over. They call it "preschool", but it is up to age 6 and they are a member of AMS. They don't advertise anything about being K inclusive though.
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@catlady: In our school district they told us that we couldn't really apply and get him in early, but that if he went to private kindergarten then he could start 1st grade the next year. We have considered that option because I go back and forth between not wanting him to be bored, and wanting to let him have as much play-based education as possible. We also have the added complication in that our daycare doesn't do K, so we'd have to send him to another school for just a year.
If that options interests you, you might want to check with whatever district you end up in and see what their rules are.
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@catlady: strange, everyone around here does it that way, I figured it was standard. Definitely worth a call though!
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LO1 has a November birthday, and he is starting preschool this fall at almost 3. It will only be mornings twice a week though. He'll have three years of preschool before he starts kindergarten (he's never been to daycare- always with my mom or home with me).
I could have him tested and send him to kindergarten a year early (at almost 5), but I doubt we'll do that.
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