Not Sure About Sending My Daughter to Preschool

The cut off date is usually only for Kindergarten. In my area, kids who attend Pre-K need to be 3 or 4 and fully potty trained. My boys started going to preschool when they were 3 1/2 and they loved it! It jump started their learning when they entered Kindergarten. They were much more acclimated to the school setting than those who did not go to Pre-K.It gives me time with my daughter while the older ones are at school.

Hello, my son will be 4 September 11th of this year and the school told me that I had to wait until next year to enroll him into Pre-K! I was pretty upset, because he is so smart, he can already say his ABC's and count and recognizes all shapes and colors, but they still said "no" :-( So, I am trying to get him into the "headstart" program here in town. If you would like information on that let me know! Good Luck!

it depends on where you are wanting to send her, if you don't already have preschools in mind Little Learners that is in First Baptist Raytown in an excellent program. They start as young as 2 and go through pre-K.

It probably depends on the preschool you decide to send her to. My daughter's birthday is Sept. 2nd so she misses the cut off by one day. But, our preschool allowed her to start with the other kids in the three year old classroom just as she turned three on Sept. 2nd. So, she was the youngest in her class. Other preschools told me I'd have to wait a year and just put her in a mother's day out program instead. I think since your daughter will be turning four, it shouldn't matter because most preschools have a three year old class and four year old class then a pre-k class as well, so she would still be okay in the three year old class, just one of the older kids. But no matter what I'd definitely send her next year to preschool. Any education she can get before elementary school will be helpful for her.

Hello L.,

I am a Montessori Preschool teacher. Your wonderful daughter will love preschool. Montessori school begin at age 2.5 to 3 years old. Montessori mixes the ages of the children in the class. This allows children to learn from older children, ages 5.
If you are in the Kirkwood Mo area I recomend Villa di Maria Montessori school. Call ###-###-#### to see all the wonderful things 4 year olds are doing. Reading addition and Subtraction with manipulatives.

It probably depends on each individual pre-school, although if you want her to be with the kids that she'll go to kindergarden with, it might be good for her to be in with the threes and just be oldest.

You probably should start looking into pre-schools now. I know that our Mom's day out program starts enrollment this week for current families and next week open enrollment.

L.,
I think that all the schools are different. Your best bet is to call the ones that you are interested in and find out. Also, if you are really worried about kindergarten, just call the district and find out what they do in situations like yours. Your school district will be glad to answer all those questions. You can find all that school information in the front of your telephone book. Also, if you want to give your daughter a head start on preschool, there are other things you can do. I own the Gymboree Play and Music in Lee's Summit and I know that the area Gymborees offer school readiness programs and would love to tell you more about their programs. The perk about us is that you can stop and start whenever you'd like regardless of birthdates and etc. There are probably other programs that are similar though I am not familiar with them. Let me know if you have any other questions as this is what we do :) Our number is (816) 525-PLAY (7529). B.

It's different across the country, it really depends on the school, call them!

Most cut offs are Sept. 1st. If your child's preschool is separated by age, then she will be in the younger class and have the opportunity to go to preschool for two years. She would not be age eligle to go to Kindergarten next year. Some preschools have age blended classes with 3,4,and 5 year olds in the same class. Unless your child needs the extra educational help for some reason, there is no major reason to send her this year. Mostly she will be learning socialization skills. Most public preschools require a screening process to become eligle to attend, so you might want to inquire at your local school. Hope I have been helpful.

A little about me:

After teaching preschool for 5 years, I am now a stay-at-home mom for 2 girls, ages 4 and 23 months.

I think that you should send her to preschool. You can always call the school and see what the cut off date is. Also you have to get her tested by the preschool people to make sure she doesn't have any learning disorders. My son is developmentally delayed and he is 4 years old. He is thriving very well in his preschool class that also has kids that are 3. I think it would be good for your daughter to send her to preschool. Hope this helps.

You got some good suggestions already but I thought I would add a couple of things...
Some preschools -usually those that for some reason have low enrollment may allow your child into the 4 year old room. BUT IIRC only AFTER she is four...So she wouldn't be able to start when the class started.

You may want to talk to preschools you are interested in to see how they handle it b/c there are 'rules' and then there are 'guidelines' (some of it may also depend on who does their accreditation)

My ds at 3 was on a waiting list.....then I found out he wasn't getting in and frantically had to find something for him in AUGUST. (His birthday is Sept. 28) I called the preschool his sister had attended..NOt only did they have a spot but it happened that they had an "Older 3's" class....All the kids in the class turned 4 by Novemeber.

I don't know if they intentionally divided the M/W and T/TH classes into an older/younger group or if it just happend that way. I know that it really was nice b/c they were really close together developmentally.

Has she had a screening for preschool yet? That will tell what you need to know. Contact your local school district for information. Most places have a 3 year old class and a 4 year old class. My daughter will turn 4 on October 29, she will be in the 3 year old class this year. Every bit of preschool they get before Kindergarden is a good thing! Good Luck!

If the preschool is accredited then yes they will follow the public school's calendar cutoff so your daughter will go in the three year old class. My son's b-day is Sept. 12 so I understand but it turned out to be the best thing for him because he is the oldest(only by a week) and he is the "leader" of the class so this is a good quality to survive the school years.

