02/22/2011:
"Please read what the experts have to say in the articles on
HalfDayKindergarten.Org for all our childrens sake... We need to protect
our children! Thank you!"
01/24/2011:
"Hi born in the 60's. I started Kindergarten @ 4yrs old. Birthday late Oct.
My mother keeps bringing up the fact that she got letters home that I was
a 'dreamer' not paying attention but a good kid. They did not want to hold
me back, but just hoped I would catch up.
I was not socialized w/other kids much and i was always around adults.
Grandma babysat me mostly was a schoolteacher, but also schizophrenic.
Grandpa an alcoholic. Mom had to work full time being she was only 19.
Mom says I was extremely smart though. Don't know. I could take apart
clocks and put them together. I was very curious about the natural world
around me she says.
She still thinks there was something wrong w/me then. If I am not
mistaken, back then you were looked down on if held back. I know the
letters really bugged her alot. But, I also think that she was not upfront
@ the home situation, due to embarrassment and I probably suffered for it.
I think it is pretty obvious. I should have been held back. It is as
simple as that to me. What do you think please?"
01/19/2011:
"The link here to check the cut off dates is incomplete (does not list
Tennessee) and wrong for at least Maryland."
01/10/2011:
"If a 5 or 6 year old is not ready for a San Francisco public kindergarten
then the parents should get on the ball. As far as I can tell, my 3 year
old has the necessary skills to make in an SF kindergarten, where they're
expected to learn the alphabet and alphabet sounds and count to 30."
12/28/2010:
"It should be noted that each child's growth in these areas is highly
individualized and often occurs at uneven levels, making assessment
challenging for schools, educators, and parents. Regardless, physical
well-being and motor development are central factors to a young child's
early learning experience."
09/17/2010:
"Wait a second, didn't kids used to learn all this stuff in Kindergarten? I
thought the whole point of Kindergarten was to learn your ABCs and 123s??
Now they have to know their name, full address, telephone number, be able
to cut with scissors?? Since when do Kindergarten teachers not teach that
stuff? This is absurd!"
07/19/2010:
"My son was born Nov. of 03 he is 6 and is at the end of his K year. My
son has always been rather excitable but until he started school I hadn't
considered him to be ADHD but now I have no doubts. After reading the
criteria in the DSM IV-Tr the boy has almost all of the criteria for it.
I was diagnosed with ADD as a child but I didn't have a bad case of it.
My son has had to struggle with this all year and now they're talking
about holding him back and as it stands now he will be 19 when he
graduates if he gets held back he will be 20yrs old and what 20 yr old do
you know that wants to go to highschool?! I don't know what to do I don't
want my baby to feel like he's a failure! I don't want him to give up
either. He is a smart kid but he has trouble staying on task! You can
see the attention leave his brain by looking at his face! I DON'T KNOW
WHAT TO DO FOR MY CHILD. "
03/26/2010:
"As a kindergarten teacher, I suggest keeping the kids home another year if
they are not ready or if they are not totally potty trained yet. Look
into a good part-time preschool for that time. The best thing you can do
is read to them...as much as they want. Also, when you teach them to
write their name...please don't teach them in all capital letters. It is
so much harder to reteach them when it is so much simpler to do it the
first time. Look for a kindergarten class that stimulates their
imagination and learning too. One where the teacher reads lots of books
to the kids every day as part of their curriculum. Get involved and
volunteer in your child's classroom. Keep communications open between you
and the teacher. "
03/22/2010:
"'My daughter turns 5 on Sept. 23rd, but the cut-off date is Sept. 1 for my school district. Does anyone have any ideas to how I can get my daughter in school. Are schools willing to waive the date, when it is only the difference of 3 weeks? Any advice would be helpful. thanks!'"
02/1/2010:
"my son is going to kinder garden this year and i am looking the best
school in downey the best rating and score can you help me please"
01/4/2010:
"I have a concern about my 4 yr old. He attends a daycare that has a
preschool program however, I would prefer that he would attend an actual
preschool. He has not been able to since he is not completely potty
trained. I will have to enroll him in Kindergarden soon and I am concerned
he will not be able to attend when he is suppose to since he is having
potty training troubles. Has anyone had this same situation? and how did
you approach this?"
