How a 4yrsold admitted to a public Chandler Kindergarten

First, let me just say "Good luck." My children go to public schools in the Peoria School District. My youngest daughter, Marie, (now in 4th grade and excelling) missed the birthdate cutoff by 8 weeks. I went around and around with the school district trying to get her enrolled in Kindergarten at the school her big sister was going to. Total nightmare. She was more than ready socially and academically, and, like you, I was afraid that delaying a year would cause boredom and behavior problems. (Her big sister was actually skipped a grade, and had social problems because of it, so my theory was that it was better to start Marie out a little early than to have to skip ahead later.)

Anyway, long story short, we ended up placing her into a charter school for Kindergarten (where she was one of the top students, so it obviously wasn't too difficult for her), and then had to fight the public school district the following year to get her enrolled in first grade. [sigh] They offered to have Marie repeat Kindergarten at the public school because she was still "too young" for first grade. (Hmm, think she'd be a little bored?) After more discussion, they finally allowed Marie to do a "six week trial" to see if she could handle it. She did fine, and has excelled since.

Peoria's policy (as they explained it to me) is that even if a child moved to their district from another state/town, etc., unless they were in second grade or higher, they were placed in whichever grade they fell into by age. Only if they were in second grade or higher would they be allowed to enroll in that specific grade if their birthdate was after their cutoff date. What a hassle!

As parents, we all know that not all five year olds are alike. Some benefit from being enrolled in Kindergarten as an "older" student, and some almost-five year olds can handle it. It varies from child to child. The best we can do as parents is to stand up for what we feel is the best for our children at the time. Am I sorry I had one child skipped a grade? Sometimes, but overall I believe it was the right decision. Am I sorry I enrolled Marie a year early? Absolutely not. She does very well socially and academically - very few problems.

Good luck to you and your daughter!

My son turned five in Nov, which made him 4 at the start of Kindergarten in July (yes, July!). They tested the heck out of him, and lectured me about how he'll feel someday when all of his friends are driving and he's too young (and all of the others arguments). But, I'm from NY and we all started school at 4 turning 5. There seems to be a definite regional preference. Most people told me not to admit him early because of sports! At any rate, he was ready and he's doing just fine now, reading beginner books. And of course, he's in a Charter school.

That said, we've recently discovered that despite doing well academically, he avoids doing worksheets. If someone sits with him and coaxs him, he does fine, showing that the material isn't too hard. But, on his own, he dawdles. A routine eye exam revealed that his eyes are fine, yet delayed in fluid focusing. The eye doctor thinks that's why he avoids paperwork. She said that it's normal for kids this young to have trouble adjusting from board to paper and vice versa. She said years, ago, Kindergarteners just weren't expected to do as much as they are now. A minor consideration, I suppose, but it was interesting to us.

"Only a life lived for others, is the life worthwhile" - Albert Einstein

My son is also in a private school...his birthday is in September, so he missed the cut-off for kindergarten by 11 days......when we went to the open house at his school and were advised the school would not budge on that and wouldn't be in kindergarten until he was six, we were aghast......but after talking to the teachers, etc, we decided to put him in the pre-k 5 class that year, and we haven't regretted it. He's a bright boy and has always been mature since he's an only child, so I felt he would have done fine in kindergarten at 5......but after we thought about it for a while, we decided there was no need to push him. No judgement on anyone who does decide to push the issue, but we didn't see the need, and it has worked out very well for us. He's happy and doing well.
When I was a little girl I was very precocious....my parents were worried about me getting bored, so I started school at 4 years old - I was way ahead of the curve and was already reading books.....I blew through all of my classwork and annoyed my teachers for asking for more to do.....the one thing I wasn't good at, however, was relating to other kids......and being the youngest and smallest didn't seem to help the situation. I am not sure if having another year to grow and mature would have helped the situation, but it was in the back of my mind when I was thinking about what to do for my son. Good luck with whatever you decide!

Tempe Elementary School District will admit 4 year-olds to Kindergarten. I'm not sure if there are any standards they have to meet. Broadmor and Rover are excelling schools. My kids went through Broadmor and the school is amazing. The parental involvement is extremely high both in classroom volunteering and the PTA.

sure, fine, whatever