School closures/delays?

I mean, come on—isn't a kid who's already six and a half—specifically born back in February 2011—legally required to be in school by now?

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Honestly, if you're asking for an extension for a kid, they’re already technically required to be in school 😁

Tyler Ruiz502 said:I mean, come on—isn't a kid who's already six and a half—specifically born back in February 2011—legally required to be in school by now?

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Yeah, sure, but having Feb 24, 2011, on a birth certificate doesn't magically make them ready for kindergarten.
What does that extra month even matter?
I expected way more professionalism from people in this field.
Honestly? This feels super shallow.
I'm asking the school psychologist if a kid actually got held back because they didn't meet the criteria. He tells me no, but then says if I want to delay my kid's start, he'll write me a recommendation.
I want what's best for my kid, just like everyone else. I'm not going to shove them into school if they aren't ready, but I'm also not keeping them in preschool for an extra year just to make my own life easier.
Bottom line: the staff at our local elementary school is a huge letdown.

Morning. Yeah, I was actually thinking about school enrollment delays.

But look, if the kid is doing fine, then they’re probably ready. Why do you think otherwise?
I mean, unless there's some specific diagnosis or major struggle—and they're at the right age—then they should be good to go.

My therapist once told me that no parent ever truly feels their child is ready. Everyone always thinks they aren't prepared enough. My little one is... well, emotionally immature, let's put it that way—but she’s going to have to navigate life and figure things out as she goes. Some people just have to learn lessons the hard way. She's shy, sensitive, easily overwhelmed... she loses her cool quickly and stays mad for ages. She doesn't handle losing well, struggles with following rules, isn't great at "selling herself," lacks social charm, and can't really express herself verbally. Plus, she gets completely fixated on the tiniest little details...

If the school psychologist—who actually knows her, knows me, and understands her developmental stage and level of independence—thinks she's ready for elementary school, then honestly, I’d advocate for a delay based on those facts. Just saying "but I feel like..." isn't a valid argument in this situation. 🙂

swiftbison92 said:I was stuck in a dilemma about whether to hold my little guy back.
We decided he'd go, but it still eats at me.🤦
He was born in late February, so he'll be 6.5, while the rest of his preschool crew will be 7 and a few months. It's a massive gap.
I know I'm biased because he's mine. My hesitation comes from fear. I was banking on the professionals to tell me if he was truly ready, but when the teacher said he's fine because he can read and write, I nearly had a nervous breakdown.
Hello? Kids can read at 3 years old and they definitely aren't ready for school.🙂
He wants to go, and the psychologist said he scored above average on the tests... but I'm still not 100% sure this is the right call.
I didn't expect them to do math with him during the psych eval (I was eavesdropping through the door; he was in there for an hour). I was thinking maybe they should have played a game of Sorry! just to see if he'd have a meltdown if he lost.😂
Anyway... from what I've seen, it feels like almost any kid can pass these tests. What kind of kids are the ones the experts actually suggest holding back?
If he knows that 1 apple plus 4 apples equals 5 apples, that's not some grand achievement proving he's ready for school. Most kids can count that high.

how do they even test for emotional maturity?

The kid was put in a room with a complete stranger and had to work through tasks independently for an hour.
On top of that, they got everything right.

They are totally ready for school. ☕

How much does accuracy actually matter when you're grinding through these tests? Like, is being spot-on the whole point, or is it more about just getting the damn thing finished even if you end up guessing half the answers wrong...

It’s kind of a mix of both, honestly, though I guess accuracy usually carries more weight since that’s the part they can actually grade, but they’re definitely looking for independence when solving the problems too. It’s not like they’re being asked to solve super complex calculus or anything.
There are definitely exceptions, though, where kids get admitted even if their test scores weren't the absolute highest or if they were right on the edge of passing. Usually, that happens if the evaluators feel like the score wasn't really about ability, but maybe just a lack of stimulation at home or they haven't had enough exposure to certain things yet—not because the kid actually lacks the capacity or isn't mentally ready. In those cases, I feel like it’s almost a waste to make them wait a year, because an extra year of sitting around won't magically change their environment, and they’ll probably just thrive much better in a more challenging school system rather than waiting around when they’re already clearly ready for school in every other way. So, these tests aren't always such black-and-white affairs, but generally speaking, they look at how many problems were solved correctly, while that independence is basically a prerequisite for getting through the tasks in the first place. That’s how you get a sense of a kid's focus, their attention span, and how well they can follow directions.
When it comes to emotional maturity, Ryan Stewart8 pretty much hit the nail on the head. 👍If a kid walks in without making a huge scene, just chats away and cooperates with a stranger for an hour without constantly interrupting or asking where Mom or Dad is, then yeah, I'd say that's more than enough.

I'm wondering, if things end up getting pushed back, do they seriously make you redo the whole damn battery of medical tests and checkups before school starts again next year?

Harold Cook2 said:I'm wondering, if things end up getting pushed back, do they seriously make you redo the whole damn battery of medical tests and checkups before school starts again next year?

Yeah, they probably will.

Susan James said:Yeah, they probably will.

