September 1St Cut-off

I just wanted to say good luck with public school. My daughter's b-day is 9/3 and we have struggled with 2 school districts to put her where she belongs. They would not even test her or let us pay for testing to prove she was above grade level. She had completed kindergarten in NC and could not transfer into 1st grade here. They were going to make her repeat!!

She is now in private school ($10K/yr) and doing well in a very advanced/gifted class (she's now in 2nd grade, but technically should be in first according to the rule) because they allowed her to test in.

In my experience, the Sep 1st cutoff is not negotiable at all. However, some preschools offer "young 3's" programs for children who are 3 yrs old by Dec 1st. This way they can accommodate Fall birthdays but keep children closer in age (and theoretically developmentally) together. Best of luck with #2!

Even if you get a preschool to take her next fall, you will not likely get her into Kindergarten early, so you'd be looking at her repeating the 4yr old preschool the year she turns 5. Consider it carefully, as at this early age, you don't want her to end up thinking that school is boring. If you do get her in early, and repeating 4 yr preschool becomes necessary, I'd recommending using a different school for the repeat year, with a more difficult cirriculum, to keep her engaged in learning.

Hi A.,

My son turns 3 on 9/11. Most preschools will not allow him to go until 9/09. It's a state thing and they are pretty strict. The preschool/daycares that do, say that he will go an extra year. Hope this helps!

I'm sure pre-schools would let it slide, but when you go to enter her into kindergarten, that rule stands!

I can't speak for all preschools but the Algonquin Preschool doesn't have such a hard fast rule only that she be potty trained before starting and if you truly feel she is ready. Their 3 year old program is Tues & Thurs either morning OR afternoon. Their 4 year old program is Mon, Wed & Fri either morning OR afternoon. And for the kids who have those birthdays like your daughters where due to school policies she would HAVE to be 5 by September 1st, they have a 5 day a week afternoon program. You can check them out at www.algonquinpreschool.com or you can call and talk to the director, C. Thrasher (not me), at ###-###-####. Hope this helps!!

Maybe try contacting the preschool you are interested in sending her to, to see if they have very strict guidelines on it. That's my fiancee's birthday as well. I have a 3 year old who's birthday is very close to the time school starts so I know how u feel. I got to get off my butt and try to get him an evaluation to see if he's ready for preschool or headstart.

Your best bet will be to talk to private schools. Most public schools will treat the 9/1 date as a firm requirement, but some private schools will be more casual about it, especially since she's only a couple of weeks short.

Another alternative may be to provide some homeschooling activities for her daycare provider to do with her during the day. At the preschool stage, it's all about educational play, manipulatives, and discovery anyhow.

good luck!

Do you have some sort of public preschool available? We don't have any free option here except a small pre-K program through the school district and I think they have to be 4. Around here, most preschools have a 2 years, 9 months rule that's pretty flexible, and a ton of them have a January start, too. (potty training is another thing to consider, too.)

Kindergarten, at least public, does have a pretty strict cutoff. You will have to check with your district on their early admission policy. Where we are (Oak Park) kids born in Sept or Oct (but no later) can possibly be considered for early admission, but you have to pay for an evaluation yourself and you have to meet with the principal, etc.

Yes, this is a rule and is enforced in the public schools. I taught kindergarten, there were no exceptions, ever.

They are pretty stringent. My son who was born on Sept.2nd 3:01 am barely made it. I had to pleed the case to school board members and had to show proof of early childhood screening yada yada. In effect, he missed the deadline by 3 hours and 2 minutes. But after all the pleading and proof, I was able to get him in.

My daughter has a Fall birthday as well. This past year our preschool started an "older 2s" program for children that would turn 3 between Sept and Dec 31st. They kept the class size to 14, pull ups were allowed and they keep the classroom themes simple and parties were contained to the classroom with little fuss. Class was held Wed & Fri 9:15 am to 11:15 am. It has been a wonderful experience. It gave her the final push to be done with diapers. She is totally ready for an expanded program next year. It has been been my experience that preschool programs are often times, looking to and able to capture this customer base. Best of luck with your search.

Some pre-schools will require that a child be potty trained. Just something else to consider.

In my own experience, they are very strict with the cut-off date. But it's truly a blessing in disguise later on.

You'll find many parents that have children born in Aug/Sept regretful for sending their kids to school early as opposed to holding off for another year.

I believe this is a hard and fast rule. There are programs specifically for 2.5 year old though. My daughter has a 9/29 b-day and went to preschool as a 2.5 year old. She did not need to be potty trained. These programs are rare, but out there. Are you in the suburbs or city? We live in La Grange and my daughter attends Kensington School. It was perfect for those kids with early b-days. I agree with Catherine though about not pushing Sept/Oct b-day kids. Later on it really is a blessing in disguise.

We had this same dilemna with our daughter. The public schools will NOT budge, but private schools are more willing to make an exception. Our daughter was tested and accepted to Kindergarten a year early at a catholic school and she is now in 5th grade and doing wonderfully. Often, private or catholic schools are less than you would still be paying for daycare (ours is 250/mo or 2500/yr) and it is definitely worth every penny (I teach in public schools so I can really see the difference). Also, most preschools will take them at three as long as they are potty trained. Good luck to you!

My daughter's b-day is 9/15 & I didnt feel 2 years of paying for pre-k was justified. I stayed at home with her & truly enjoyed it. I know this may not be an option for you but I believe the reason she has thrived-top of her class & an outgoing leader- is that she is usually the oldest. Deveopmentally she was always ahead & the more she succeeded the more her confidence & self esteem grew. Just wanted you to know it can be a blessing.

I believe you can request your child be tested for preschool readiness. The school maybe be willing to work with you if your daughter is really ready.

Also, I know my daughter's preschool has a program for 2 yr olds. If she misses the cut-off for the 3 yr old class, she could still get in the 2 yr old one, if something like that is provided in your area.