S/O Redshirting--what is the K b-day cutoff in your area?

[AndyJoy]

It seems like many people think of 17 as the "right" age for HS graduation. However, when I lived in Idaho, the K birthday cutoff date was September 1, meaning that only those with June, July, and Aug birthdays are still 17 at graduation. Is a cutoff date of December more typical in your area?

 

Both my sister and I were technically "redshirted" in one way or another. We were living in Okinawa when I started K, and the cutoff was Dec. 1. With my Nov. 15 birthday, my mom chose to wait even though I could read and was mature for my age. She wanted me to have an extra year at home with her and hoped to someday move back to Idaho where the cutoff was Sept. 1. Later, my school wanted me to skip 1st grade, then 6th, but my mom never told me this until I was an adult. I am glad I was at home for 18 years, though I could have handled college academics at 15 or 16 and wish we'd had a community college.

 

My sister is 22 mo. younger and has an August 24 birthday, so she started K the year after me. She passed K just fine, but when we moved to CA and started attending a private school, they suggested she repeat K for maturity issues. They were so right! Throughout her growing up years, her friends have been 1-3 years younger than her. That extra year was necessary for her. Thus, she was already 18 when she began her senior year.

[Scuff]

MI is Dec. 1st.

[ereks mom]

...December 31 when I started school way back in the 1960s. ;)

[Diana in OR]

Here in OR it is September 1. However, I remember back in the 70s in WA it was sometime in November. I have a December birthday, and got moved up a year, so I graduated at 17. Although I was one of the youngest in my class, I had several classmates who were just a month or so behind me.

[Daisy]

I don't know how old this is but here is a list.

 

http://users.stargate.net/~cokids/kindergarten_cut-off_dates.htm

[MyLittleWonders]

Here is it December 2nd (CA - at least based on what I could find). I have a summer birthday and started K at 5; I was 17 when I graduated (an "old" 17 as I turned 18 only two months later). The cut-off date must have been Dec. 3rd or later at some point in time, though, because one of my closest friends birthday was Dec. 3 but she was in the same grade level as the rest of us. And, for the record, my middle son would have been red-shirted if we put them in school. His birthday is one week before the cut-off and even though academically he would be fine, his physical stature and overall emotional sensitivity would have needed another year before K.

[MariannNOVA]

In Fairfax County, VA and in Loudoun County, VA it is 9/30.

[Heather in WI]

Wisconsin is Sept. 1st.

[Jen in PA]

It is October 1st in my district, but in PA the district can set it earlier or later than that. Most nearby districts use September 1st.

[lionfamily1999]

I think it's the first day of school, or the end of September :p

 

They're talking about pushing it back, to the beginning of August. If that happens, at least no one will be surprised when I don't put him in. I couldn't imagine having to wait until he's 6.

[Starr]

NY is early in December.

[Tidbits of Learning]

Here it is Sept. 1.

True funny story---when dd8 was in k4 at a private school at the opening house 2 weeks after the start of school. The teacher spoke with me and my husband briefly and mentioned the kindergarten bridge class for those with birthdays that don't meet the cut off. dd8's b-day is August 25 so I responded with she makes the cutoff.

The teacher said she thought she wasn't ready and proceeded to mingle with all the other parents with no explanation. So I called her. The reason she felt dd was immature was b/c she asked permission for everything instead of just moving to the next center she would say she had completed her task could she do something else. Instead of jumping up and running to the bathroom in a rush, she would ask politely if it was ok to use the bathroom. I was stunned. My child's immaturity was becasue she had manners.:tongue_smilie:I told the teacher that dd was just using good manners. I also told dd to just go on to the bathroom if she had to go and to move to the next center if she finished. So good manners=immaturity here.

[Paula in PA]

It is October 1st in my district, but in PA the district can set it earlier or later than that. Most nearby districts use September 1st.

 

It's September 1st for my district. When I went to K, it was December 31st. Both my cousin (born 12-10) and I (born 9-10) started K at the same time. My oldest niece (born 10-15) started K four years after me at 4yo as well.

[Emilylou]

I wish more NY'ers knew that we have one of the latest cut off dates. Moms wilh fall birthday kids especially boys feel SO much pressure to send them to K... and if they lived in a different state "waiting" a year would be the norm.

