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7-11-00 Question 36
Dear Preschool Teacher,
My daughter will be 5 on November 21, 2000. I am
struggling with the issue of possibly putting her into kindergarten this
year or letting her stay in her pre-kindergarten class at pre-school until
next year. Her teacher has indicated that she feels my daughter would do
fine if she went on to kindergarten this year but we are considering holding
her until next year just to give her the benefit of maturing for one more
year. She is also small in size if that matters. Do you have any
suggestions?
Signed,
Kindergarten here she comes?
Dear Kindergarten here she
comes?,
You have certainly hit on a hot topic among our "Ask
Preschool Teacher" staff. Below are all the answers that were
received. I wish you luck with your decision.
The Preschool Teacher
Dear Kindergarten here she comes?,
I did not believe in holding kids back until a few
years ago. I taught kindergarten and knew then after that year,
there's a need to do this. If you have any reservations about not
sending your daughter on, I would hold her back. Just by your letter,
I feel you have made up your mind. It is better to do so now than
later. Since she is smaller in size and you feel like she needs to
mature more, I feel your suggestion of holding her back is a smart one.
I think in the future, you will be glad you did it. I have not heard
one person say they regretted holding their child/children back.
Good luck on your final decision!
Brenda of Ohio
"Ask the Preschool
Teacher" Staff
Dear Kindergarten here she
comes?,
My advice to you would be to find out what the
expectations are for entering kindergartners in the state or town in which
you live. In the town where I reside, children are not expected to be
so much academically ready as they are socially. I meet with the
town's kindergarten teachers every spring as a way to help me to help the
parents decide what's right for their child. Every year the
kindergarten teachers emphasize that the children must be able to interact
socially, handle conflicts, and show interest in learning the basics such as
letter writing/recognition and reading. Often times, parents will send
a child to kindergarten who is able to read, yet that child can't sit in
circle time to listen to a story, and cannot verbally express him/herself.
Bottom line: If you are still undecided, try talking with the elementary
school's kindergarten teachers. They can tell you straight forwardly
what is expected of the entering kindergarteners. And trust in your
child's preschool teacher. She undoubtedly has had this issue come up
every year, and she can give you insight into your child's ability to handle
a new learning situation.
Good luck to you,
Jill
"Ask the Preschool Teacher" Staff
Dear Kindergarten here she
comes?,
I feel that you should ultimately decide for yourself.
I teach at a preschool in the pre-K and Kindergarten room. I have
seen many children go to kindergarten as the youngest in the class and
struggle. In my district, the cut off date is the end of August.
Even some of the children that make the cutoff are not socially ready.
For example, one little girl that was in my class turned 5 in July.
She was very smart in her cognitive abilities. She knew all her
letters and numbers. She had a hard time working on activities on
her own, and sitting in large group. Her parents decided to give her
the extra year. It has worked wonders for her. She is now one
of the most mature children in my class and was very successful in
kindergarten. I have never had a parent say, "I wish I would
have sent my child a year earlier".
Nikki
"Ask the Preschool Teacher"
Staff
Dear Kindergarten here she
comes?,
Where I
live, your daughter would have to be 5 before September 1 to enter
kindergarten. It would be best to wait another year before entering
kindergarten. Back when I entered kindergarten, I was 4 and didn't
turn 5 until October. I was VERY shy but did o.k. academically.
I'm not sure another year would have helped my extreme shyness or not
since I am basically still a shy person.
I teach 3
and 4 year olds. Kindergarten is so much different now than when I
was a 4 year old entering kindergarten. They learn to read, they do
math, they write. Is your kindergarten all day 5 days a week?
That is another thing to consider. I can't imagine some of my older
4 year olds I had last year being ready for kindergarten.
Peg
"Ask the Preschool Teacher" Staff
Dear Kindergarten here she
comes?,
Here in Ontario, Canada, all children who turn 4 by Dec
31 go to Junior Kindergarten and 5 by Dec 31 go to Senior Kindergarten.
Personally, I do not believe in holding kids back at this level. (Preschool
Teachers Note: not all American schools have this option.)
There is always going to be the very immature older children and advance
younger children. I think it is the job of schools to group kids
according to their developmental ability and focus on their complete
development. I think parents have to advocate on behalf of their children
and make sure the teachers are aware of specific concerns.
Here in Toronto, Kindergarten is only 2.5 hours per
day. I think it is a short enough time to give all children a taste
of the more formal schooling ahead. I certainly would not hold a 'bright'
child back because they are small in size! My opinion, in this case, would
be to register the child and try it out. If it is not a positive
experience after a fair try, then you can withdraw her.
Good luck with your daughter.
Shelley in Toronto
"Ask the Preschool Teacher" Staff
Dear Kindergarten here she
comes?,
I agree that if you feel that she is not ready
then you should hold her back for another year. My son Cody has his
birthday in August and I will probably hold him back. But I did hear
a Dr. on the news one day say that if your child is ready for
Kindergarten you should not hold him/her back just because of their
birthday. He said that a lot of young Kindergartners do very well and they
get a lot out of Kindergarten. You could help her over the summer by
working on letters and other
things like that, and you could put her in preschool summer camp so she
can work on more socialization skills. Than you can make your
decision.
Also I have a teenage sister that was held back when
she was young. She now hates school and she will not graduate until
she is 19. Every time I see her she yells at my mother for holding
her back because she would only have three years
of school left instead of four.
I am not trying to discourage you from holding
her back. I just wanted to give you a little more insight into what
you could do.
Good luck!
April
"Ask the Preschool Teacher" Staff
Dear Kindergarten here she
comes?,
I think this is an excellent question. You
don't mention where you live and what your states cutoff date is, but I am
of the opinion that the child should at least be 5 before September.
You mention another year to mature, which will only benefit your child in
the long run. Also, Kindergarten is very academic now, so being a
year older would again be helpful -- and you may not realize all the
benefits until further on in her school career. You said there was a
program in place where she could attend? I would recommend delaying.
I have never heard any parent say anything negative about delaying their
child when they have chosen to do so, but certainly there can be drawbacks
to sending a child on if they are not ready or if there are any doubts.
I do not think you would ever regret delaying.
Kris
"Ask the Preschool Teacher" Staff
Dear Kindergarten here she comes?,
I know this can be a difficult question. In
my state, Missouri, she wouldn't meet the cut-off date, so she wouldn't be
able to go to kindergarten. In the past, I have had some children
who I thought were ready and they tried to test into kindergarten, but
most didn't make it because the testing panel felt they just weren't
ready. Be sure to really communicate with the preschool teacher to find
out what areas she thinks your child is ready in and if she sees any
problems. Maybe, also talk to the kindergarten teacher. I definitely
don't think it would hurt for her to attend preschool again, especially
since you think this is best. Parents always know their children
better than anyone else, so if you think this is the thing to do for her
benefit, I am sure you are right!
Jan
"Ask the Preschool Teacher" Staff
Dear Kindergarten
here she comes?,
I was a kindergarten teacher for 34 years.
I would have been very happy to have a parent that had the opportunity to
give a child the gift of a year. When your child is the youngest in
the class they will always be the youngest, socially etc. I use the
examples of 2 boys who were given a test and early entrance to my
kindergarten ( the birth date cut off was changed). They were very
bright BUT.. when it came to high school they were NOT ready to go to
college or decide what they wanted to do. So they both lost that year at
the end. I also had another girl, very bright but started to
struggle when it came to cursive writing. Now these kids may have
had this problem any way but, if you have a chance or the opportunity to
give your child the extra year, go for it.
Maureen
"Ask the Preschool Teacher" Staff
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