10/19/2009:
"My son turned 4 in Sept and he should be attending kindergarten next year.
He couldnt even go to preschool because he is not completely potting
trained. What happens if he will not be potting trained by the time he
has to go to kindergarten"
08/27/2009:
"I started school at 3 going on 4, graduated highschool at 16 and started
college 3 months before turning 17, I was well adjusted and mature enough
. Now I have twin boys that were born in MO in Sept, so they missed off
the cut-off date by a month, so they went to pre-K an extra year and
turned 6 a month after starting K, the good thing is that they were not
the only ones. But then mid year in K we moved to NY (we're a military
fam) and here they are considered behind a year since cut-off is DEC 1st.
Eventhough they were at the same level as other kids in K somehow their
teachers expected them to be more advanced because of their age (ex. 'he
should be able to do simple addition because he is 6 and here that
would've put him in 1st grade'). They will be in 5th grade this year where
they will turn 11 at the end of Sept.,and they are doing fine, even if
they're a little older than most of their classmates. I also have a boy
who was born late June and attended pre-K this year('0!
8-'09), and his teachers told me that he was more than ready for K when
he started pre-K but was too young, he's more than excited to start K this
year, he just turned 5. My youngest one just turned 3 in April, and even
way back in Sept. the pre-K teachers told me that by her observations of
him and listening to him interact with the other kids, that he was ready
for pre-K but he was just too young! Now we have to wait until 2010 to put
him in pre-K because he will not be 4 before Aug 1st, and by then I KNOW
he will be bored with it.I've always said that children should be put in a
grade based on their maturity and not their age. Some 3 yr olds are ready
and capable of doing K work, some 6 yr olds sometimes struggle with simple
tasks.But what is a parent to do when even the teachers say that the
system has their hands tied? Sometimes I wish that all 50 states would get
on board with offering all children a great education and that they would
make transitions between states !
easier."
08/27/2009:
"Children need the communication skills that will seperate them
automatically from their environment,so they can adapt the most in life.
Parents are the lead component for a child success."
08/11/2009:
"I just wanted to say to all the parents moving here foreign countries. You
need not worry, if your son or daughter would have been in a different
grade had they been born in the US, they will be put in that grade. It
doesn't matter that their English is not good, that is expected. What I am
saying is this, I am American but my children started school in Sweden
where they start kindergarten a year later than in the US. I was concerned
but when I went to sign them up, they said the only thing that matters is
their birthday, if they made the birthday cutoff for that year they will
put them in. They said it would be okay for my son and daughter to skip a
grade but as they have fall birthdays, Oct and Nov, and would be among the
youngest as California has a Dec 3rd cutoff, I think I won't have them
skip a grade. I haven't made any decision but I think they are fine where
they are as I don't want them under more pressure as their English will be
behind, they speak it, because of m!
e, but they haven't studied it in school. Anyhow, it doesn't matter about
the English, this is the US, we are used to people immigrating and the
kids pick it up quickly! They will just go by birthdates and leave the
decision up the parents and I think many European countries start
kindergarten later than the US. By the way, having your kid wait a year if
they have a birthday close to the cutoff, I don't think will affect your
child. A lot of people here are talking about how smart their kid is etc.
My son and daughter excel at math and are excellent readers, but the
thought of them starting college at 17 is frightening! I had a December
birthday and I started kindergarten at age 4, I started college at age 17.
I could handle the work but I wasn't ready to be out in the world. One
more year wouldn't have hurt me. Looking back I wish my mom had waited.
Middle school is tough and it isn't fun to be the youngest, my older
friends, they were always older, made all the decisions !
and I deferred as the younger one. I have another child on the!
way, a very late November birthday. She can wait until she is 5 going on
6 to start school. Anyhow, in almost every other US state all my children
would have to wait because California has a really late cut-off date. It
means most kids starting college in the US are a solid 18. The really
young ones come from these few, 5 or 6, states that have late cutoffs. The
rest of the kids applying to college are your kid's competition and kids
on the older side tend to perform better, not always, but for the most
part they do. 18 is really young! When I see an 18 yr old they seem like
little kids to me, well 17 is even younger. No reason to force an early
adulthood onto them. It's a personal thing but kindergarten today is not
what it used to be, they even give homework in kindergarten now! I never
had homework in kindergarten! My husband started kindergarten at age 6 but
skipped 2 grades because they noticed he was bored and unchallenged in
school. He was a straight A student, grad!
uated at age 16 and went on to MIT. My point is that if your child is
really gifted, they can always skip a grade later. And there are gifted
programs in most schools, so your child can always be a part of that. It
is a hard decision which is why I am still lurking for information on the
web but I think my decision will go the way that I don't want my kids to
be the youngest. One year won't make much different in the grand scheme of
things I think."
