November baby..K, Reception or what? In US right now.

So my son is a November baby.  He is 4 now.  He attends a Montessori preschool with 3-6 year olds.  He is quite smart.

As I understand it had we remained in the UK he would do Nursery this year, Reception next year and then Year One.

Here he would do.. Preschool this year, preschool next year, then Kindergarten starting first grade when he is 6 going on 7.  

With Montessori we have the option of having him do K next year and then move into first grade.


Yes there is the whole argument about maturity... and he is shorter than most kids, but right now his best friends are all a year to almost two years older and he is doing really well.

Plus the kid is smart.  Not genius, but smart. So there is the chance that if we hold him back he will be bored out of his mind.

Our state law says they can be enrolled in K so long as their birthday is before December 31st.

I guess my questions are what would you do?  We might move back one day.  Or we might not. -- So the UK thing isn't paramount, but at the same time if he'd do that level of work there why expect him to do less here in the USA?

Has anyone had experience with starting kids early in the US?

Good quesion, P. I'm starting to wonder this for my younger son. It just occurred to me today that he can't even start PreK until Fall 2012... unless I can find a way to get him in earlier. Not saying we'd want to just yet, but I'm wondering if we even can.

Does VA have a full time PreK program? Depending upon the school/county etc, they can be pretty darn good.

I'll be curious to hear other replies.

So you are saying he wouldn't start kindergarten until he is 6? Everywhere I have ever heard of it is 5, by Sept 1. If he is born in Nov he would do pre-k next year, then kindergarten the year after. If your state's cut off is Dec 31 then he should be in kindergarten next fall.

In Virginia the state law is that you have to be 5 on or before September 30 (code of Virginia 22.1-1).  I don't know if private schools are able to transcend that law but he would be in Kindergarten when he is 5 (turning 6 a few months later).  Are you saying to start him in Kindergarten at 4?  IMO that seems pretty early but I would say it's all based on the child.

When I started Kindergarten you had to be 5 by December 31st so I missed it by 7 days and had to wait an entire year.  Then I was too advanced and they wanted me to skip 1st grade and go straight to 2nd grade.  My mom declined that option and then regretted it for most of my school career.  I was always advanced for the classes I was in...which lead to me getting bored...which lead to me getting in trouble all the time (even though I was always a straight A student).  So I think that sometimes making a kid wait can be detrimental.

My husband and I are November babies, and we both started kindergarten at the age of 4.  Nowadays, it seems like schools prefer you to keep children back a year, so that they are not the youngest/smallest and they don't feel pressure if they're not keeping up.  But we are both very glad our parents pushed us forward.  We'd have been really bored if we were left behind an extra year, and it doesn't seem to have done us any harm later in life.

When I started kindergarten, you had to be 5 by December 1 and I made it by one day with my November 30 birthday.  This ensured that I was always, always the youngest child in my class.

I would do it, P!  Little A is a very clever little boy, and I know that from being around him.  I started K when I was 4, and it didn't harm me in the least.  Well, you know me personally, so I hope you don't think it harmed me any.... .  Seriously, I would go ahead and do it if I were in your shoes. x

I have a November baby and we agonized (x a billion!) over what to do about sending her to school.  In the end, even though she was bright i.e. knew all her abc's 123s, colours etc..  she just wasn't ready.  When I would bring up kindergarten, she'd say "kindergarten, why would I want to go to kindergarten?" (She was in preschool at the time, in the school where she would be going to kindergarten). 

One of my friends was doing her doctorate in ed.psych and she also had a november baby, exactly one year before I did.  She consulted her professors.  They unilaterally advised her, if she had any doubts, wait.  It is far better for your kid to be ahead of the curve than constantly struggling to catch up.  Also, guidance counselors i consulted said that it is very, very obvious in  junior high who the youngest in the class are.   They may be smart, but socially, a majority struggle and a lot of times, those differences in maturity don't come out until junior high. 

So we decided on a second year of preschool and waited to put her in kindergarten.  It was the best decision we ever made, at the end of that second year of preschool she was all about "kindergarten, kindergarten, yay kindergarten!!!"  And also we had the added complication (unbeknownst to us at that time) of the fact that we ended up moving all over hell's half acre and she ended up fitting  with her age-peers in every school system we entered - all with different entry deadlines.  she was always one of the older ones in the class but she's extremely quiet and introverted so she could use all the extra confidence she could get. 

She has always LOVED LOVED LOVED school.  Always.  and it continues now that she is in University.  Keeping her back a year was the BEST decision we ever made. 

I know how hard this decision is.  Good Luck!  I know that you will make a very informed decision that will be the best for your little guy, no matter what you decide! 

I was an end of October baby and started when I was 4.  I think it would have been better to start when I was 5. 

Just because they aren't in K doesn't mean they won't still be doing fun things and you can always supplement at home or with music lessons or something. 

I guess my questions are what would you do?  We might move back one day.  Or we might not. -- So the UK thing isn't paramount, but at the same time if he'd do that level of work there why expect him to do less here in the USA?

I don't know what sorts of work they do is US Kindergardens now but I can tell you that Reception aged children aren't doing formal work of any kind.  Under the Early Years Foundation Stage it's all learning through play.  Lots of local authorities even carry this on into year one.  So I wouldn't worry about him fitting back into the UK system if you do move back someday.

In Virginia the state law is that you have to be 5 on or before September 30 (code of Virginia 22.1-1).  I don't know if private schools are able to transcend that law but he would be in Kindergarten when he is 5 (turning 6 a few months later).  Are you saying to start him in Kindergarten at 4?  IMO that seems pretty early but I would say it's all based on the child.

When I started Kindergarten you had to be 5 by December 31st so I missed it by 7 days and had to wait an entire year.  Then I was too advanced and they wanted me to skip 1st grade and go straight to 2nd grade.  My mom declined that option and then regretted it for most of my school career.  I was always advanced for the classes I was in...which lead to me getting bored...which lead to me getting in trouble all the time (even though I was always a straight A student).  So I think that sometimes making a kid wait can be detrimental.

There is a final cut off date of December 31st according to the VDOE.  I don't think it seems I am going to have a choice though.

There are other non-traditional alternatives I am looking at. 

I do know enough that if he did K in two years time in public school he will be bored out of his mind.  Really bored. 

So I need to keep him where even if he stays at preschool level and then K they will still challenge him to expand his knowledge.  The issue then becomes one of what happens when he hits first?  At least there there is some differentiation of learners and reading groups etc.

I think it would be easier if he had stayed on the shy side, but he's blossomed under the care of his wonderful school.

Anyway like I said I may not have a choice.... still there are so many options!

Thanks for voicing your opinions everyone!