 

 

NY is early in December.

[TheTwinsMom1]

Yup here in Wisconsin is it September 1st and my twins were born the 15th so they had to wait until they were almost six to start Kindy. It worked out fine for them as they were in the Early Childhood program for their delays anyhow.

[nukeswife]

I grew up in WI and both my younger brother and I made the cutoff (I'm a July 3rd bday and he's an Aug 3rd bday), so we both graduated at 17 and it wasn't an issue for us.

 

I'm glad here in VA the cutoff is Sept. 30th (at least here in the Hampton Roads area) because my dd who's birthday is Nov 19th would have in no way been ready for K when she turned 5. She's a late bloomer and is just now starting to read more than simple CVC words.

 

My sons have earlier birthdays, May and July, and both would have been fine in PS as 5 year olds.

[Jan in SC]

SC is Sept. 1st.

[elegantlion]

5 by September 30th is the rule where we live now. Where we used to live ds had to be 5 by July to enter K (private school). He has a Sept birthday and turned 6 right after the start of K.

[Laura Cook]

The cutoff for our district is July 1. For preschool they have to turn 4 by July 1st and for kindergarten they have to turn 5 by July 1st. Our oldest would turn 6 just a few weeks after starting kindergarten. This factored into our decision to homeschool because between my oldest son's 3rd and 4th birthdays he was already eager to learn and we could see no reason to hold him back just so he wouldn't be bored in school!

[KidsHappen]

I think it is Sept. 30 here. My dd's birthday is the 5th so she made the cutoff. I really wish it was Sept 1st and she missed it though. My 13 year old's b-day is Oct. 29 and she had to wait a year which really helped her I think.

 

Both my brother and my hubby were born in the beginning of Nov. and they both made the cutoff where-ever it was that they lived at the time, meaning they started K at the age of 4. My b-day is Dec. first so I didn't make it and didn't start until 5 and a half and it was halfway throught K before I turned 6.

 

I am in favor of an earlier cutoff, Sept 1 st. for example. If you are 5 by the time school starts then you should have to wait the next year until you are. Otherwise you can have situations like above where there is almost a full year age difference between children in the same grade.

 

I was bored to death in school and I was in the gifted classes. I also was way more mature than my classmates and had nothing in common with them.

[Alenee]

It's Sept 1st here in WA. However if one looks closely at the laws, a child does not need to enter "school" until age 8. This doesn't mean enter K at age 8 but that you don't even have to let the state educators know you have a kid until they're 8yo. :D This is great for us homeschoolers. A lot less pressure on us during the early years.

[Haiku]

Our district is September 30th. My dd, who is in 9th grade, is a grade "behind" for her age. She has an August birthday, but that has nothing to do with it. She was adopted at an older age from an orphanage and she wasn't (and still isn't, years later) developmentally or academically on target. She probably never will be.

 

Tara

[Dawn in OH]

I believe it's September 30th here because before my daughter with a birthday of September 12th turned 6 friends told me I would need to notify my intent to homeschool her that year. Our compulsory attendance age is 6.

[presley]

As KidsHappen mentioned, I believe it is Sept. 30th in TN.

[AnitaMcC]

Sept 1st for our school district in IL (not sure if it is state wide or not).

 

Dh grew up on Long Island, NY and it was Dec 1st when he was a kid... I think it is still the same now.

[LibraryLover]

The private school we attended for a time had a cutoff of Sept 1 but they were a little less flexible (no sports issues, it did not include high school) with maturity issues. As I worked there, I know some children who had turned 5 in Spring were asked to reapply for K the following year. That made them 6.5 and there were never any big issues. If the child seemed to 'catch up' or was very mature after a yr or so of school, they were skipped to the next grade. That happened maybe twice the whole time I was there. These folks seemed to be excellent at 'reading' kid needs.

 

It was a very developmental school, and the age range in classrooms could be up to 18 mos, occasionally more. In first grade, for instance, each child had their own book list which varied widely. Some children were reading very small Bob type books, and some were reading Treasure Island and everything in between. There were no 'reading groups". Each child had their box of books in their reading cubbies and work tailored to their reading level.