08/4/2009:
"My son is 5 yrs on Dec 5 2009, but the cut off date in California is Dec 2
just 3 days difference, whereas he is able to write the alphabets fully
italics as well and the numbers from 1to 50 and could read till 100 and a
few words as well and he is ready to listen and explore.He is completely
ready for a kindergarten can u help in this reagard or he has to wait for
another 1 year. please help me...."
08/4/2009:
"we are moving next sunday to USA Henry County. We have a 5year old
daughter. she turns 6 in september.our school system here in Germany is
totaly different and i am confused now if my daughter will go to
kindergarten now or first grade school. She speaks enough englisch to
express herself and knows the numbers and letters in both languages. in
Germany she would go to school this year. can anybody help me to let me
know where i should bring my daughter wheter kindergarten, pre school or
school?"
07/9/2009:
"we are new to USA, my daughter will be 5 on the 1st of august 09. she
speaks only French, and she is excellent in everything except she does not
speak a word in english.
I need her to start as a normal child in grade K, what to do? what do you
suggest me to do to get her start the K this year 09?
thanks"
06/10/2009:
"What do I do for my child who is 3 1/2 and is ready to enter grade 'K'
according to you skills listed? Will it hurt my child by not putting her
in pre-k this year due to our state cut off dates? She still has 3 years
before she is in 'K' and that is a lifetime for her before she in 'K'."
06/10/2009:
"What do we do when we're forced to wait? What about a September child not
eligible for Kindergarten when she's turning 5, but now, at 5 1/2, is
reading complex books, counting to 100 and beyond, doing addition and
subtraction, is very independent, etc. and they want her to start
Kindergarten? What do we do???"
06/9/2009:
"Thank you so much for your advices. I really appreciate it. I wish all
parents get involved in their children education. My child its only 3 and
he can write his name. Not only because he started Preschool when he was
2, also because my husband and I decided to teach him at home, how to
write, and other educational skills. But I really know that those
preschool programs are extremelly important for children. Thank you so
much. But also I would like to take the opportunity to ask you if you can
send me information about a good charter, or great school for
kindergarten for my son. I am already looking for a great school for my
son. Doesn't matter if is a little far. My son its really smart. I am
not showing off. It 's truth. I think he deserves to go to a great
school."
06/9/2009:
"What do you do if your child is bored in kindergartern because they have
already mastered what is being taught and has very well exceeded anything
that will be taught in the near future?"
05/20/2009:
"My daughter will turn 5 years old on December 3, 2009 ( her date of birth
is December 3rd 2004) and I have learned that the cut off date in
California is December 2nd.
Is there any leniency to this rule since it is only an 1 day difference.
And If no then should I wait until next year to start her in Kindergarden.
She is already going to pre-school in India currently. She will be coming
to USA by this month end. Please advise me.
Thanks
Hari
"
04/2/2009:
"Today I signed up my son for Kindergarten that will start in the fall.
Eighty five percent of the students in his class will be one year plus
older than him. Educators tell me that this is OK, that my son is not at a
disadvantage because of the age issues. Doesn't the attention span and
ability to process learning grow with age? Is there really no difference
in maturity with 5 year olds compaired to 6 year olds? Age really doesn't
play a role? Then why don't we let our 12 years old drive to school? Why
do we wait? I'm not an educator, just a Mom, but come on! There is a
disadvantage to the younger ones! "
03/18/2009:
"I have a 3 year old who is already reading. He is an extremely smart boy.
His birthday is October 1st. We live in Nevada so the cut off is September
30th.. He missed it by 1 day!!! He is not going to be able to get into
kindegarten with kids his age.. because Clarke County school district will
not allow him go to school 'early'.. he will have to wait another year.
