Mason is registered for a 2-year kindergarten program through our school district. It's for kids who are a little younger and/or not quite ready for kindergarten yet, and it sounds like a perfect fit for us.
It was being offered at our "home" school down the street, but they called yesterday and said that the program has been temporarily suspended there. :( :( :(
So our options are:
1) Try to get into another one of these programs at a different elementary school in the district, which could be 5 minutes away or 20 minutes away, and since it's only 8:15-11:30am, that would eat a huge chunk of my morning
2) Put him in regular kindy
3) Put him in regular kindy and transfer him to this program if K isn't a good fit, and/or if this program does get opened up at our home school in the fall.
4) Keep him in pre-K. This isn't a good option because I don't want him to repeat the year of pre-K that he's just done, with kids who are currently in the younger classes. And it's expensive.
I'm so conflicted.
I think this program would be so great for him. But I would hate to put him in it at another school and then have him change schools for actual kindy or 1st grade.
It would be nice for him to go to school with kids in our neighborhood, and if we stay in this house, he'd be with some of the same kids for a few years.
I don't think he's ready for kindergarten, but I think he'd do well socially and academically. I worry that he gets so easily frustrated and emotional.
We are leaning towards option #1, but maybe he'd do fine in regular kindergarten.
Is regular K half day or full day?? If it were me I would try regular K. He could surprise you and if he doesn't whats the worst case scenario? keeping him back?? If they could provide transportation to the schools further away then maybe I would go with option 1 but having to drive him all over for 3 hours everyday is a lot.
I think that, personally, option 3 would be what I would lean towards.
Let me say thought that my Joe was a preemie. Significantly (significantly) premature, especially for 1982, and he tended to be more emotional when he was younger (I'm not trying to make assumptions about Mason, but it's Joe's opinion that many of his issues until he was 6-7 stemmed from being such a preemie, and just needing to level out.) Anyways, he went to kindergarten early, and although he ended up repeating, he wouldn't have changed a thing. Repeating pre-k for him was not a good fit - he was bored, and I think it could have easily pushed him into hating school from the get-go. His parents held him back for their own reasons, but I mean, in all honesty that is the VERY worst thing that could happen, and Joe is absolutely, hands down the most brilliant person I know.
The worst thing that can happen by trying kindergarten, is that it isn't a good fit, and I don't think you'll lose anything by trying. I really think he'll soar there, and that you won't look back. But if it doesn't mesh, or he needs to repeat, it's not the kiss of death. Kindergarten is definately the best year of school (learning AND tons of play? Sign me up!) so I think it's worth a shot.
I would first look at option 1 and see how far the school will be from you. That would be my pick as long as it is not to much of a hassle for you.
As far as kids to be with. Neither of my boys have went to school with kids they will attend their actual elementary school with and they will do fine. Kids this age make friends so easily and it is so new to all of them.
Is regular K half day or full day?? If it were me I would try regular K. He could surprise you and if he doesn't whats the worst case scenario? keeping him back?? If they could provide transportation to the schools further away then maybe I would go with option 1 but having to drive him all over for 3 hours everyday is a lot.
That's another good point - the regular K is full day. It doesn't worry me that much because Mason is currently in school full days. His preschool is part of a daycare, and he's been in full days for a few months, usually 9 hours a day, 3 days a week. BUT they have a 2.5-hour naptime after lunch. He usually doesn't fall asleep, but rests during that time.
And the biggest issue I have is that we may not know what school he gets in to until later this summer! So I worry that if it's a school we don't want because of distance, then we may lose out on the chance to enroll him in K at our school.
I don't know what the bus situation is here. I know the school district was cutting some bus service, so I doubt busing him to another school would be an option.
I think you guys are right. We'll never know unless we try, and kindergarten is definitely better to repeat than a later grade!
Is regular K half day or full day?? If it were me I would try regular K. He could surprise you and if he doesn't whats the worst case scenario? keeping him back?? If they could provide transportation to the schools further away then maybe I would go with option 1 but having to drive him all over for 3 hours everyday is a lot.
That's another good point - the regular K is full day. It doesn't worry me that much because Mason is currently in school full days. His preschool is part of a daycare, and he's been in full days for a few months, usually 9 hours a day, 3 days a week. BUT they have a 2.5-hour naptime after lunch. He usually doesn't fall asleep, but rests during that time.