 

Math was a bit different, and some children were allowed to go to the next grade just for math. For 6th, 7th and 8th grades, there was a separate Honors math program that combined the middle school ages. Sometimes there were 5 kids in that program, sometimes more.

 

Our community cut off is Sept 1, but in the city bordering my town , it is Jan 1. You see lots of 4 yr olds starting K there. So if a child has a Jan 7th b'day say, they don't go to K until they are closer to 6, and they attend with children who won't be 5 until Dec 30th, fi. The system itself creates the large age range that worries so many.

 

Remedial costs in that city are high, and there are many normal children recieving services to 'catch them up'. What you see in the gifted programs that start in 4th grade are a lot of older girls who over 5 when they started K. Conversly, you see a lot of the younger boys getting 'services' because they are 'behind'.

 

Few people have the money to red shirt so the kids go. The drop out rate in that city is staggering.

Edited January 5, 2010 by LibraryLover

[JenneinCA]

It was at the end of August in Arizona when my older kids would have entered Kindergarten. The would have both missed the cut off. (October birthdays). It is sometime in December in California, where we are now, they both would have made the cut off. They are officially in age/grade for the California deadlines.

 

I think part of the confusion is the fact that there is no standardized cut off. It is different from state to state and even school district to school district. It makes moving and these choices all the more complicated.

[Aurelia]

Texas is September 1. My husband says always hated it because his birthday was the 3rd - so much so that he put in extra effort and graduated a year early.

[Carmen_and_Company]

In Minnesota, a child must turn 5 on or before September 1st, of the year entering kindergarten, but only applies to public schools--not private, charter or parochial.

[CatMomof3]

Did not read the replies so it this a repeat SORRY

 

California - Dec 2

 

both my girls will graduate and enter college at 17 (October and November Bdays), my son 18 (his Bday is December 18)

[momtoboys]

September 15th.

[JudoMom]

It's October 1st for my district.

[Desert Rat]

September 1st in NV, last I heard.

[Ellie]

Not all states have cut-offs for *kindergarten.* In California, children must be 6 by December 2 to enter first grade; kindergarten is not mandatory. In Texas and Virginia, dc must be 6 by September 1 to enter 1st. In South Carolina long ago, the cut-off was 6 by October 1. None of these states have mandatory kindergarten, but you can see that in order to enter kindergarten, they'd have to be 5 by whatever the cut-off is for 1st.

 

Regardless of when the cut-off date is, some children will be "young" for their grades, some will be "old." I have a July bday; I never, ever heard of that being a "late" birthday for first grade until I began posting here. Mr. Ellie's bday is September 7, so in California he was 5 when he entered 1st grade at 5yo, definitely "young," but he did just fine in school. I have even heard people say that May is "late.":001_huh:

[KarenNC]

NC was Oct 16th when my sister and I were in school (back when the earth was cooling in the late 60s ;)) and remained that way until this year (2009/10) when it was moved to Aug 31.

[Mom23Boys]

The cut-off where I live (Louisiana) is the child must be 5 by September 30th of the year they start K.

 

My kids birthdays are October, December and January, so they will all be among the oldest. Especially DS1 who missed the cut-off by 11 days.

[nevergiveup]

Indiana cut off date is June 1. My son's b-day is June 6 so he was the oldest in his class. Kindergarten is not mandatory, though.

[gardening momma]

I'm in Ohio--it's age 5 by Sept. 30 to start K, or start school by age 6 (I think Sept 30 applies there too, so you could have a K-er turn 7 in their K year).

 

I grew up in Michigan (Dec. 1); I have a Sept. birthday and my older sister has a November birthday, so we both started K at age 4 and graduated high school at age 17.

[rafiki]

.

[rafiki]

.

[ladydusk]

You must be 5 by Aug 1 in our school district before starting Kindergarten.

[FairProspects]

As someone mentioned it is Sept. 1 in WA, but I have several friends who "pretended" to have jobs in CA that "fell through" (and used relatives addresses) to register their fall birthday children for K when they were 4 turning 5. Once a child is registered under another state's umbrella/cutoff (Dec for CA) then the school districts usually honor it as a transfer.