Good luck,
D.

The school my son goes to for preschool sets the kids up in by age groups threes and fours are in one class and fours and fives are in the other depending on when their birthday is your daughter would probably be in with the 3 and 4. Hope that makes sense

It is becoming more and more common for kids to have 2 years of preschool before entering kindergarten...some schools have a younger (3 yr. old) class and a 4 yr. old class. My daughter has a Sept. 29th bday - just turned 3, so we've been down this road. We have found a preschool that has Preschool for the younger ones and Pre-K for the older ones. I would definitely be looking into some sort of preschool for her for the 2008-09 year.
I used to be a teacher, so my thoughts are that you can't have too much too early! :) The preschool teachers know how to cater to them - plus, the preschool year(s) is really more about social interaction and it won't burn them out!
good luck!

In Lansing, the child had to be 5 by aug 31. Not sure about Leavenworth. I have two children in Lansing school system and they love it! I do know that this year they will start all day kindergarten, so rules might have changed. Good luck!

My twins' birthday is September 26, so they missed the cut-off as well and attened the 3/4 preschool and then just before they turned five went to Pre-K. I think that is how most do it since they teach certain things the first year and then change it the second year. I would go for sending her and getting two years of preschool before kindergarten. I know that it has helped my girls a lot. Good luck. J.

My son's birthday is September 11th. The cut-off here is also August 31st. We waited until the next year. He is one of the oldest in his class. He knew everything that was needed to start school the year that he turned 5, but boys don't seem to mature as well as girls. Also, he had been in daycare at his Grandma's house since he was born, and had either been with me and Dad, or Grandma. That extra year can at times be very helpful. Our district follows the deadline rule very closely. Even if I would have pushed it, they would not have let him start before he was 5.

The cutoff date in most schools is Aug. 31st, but I highly recommend sending your daughter, even if it's only a few half days a week. I'm an occupational therapist in the preschools of my city, and there are so many positives to preschool experience. Don't worry about her being the oldest in the class--she'll be a role model for others and gain great exposure and experience that will benefit her later for school.

As far as I know, the date is August 31. Your daughter would just have to wait and be one of the oldest in the class the following year. My daughter barely made the cut-off date and we went ahead and sent her even though she would be the youngest. It worked out fine. My son will miss the deadline by a few weeks and has to wait until he's almost 5 to go to pre-school. I know some private schools/churches offer 3-year-old preschool. We have several friends that attend the schools around us.

My son's birthday was in late August and I took him for preschool screening and he was more than ready for school.But since his birthday was at the end of August I felt he wasn't ready because he cried everytime I said anything about school. So I talked to the school counsler and we both agreed that waiting till next year would give him the extra time to mature more.I am glad we did he enjoys school and was more than ready to go when the following year rolled around.
P.

I know that where I live in McPherson Ks the cut off date is late august or early september and here they only have to be three and pottied trained by then. Its something to look into. Plus they have if you turn 3 after the date you can enroll them in January. We have a two year pre-school program and its great. Our daughter started shortly after turning 3 and is now in her second year will and is one of the most advanced. She will turn 5 in July and start kindergarten in the fall.

You would have to check with the preschool but I am guessing your child could be in the 4 yr preschool but next year since she won't go to Kindergarten yet you could have her repeat 4 yr old preschool or they will probably reccommend pre-K class. Our preschool was Rolling Hills at 93rd & Nall. I would call them ###-###-#### to be sure. I think they have enrollment in March so I would be visiting & calling around right away.

The cut off date for kindergarten is August 1st. My daughter was born on August 6th so she missed it as well. She went to three years of preschool and is now in 1st grade. I think that it helped prepare her. My son was born in late July. We are going to hold him so he will also attend three years of preschool starting this fall at the ripe age of 3. Hope this helps. Check out various preschools in the area. Each has different ways of doing things. We were very happy with Concord WEE school on 21.

In my opinion I think your daughter will benefit from attending preshcool. She will find the social interaction that will prepare her for kindergarten. I was a preshcool teacher for 10 years and decided to stay at home with my first born. He turned three this Jan. and my husband and I have decided to send him to preschool this fall. It amazes me the things your child will learn in preschool. I believe it will better prepare them for kindergarten. Children need that social and emotional interaction from other children. As far the cut off date will accept your child when she turns 4. I think it depends on where you send her. Good luck in your decision, and I hope this helped you...

My daughter missed the cut off for her preschool class by 2 days (the cutoff was Sept. 1st and she was born Sept. 3rd). She attended and did well. The problem came at the end of the class when the teacher announced during the "graduation" ceremony that everyone but my daughter would be attending Kindergarten in the fall with no explanation as to why. And then, of course, she could either attend the exact same preschool class over again, or sit out a year wondering why she couldn't go to school with her friends. My advice: wait until it is time for her to go. If she misses the cutoff, fine. Send her next year. I still have to remind my daughter every once in a while that no, she isn't "behind" she's right where she is supposed to be. Good luck!

If her birthday is after the cut off date she would be placed in the 3 yr old group, if they have one where your thinking about sending her. somtimes it is better to just wait and not rush it. Let her have another year to mature a little more. That way she will be more ready for that routine and be a postive experience that she and you will truely enjoy! Good Luck and Best Wishes...