So I knew it, I totally suspected this was coming
since a few people were trying to tell me otherwise, which just felt off to me

Ryan Stewart8 said:It’s kind of a mix of both, honestly, though I guess accuracy usually carries more weight since that’s the part they can actually grade, but they’re definitely looking for independence when solving the problems too. It’s not like they’re being asked to solve super complex calculus or anything.
There are definitely exceptions, though, where kids get admitted even if their test scores weren't the absolute highest or if they were right on the edge of passing. Usually, that happens if the evaluators feel like the score wasn't really about ability, but maybe just a lack of stimulation at home or they haven't had enough exposure to certain things yet—not because the kid actually lacks the capacity or isn't mentally ready. In those cases, I feel like it’s almost a waste to make them wait a year, because an extra year of sitting around won't magically change their environment, and they’ll probably just thrive much better in a more challenging school system rather than waiting around when they’re already clearly ready for school in every other way. So, these tests aren't always such black-and-white affairs, but generally speaking, they look at how many problems were solved correctly, while that independence is basically a prerequisite for getting through the tasks in the first place. That’s how you get a sense of a kid's focus, their attention span, and how well they can follow directions.
When it comes to emotional maturity, Ryan Stewart8 pretty much hit the nail on the head. 👍If a kid walks in without making a huge scene, just chats away and cooperates with a stranger for an hour without constantly interrupting or asking where Mom or Dad is, then yeah, I'd say that's more than enough.

Thanks, what you wrote totally makes sense.

Harold Cook2 said:I'm wondering, if things end up getting pushed back, do they seriously make you redo the whole damn battery of medical tests and checkups before school starts again next year?

Yeah. Everything from scratch.
A single year changes absolutely everything...

I honestly don't get why they went ahead and jabbed me now when they could've just waited until next year

The school doctor skipped my kid's shots last year since they weren't even hitting the classroom...
So we're getting it all squared away this year, especially since our checkup is coming up in just a few days anyway.

Joshua Ortiz2 said:The school doctor skipped my kid's shots last year since they weren't even hitting the classroom...
So we're getting it all squared away this year, especially since our checkup is coming up in just a few days anyway.

Honestly, I was thinking the exact same thing—just wait until he starts school next year—but the doctor basically told me, "No way, let's just get it out of the way now."

The school called me yesterday to let me know they held a meeting and that I need to come in to sign off on the deferment. It’s finally official—I honestly had no idea how the whole process was supposed to work.

Susan James said:The kid was put in a room with a complete stranger and had to work through tasks independently for an hour.
On top of that, they got everything right.

They are totally ready for school. ☕

God help me.

A friend of mine had her kid born right around the same time as mine—we're talking February. Mine was born in 2011, hers in 2010.
And they'll be in the same grade? Total joke. Honestly, the thought of him being 6.5 years old bugs me. You're gonna see the gap between kids.
Everyone else keeps delaying enrollment for every little reason, but I guess I'm just the crazy one sending my kid to school at 6.5.

Harold Cook2 said:Honestly, I was thinking the exact same thing—just wait until he starts school next year—but the doctor basically told me, "No way, let's just get it out of the way now."

Douglas Booth22 said:The school called me yesterday to let me know they held a meeting and that I need to come in to sign off on the deferment. It’s finally official—I honestly had no idea how the whole process was supposed to work.

Why did you guys ask for a delay?

swiftbison92 said:God help me.

A friend of mine had her kid born right around the same time as mine—we're talking February. Mine was born in 2011, hers in 2010.
And they'll be in the same grade? Total joke. Honestly, the thought of him being 6.5 years old bugs me. You're gonna see the gap between kids.
Everyone else keeps delaying enrollment for every little reason, but I guess I'm just the crazy one sending my kid to school at 6.5.

Not necessarily, though, because there's actually a reason why the cutoff dates are set the way they are.
I mean, I feel like nowadays people just tend to overthink things and push back school enrollment way more than they probably need to, mostly without a real cause.

Douglas Booth22 said:The school called me yesterday to let me know they held a meeting and that I need to come in to sign off on the deferment. It’s finally official—I honestly had no idea how the whole process was supposed to work.

They called me too!

swiftbison92 said:Why did you guys ask for a delay?

Don't be clueless—read a couple of pages first and then everything will make sense.
😁

I don't get why you're beating yourself up over thinking about it now when it's all settled and the little one is enrolled. If it makes you feel any better, I’d love for my kid to be as "ready" as yours and head off to kindergarten at 6.5! 🕺

Brian Jones8 said:They called me too!

Don't be clueless—read a couple of pages first and then everything will make sense.
😁

I don't get why you're beating yourself up over thinking about it now when it's all settled and the little one is enrolled. If it makes you feel any better, I’d love for my kid to be as "ready" as yours and head off to kindergarten at 6.5! 🕺

Yeah, born a slacker 😵

Hahaha, yeah, sure, born ready 🤣

And nooo, it's not over. At least I don't think so... we haven't finished the doctor's appointment yet. As for asking a psychiatrist for a delay? I bet they'd grant it, considering they called me before even seeing the kid.
And honestly? I'm gonna fight this until I see he can actually handle himself... if he never figures it out, I'll just cry that I didn't leave him home, though maybe he wouldn't handle 7.5 any better either
I know, I'm overcomplicating things for nothing 🤦 ....