[Sherry in OH]

Children may attend kindergarten if they are 5 by September 30th, school attendance is required at age 6. Kindergarten is optional.

 

My local school district has been known tell parents of advanced 5 year olds to keep the students home one more year and then to send them directly to first grade. The same school district recommends that less-ready 5 year olds wait and be re-tested the next year to determine kindergarten or first grade placement.

[ereks mom]

Not all states have cut-offs for *kindergarten.* In California, children must be 6 by December 2 to enter first grade; kindergarten is not mandatory. In Texas and Virginia, dc must be 6 by September 1 to enter 1st. In South Carolina long ago, the cut-off was 6 by October 1. None of these states have mandatory kindergarten, but you can see that in order to enter kindergarten, they'd have to be 5 by whatever the cut-off is for 1st.

 

In GA, compulsory attendance is 6-16. Until just a few years ago, it was 7-16. So, yes, kids must be 6 by Sept. 1 to enter 1st grade, which means they would have to be 5 by Sept. 1 to enter K, which is not mandatory in GA.

[Laura Corin]

Here the cut off for entry into year 1 (K equivalent) is turning 5 by August. However you have the option of putting a younger child in, who will turn 5 by the following February. So a year 1 class might have a pretty good span, from 4 1/2 years old to almost 6.

 

Laura

[AngieW in Texas]

The cutoff date for Texas is September 1st, but I started early (by 4 weeks) and so did my dh (by 6 weeks). My dh even skipped 8th grade so that he was still 16yo when he graduated. I would have benefitted from skipping a grade as well, but my district almost never agreed to grade skips. I wanted to graduate from high school one year early. You were required to have 21.5 credits to graduate (7 of them elective). I had 21 credits at the end of my junior year. I wanted to take some elective course over the summer to graduate, but they said that anything I took over the summer wouldn't count towards graduation. I ended up going to school for half-days my senior year. I could have graduated in December of my senior year, but didn't want to start college with the spring semester.

 

We have our middle dd a grade ahead (by 4 weeks). If my youngest dd had her birthday 4 weeks after the cutoff, I would have her in the lower grade (she's dyslexic), but my middle dd is ahead in all areas even in the higher grade.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

You must have turned 5 by September 1st to enter kindergarten.

 

Neither of my younger two kids would have made this cut off. Waiting another year to start academics would have been a disaster for my middle son, who told me the afternoon of his 4th birthday that I had to teach him to read now and six months later was reading level two readers. If he'd had to wait until he was almost six to start kindergarten, I think he would have been very difficult in a classroom, or else would have been sent off to the corner and ignored. (I can do that here at home.)

 

His younger brother has a birthdate that is only 4 days later. I consider him a 2nd grader, but he would only be a 1st grader if he'd started here. He is smart but not the out of the ballpark brainy that his brother is.

[Matryoshka]

Now it's Sept. 1st.

 

My mom (a retired ps teacher) has a theory about what's going on.

 

The cut-off used to be Dec. sometime, but too many kids (mostly boys) were entering 1st grade not "ready". So they moved back the cut-off to "fix" this.

 

Then many kids in K (who would've been in 1st in the past) were coming in already knowing their letters (which used to be taught in K) and even already reading. Much of the 1st grade curriculum got shoved down to K (except now they have to finish it in 1/2 a day).

 

Lots of kids (mostly boys) are not ready for this material, and so more and more of people are redshirting.

 

News flash. Not all kids are magically ready for the same material at the same time, no matter where you put the cut-off. :glare:

[rwjx2khsmj]

In OH where dd13 started school the cut off is October 1. Dd13 has her birthday on August 29. She was the youngest in her class.

 

In IN where we live now the cut off is August 1. Dd13 is at least a year and sometimes 2 years younger than her public school classmates. Dd5 celebrates her birthday on August 19. She wouldn't be able to attend public school kindergarten until next year.

[nmoira]

It's 5 by September 1 in Oregon, but schooling is not compulsory until a child is 7 by September 1.

 

I would have red-shirted my 5yo this year if she were going to attend public school. She's just not ready to sit still, and I see no advantage for her in pushing her before her time. However, I wouldn't have hesitated to enrol her in a play based kindergarten.