And the biggest issue I have is that we may not know what school he gets in to until later this summer! So I worry that if it's a school we don't want because of distance, then we may lose out on the chance to enroll him in K at our school.
I don't know what the bus situation is here. I know the school district was cutting some bus service, so I doubt busing him to another school would be an option.
I think you guys are right. We'll never know unless we try, and kindergarten is definitely better to repeat than a later grade!
Thanks ladies.
Oh I can't wait to see what's gonna happen the first time Lucas decides he needs to lay down for a rest after lunch (which doesnt happen that often now but does happen and usually he falls asleep for an hour or more LOL)
I am going to go ahead and put my two cents in. I would go with option 1. I know it's a bit of a gamble, but I disagree with others that say repeating kindergarten is no big deal. It's better than the other grades, but kids do know and will use it. I have seen kids make mean comments about a child being so dumb he had to repeat kindergarten. I also know some other teachers and parents that have seen this too.
Another option you did not mention, but may be more than you want to pay, is to find a different preschool that is more equipped to handle Mason's academic needs as well as his emotional. If a child is emotional upset, he/she is not going to learn well and become very negative towards school.
Granted, you know all the ins and outs of the programs available and how he will or won't adjust to them. In the end, whatever you do, I have no doubt you will do what is best for Mason.
I am going to go ahead and put my two cents in. I would go with option 1. I know it's a bit of a gamble, but I disagree with others that say repeating kindergarten is no big deal. It's better than the other grades, but kids do know and will use it. I have seen kids make mean comments about a child being so dumb he had to repeat kindergarten. I also know some other teachers and parents that have seen this too.
Another option you did not mention, but may be more than you want to pay, is to find a different preschool that is more equipped to handle Mason's academic needs as well as his emotional. If a child is emotional upset, he/she is not going to learn well and become very negative towards school.
Granted, you know all the ins and outs of the programs available and how he will or won't adjust to them. In the end, whatever you do, I have no doubt you will do what is best for Mason.
Thank you for this perspective! More to think about...I think John and I have a lot of talking to do tonight!
I have said it in other posts ABH but I agree with Libby kids do know who the repeaters are. Bryce has been able to tell me in school. Not that Mason would need to repeat at all but just saying.
I have said it in other posts ABH but I agree with Libby kids do know who the repeaters are. Bryce has been able to tell me in school. Not that Mason would need to repeat at all but just saying.
I was thinking more about this, and we could very easily send him to a different elementary school the next year if that was the case. We are one block away from another school's boundary, and that school is pretty much the same distance from our house as our "home" school.
And, we rent. We like our house and just signed another year lease, but I've been thinking that I might like to find something different when the lease is up. So that would free us up to send him to a different school.
I really keep flip-flopping on this. Even just looking at the artwork from other kids in his preschool class (especially the girls), it's obvious that he's behind their ability. But he's the youngest in his class too, as most of them turned 5 by March.
I feel for you. I would try and get him in the program at another school. You may get one close to your house. It doesn't hurt to try. I would also look around and see what other PS, PreK options are out there.
I talked with Andrew's teacher today about him staying with her one more year, and that I was concerned about him being bored. She said that she will gear his work to be more challanging for him. Maybe your current teacher would do the same. I understand it is expencive. K is free here. But, maybe there are other PS/PreK places that will cost less and help him prepare for K.
Thanks so much ladies. I really appreciate the feedback!
John was worthless last night, LOL. He had just gotten a new computer and was engrossed in that. *eyeroll*
I have come to a decision that option 1 is probably the best for us, even though it might mean a lot of driving for me. The biggest reason is that I don't want Mason to get frustrated and discouraged. If he hates kindergarten, it will set up an attitude about school that might last his whole life, and that's the last thing I want.
He might do just fine in regular kindergarten, but I really worry that he would struggle. I feel that he would benefit from the extra year and more maturity of 2 years of kindergarten.
To illustrate what a stinker he is and what he does when he gets frustrated: A few months ago, his class was cutting out shapes and coloring them. Mason didn't want to do it because he thought it looked hard, so he asked his friend Nikita to do his for him. And he DID!
I have to laugh about it, but man oh man am I worried that he's going to pull that shit all the way through high school! He's either going to be a politician or con man. ;)
