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Any insights in identifying the right school situation for your children. I am posting in the singles boards, as I think we have additional concerns with pre-school care, after school care etc.
My daughter misses the cut off for kindergarten by 1 day next year. She will be in daycare/preschool for two more years. I am a little concerned as most of her friends are moving up a class in 10 days and she will be the oldest child in the three year old class. She seems to be bright and I am seeing signs of regression in her behaviour.
So thinking ahead to school, I am beginning to explore options.
Kindergarten at the daycare center (accredited and full day) less holidays ets than the normal schools. Then switch to a school to be determined.
Start school at a parochial school (large classes, well known school - still checking out the pre and after care)
An expensive private school on the grounds of a country club type of thing. After care access to things like tennis, pools etc. Worried about the financial aspects. Kindergarten is over $10K per year plus all of the other activities etc. Likely one of the less affluent kids in the class type of thing - very small - 15 - 20 kids per grade - great facilities. Goes through 8th grade.
Public school with aftercare at the Police athletic league.
I am really curious as to what options single parents have considered? had work? or had fail?
Anything that I am not considering that I should be?
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If your daughter is missing the cutoff by one day, you need to go in and talk to the powers that be. I happen to be a teacher, so I know how fluid those supposedly set-in-stone rules actually are. Make it known that you want your daughter evaluated and you'd like her to be able to move up with her classmates. Especially if her behavior is regressing, the teachers will acknowledge that staying in the younger class is not the best thing for her. Hopefully with the support of the teachers, you can get the administration to do whatever they need to do to make it happen - ESPECIALLY if they know you're considering pulling her out of their school for other options. Good luck!
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I have seen alot of my friends start their kids in a private school, or their daycare for kindergarten. Then just wait and see. If all goes well and they are ready for first grade, go on with first. If not start kindergarten again in the other school.
It takes the pressure off if you need to repeat. There is less stigma becuase the other kids don't know.
I beleive the smaller classes are better for younger kids. So the parochial option with the large class may not be the best alternative to get her prepared for first.
Most schools will allow a child who misses the cutoff into first grade without a fight if they attended another kindergarten. So paying for kindergarten might be advantageous. Nat's school did have cutoffs for both kindergarten and first grade - which was nice in our case. I got to start Nat in kindergarten instead of first.
I saw in Nat's Kindergarten class a wide range in ages, and all the kids made it to first grade. Though there was also a wide range in skills - come June, some kids still could not hold a pencil properly and it was easy to pick out the younger kids.
In my area the trend is now to hold kids back-keep the home longer, so there were several kids turning 7 in her kindergarten class. The kids missing the October 1 cut off are no longer the oldest kids in class.