That is so upsetting. I tried putting him in a pre-school and even they
will not take him because he missed the cut off.. by one day.. I do not
want to hold my child back.. All I want is to get him into school with
kids his age.. What should I do? I heard they dont make any exeptions..
Does anyone have any ideas?"
02/9/2009:
"I have a 4 year old, he will be turning 5 in October. I am having issues
figuring out if i want to put him into Kindergarden or keep him another
year in Preschool (He is currently attending preschool). This is a huge
deal for me and what i decide will effect him. He knows his shapes, and
his numbers to 5..but is struggling with letters. His Kindergarden
teachers says that he doesnt have to know all that to get into
kindergarden. I just dont know if he is ready and if its a mistake to
throw him into kindergarden..or if its bad keeping him in Preschool again.
I thought that Pre-K was the best idea but i cant seem to find a Pre-K
class.. Help!!!!"
02/2/2009:
"My daughter is 6 (and will be 7 in Feb.'09) and is currently in 2nd grade
in a private school that accepted her early (at age 4 1/2) for
Kindergarten. We will be moving out of state to Calif. and are
considering public school for her. Since she is already in 2nd grade (and
advanced in her class) will most schools test an incoming child for the
proper grade level? I am concerned that based on age they may make her
repeat 2nd grade? This would be extremely detrimental for her and her self
esteem since she is performing even above her current grade level. Do
public schools still have 'GATE' classes for elementary aged children to
participate in if they are advanced or should we look instead toward a
Charter or Magnet school to fit our needs?
Additionally, we have a boy who will be turning 5 in March and he is in no
way ready for Kindergarten, especially full day. He attends public pre-k
in our state for speech services 3 days a week for a half day and is
overwhelmed and tired from all the 'learning' being crammed in a 3 hour
period. With 7 or more months before school starts he may exhibit more
signs of Kindergarten readiness by then, but as a parent I would like to
be able to make that decision in September based on his readiness and not
have it dictated by a calendar. Having a child on each end of the
spectrum and this never ending age vs readiness debate...I feel strongly
that a parent knows their child and it should ultimately be up to the
parents to decide based on readiness. "
01/28/2009:
"mi nino tiene problema de hablar el ahora esta en heat star y tiene 5 anos
a el le dan terapia para hablar,el cualifica para esta escuela por favor
digamen como puedo enrolalor gracias miriam "
01/22/2009:
"I agree with all the posters who argue against holding kids back due to age alone. That's ridiculous! When we were kids, nobody was held back from Kindergarten and myself, my siblings and friends did just fine. It depends entirely on the child. And only the parents and pre-school teacher should be the ones to chime in their opinions. I think holding your kids back for no other reason than age, is probably more harmful than helpful. Our daughter, who turns 5 in early Sept, is more than ready. Her pre-school teacher agrees. The state I live in is considering a move to a Sept 1 cut-off in future years. I am totally against it. Each child is different. A few days or weeks will not make a difference. "
01/14/2009:
"I personally think sending kids to kindergarten before they are 5 is not good--especially for boys.
Some are just followers which parents interpret as they are ready becasue they sit still or learn, but socailly they might not ever catch up! And by the time they are 5th grade many of the kids that are a few months older don't want to be around those who are not socailly ready. Even worse when you have a 16 year old boy who is a junior in high school and all the other kids are 17 or 18! They have no interest in being with 16 year olds at that point and I notice that the 16 year olds are very socially immature and become/seem very intraverted, have few friends and so. So....be very careful if you have a child with a late summer birthday or fall birthday--even if they are the tallest kid in the class--this usually means they are uncoordinated also when they grow so fast--yet I hear many parents say...he's so tall, he's the biggest in his class, he must be ready! Usually they are not in so many ways. But...all parents will do what they want--but--think about it....if you h!
ave a fall birthday child--sending them to K right before they turn 6--many of the kids will be that age also! Then there are more like each other...in respect to social skills, levels of maturity, learning levels--the playing fields are more level for them all....throughout all their education--enabling them to have many friends of the same age--
I speak from some experience--a lady we know...sent her Oct. 1 son to K before age 5--now his only friend is the therapist they send him to. He is the 16 year old junior no one talks to/socializes with/invites over!"
