dvdsteve2000

My 4 year old son was in pre-school last year (3 yrs old at the time) 2 days a week. We received a memo from his preschool this year saying the rate went up from $70 to $100/month, so we checked the local public school, as they have a preschool available, and his older brother is attending first grade this year, so convenience of getting them to/from school was also a plus.

Anyhow, he had to go today to take a test to see if he qualified for the class. They informed us that he needed to know a certain amount of numbers, letters, shapes, etc... This didn't seem to be a problem since he knows all of his letters, shapes, numbers to 30, etc... He took the test at 11:00 this morning, and at 3:00 we received a call from the school. The call went something like this: "We're sorry, but you son has scored too high on the test, and therefor he won't be able to attend preschool at our facility this year". WTF?? She said "You, as parents, should be proud of his academics". Well, we are, but now what? She said he could sit out this year, and attend Kindergarten next year. I said 'How does this make sense?', to which she replied "He scored 94-96% better than other kids entering 4 year-old preschool, and he will be too advanced for what we need to teach the other kids". I replied with "Well if he sits out a year, won't he be behind the kids in kindergarten when he does start?". No reply.

Now I either have to pay $400/month for him to go back to his old preschool, which money is a bit tight right now for that, or have him sit out a year until he is old enough to go to kindergarten. We asked if he could start kindergarten early, but he doesn't turn five until January, and you must be 5 years old by September 1st to attend kindergarten. I'm just pissed that I'm going to have to shell out an assload of cash when there's a public school (that his brother attends) that offers preschool also.

Thanks for the read.

S2

Numanoid

They're basically saying that your kid can skip a grade, and there is no benefit to him or them by having him in class. Get a babysitter.

Ranger

give him an xbox for a few days then he'll be "ready" for that school.

dvdsteve2000

My wife is home during the day, so we don't need a babysitter. I just want him to be educated. There's plenty that he can learn, and preschool definitely helps his social skills, such as sharing, following rules & guidelines, getting used to listening to authority (other than his parents), etc... It's a sweet & sour situation--we're proud of his academics, but unless we pay a heap of cash, he goes a year without being educated in a classroom.

retihsuhnt

Can you challenge the admission age in your school district? I know that several districts allow challenges for those children that have a birthday following the begining of school.

dvdsteve2000

That's what we were arguing about, but the principle said in kindergarten, he will be up to a year & a half younger than the other kids, and may be intimidated by them, or won't be able to physically or academically keep up with them, which may end up putting an emotional burden on him.

kantonburg

I'd advise against sending him early for that exact reason. I'd challenge the daycare policy or at least make some calls and see what you can do. It sucks though. I feel for you because I know I'm looking forward to not shelling out the cash each week for preschool. Wrote the last check monday. Sorry for the chest beating.

kvrdave

Leave the kid at home with your wife. He isn't going to be behind mentally, and there are plenty of things to do to make sure he is fine socially. People place too much importance on preschool, imo.

Jericho

I never went to preschool and I feel I turned out fine (others may disagree). I wouldn't think there's a whole lot that one needs to learn at that age that your kid doesn't already know.

Numanoid

Totally agree. So much competition pushed on kids these days...it's scary.

DVD Polizei

I agree with kvrdave and Numanoid.

Sdallnct

Yup, have the kid at home. If you want him to learn something, do a home school thing and if you want, even home school for Kindergarten...

A-aron

what about private school? do the age requirements matter there?

if not, I would suggest letting him stay home, and give him daily educational activities - things that would be at a high K or 1st grade level. That way he has a good jump on things when he is able to attend.

my youngest son is 4, and won't be 5 till December, so he can not get into K this year, either. it isn't intelligence, but maturity - or, as they said, a mental level that is different between ages 4 and 5..

TomOpus

...and Howard Johnson is right!

AllHallowsEve

I think he would be fine. Is this an issue with the wife not wanting him at home during the day? If not, there are plenty of things that can be done to make sure he's not behind. As far as social skills; there are plenty of activities, outings, etc. The test is basically showing that he would be extrememly bored and take nothing out of it anyways.

He knows his numbers up to 30 already? Many High School students don't, so he already seems to have a heads up.

eightiesguy

While I agree with the others that say that preschool isn't necessary (it wasn't offered when I was in school), as an educator, I can see why you want him to go. I'm not sure where you are from, but in the small town where I live, the chain of command at the school goes: Principal, Superintendant, School Board. If the principal didn't give you an answer you like, then you proceed up the chain of command until you get an answer you like. I know many of you will disagree with me and say that it is wrong, but that is how it works in this area.... eventually you get your way if you scream loud enough. Another possibility you might want to try is "open enrolling" the child at another public school. It wouldn't be as convienent, but it could be an option for you.

That being said, I think your son will be fine sitting out a year. If it makes you feel better, buy a book about preschool/kindergarden curriculum and find some activities to do with your child.

AllHallowsEve

I think the whole point was to avoid private school and the associated schooling costs. That's why they were upset with the public schools decision.

The Bus

You're kid is lucky, going to school by train. I had to take a stinky old bus.

I didn't read past the thread title but I assume this is what you meant.

VinVega

Well, at least we know kvrdave's brain didn't get any frostbite.

I have to agree with this statement. Especially if money is an issue, your child will not suffer too much by getting some education at home for a year and then entering kindergarten at the normal time. It sounds like he's pretty bright already. You're over worrying, but it's understandable. It's your kid.

Joe Molotov

Kids don't need to go to pre-school. And if he already knows his letters, numbers, and shapes, he's learned about as much as they'll teach him in Kindergarten.

Breakfast with Girls

Your kid would be almost two years younger than some of the other kids, and he'd be younger for the rest of his school career. You don't want that. Let him stay home for a year and send him next year. Let your wife use the extra time to teach him calculus or something.

Plus, if he did go, he'd be really bored, which would probably lead to discipline problems. I had that problem (I was always getting spanked in the principal's office until they banned that, in-school suspension, etc.).

Early on in school I had the opportunity to skip a grade two different years. My parents let me decide what I wanted to do, and each time I ultimately chose to stay with my age group (most of whom were already a year older than I was). In high school when everyone was driving I had to wait until the next year. For a high schooler, that sucks.

dvdsteve2000

Thanks for the input, people. It appears we're going to keep him home for this year, and we do plan to do Kindergarten-type exercises with him through the week. My older son was in Kindergarten last year, and my (weird) wife kept every paper he brought home, so we're going to use those as a guideline to follow. I guess it just sounded worse than the situation really is, but you assume that since he went to 3 year old preschool, 4 year old preschool should be a given.

Thanks for the opinions, and here's hopin' for the best!

S2

Groucho

Bad news: your son is the 4-year-old equivalent of a "nerd."

Good news: in 20 years, your son will have enough money to buy Phoenix, Arizona.

dork

Wow, it must be nice.

Groucho

Not really, I prefer a more temporal climate.