when to start kindergarten?

[GA1977]

In Georgia the age/date cut off is Sept 1rst. Georiga also starts school in the beginning of August.

Boden's birthday is Sept 8th (so he misses the cut off by 7 days). Okay, here's the question (right now he's 2......so we have a long time to figure this out but we were discussing last night because preschool registration is in 2 weeks. We will place him in a class of young 3s (he'll technically be 2 years old for 3 weeks when he starts preschool and then turn 3).

He's my question: If you're child was near/at the cut off date, would you want your child to be the YOUNGEST in the class (so enter him into kindergarten when he is technically 4 years old (and then turns 5 a few weeks after school has started). Or would you want your child to be the OLDEST in the class (so enter him in kindergarten when he is technically 5 years old but then turns 6 years old a few weeks after school)?



I know each child is different and indviduality is important, etc etc. DH was also born at the cut off date and his parents put him in "early" per se and he was the YOUNGEST in the class and did prefectly fine academically and he did exceptionally well in athletics (this is important to us because both DH and I are very athletic and we hope are kids will be too) (and I mention athletics because I know boys and girls are different---size and maturity wise so it might now be a big deal for a girl to be the youngest in the class but I wonder how it would effect a boy being the youngest. Know what I mean? But what would you do with Boden?! : )

[mla]

My son's b-day is September 25th, and with our Sep 1 cutoff, he'll be one of the oldest in the class. I far prefer that to the alternative of him being the youngest.

[GA1977]

Just curious---why is that?

Dh and I are leaning (strongly) towards getting him in early (7 days. lol)

[hotpinkmomma0811]

Cody will turn 5 2 weeks before the cut off. Here it's August 1st. He'll be the youngest in his class when he starts that's fine with me because he is currently enrolled to the new Pre-K program and will start Kindergarten next year. He has no behavior problems at school and the teachers adore him so there is no point to hold him back.

[AmeriBrit]

Having one child who is currently youngest in class and also working in the education system myself, I would prefer my children to actually be the oldest (which Cash will be since the cut off here is 31st August). Travis is one of the youngest in his class; he is as tall as the older boys, but his maturity level is not the same. He's doing fine academically, but he doesn't have the confidence of the older boys. Generally, younger boys tend to struggle with academics. One of the first things teachers ask when talking about a struggling student is, "Is he a summer born child?"

[macksmom]

My mom (a teacher) has always said it's best to keep boys back if they are close to the cut off because they tend to mature more slowly and could have a lot of behavior problems which inhibit their learning and sometimes "label" them as behavior problems. That would really go for any child who seems a little immature for their age.

DD2 is in preschool and turning 4 next month. There are some kids in the class who just turned 3. You can TOTALLY tell the difference between them. The younger ones are very babyish and need way more direction and help and are very emotional.

Some kids do fine, for others it is a problem. You really have to judge by your child.

ETA: DD1 turned 5 1 month before starting kindergarten and only had trouble adjusting to the schedule but no behavior or learning issues. It really depends on the child.

[GA1977]

Cody will turn 5 2 weeks before the cut off. Here it's August 1st. He'll be the youngest in his class when he starts that's fine with me because he is currently enrolled to the new Pre-K program and will start Kindergarten next year. He has no behavior problems at school and the teachers adore him so there is no point to hold him back.

(I'm talking to myself here): So similar to boden---youngest in the class. Boden will start pre-k this August (at 3 (well, a couple weeks shy of 3) and be in preschool for 2 years before Kindergarten and I'm assuming 2 years in pre-k should be enough for him.

[GA1977]

Having one child who is currently youngest in class and also working in the education system myself, I would prefer my children to actually be the oldest (which Cash will be since the cut off here is 31st August). Travis is one of the youngest in his class; he is as tall as the older boys, but his maturity level is not the same. He's doing fine academically, but he doesn't have the confidence of the older boys. Generally, younger boys tend to struggle with academics. One of the first things teachers ask when talking about a struggling student is, "Is he a summer born child?"

Interesting!!

[GA1977]

My mom (a teacher) has always said it's best to keep boys back if they are close to the cut off because they tend to mature more slowly and could have a lot of behavior problems which inhibit their learning and sometimes "label" them as behavior problems. That would really go for any child who seems a little immature for their age.

DD2 is in preschool and turning 4 next month. There are some kids in the class who just turned 3. You can TOTALLY tell the difference between them. The younger ones are very babyish and need way more direction and help and are very emotional.

Some kids do fine, for others it is a problem. You really have to judge by your child.

ETA: DD1 turned 5 1 month before starting kindergarten and only had trouble adjusting to the schedule but no behavior or learning issues. It really depends on the child.

I'm just talking to myself outloud here:
Your DD1 would be similar to boden (turning 5 right at the beginning of the year so technically a "younger" one). Ive also talked to teachers and other moms and they've said that sometimes the "Oldest" kids in the class can be bored/not challenged/etc and then they end up acting out because they're just bored. I was thinknig that if Boden has 2 years of prek(its a pretty advanced preschool program and they learn more than the typical preschool programs (from what I'm told) then he have learned most of the basic kindergarten things so I was afraid that if he had to take 3 years of preschool, he would be bored out of his mind with the curriculum by the time he gets to kindergarten. know what I mean?

[macksmom]

I'm just talking to myself outloud here:
Your DD1 would be similar to boden (turning 5 right at the beginning of the year so technically a "younger" one). Ive also talked to teachers and other moms and they've said that sometimes the "Oldest" kids in the class can be bored/not challenged/etc and then they end up acting out because they're just bored. I was thinknig that if Boden has 2 years of prek(its a pretty advanced preschool program and they learn more than the typical preschool programs (from what I'm told) then he have learned most of the basic kindergarten things so I was afraid that if he had to take 3 years of preschool, he would be bored out of his mind with the curriculum by the time he gets to kindergarten. know what I mean?

Yep there is truth to that as well. I think it totally depends on behavior and maturity which you wont be able to judge until then.

[raspberry]

Our cutoff is also Sept 1st and Gilly's birthday is July 1st. I always thought I would hold him back, because I wanted him to be the oldest in class not the youngest. Now I am really on the fence about it. He is doing so well in school. If I were to hold him back next year, it would be at a different school. I will see what input his prek teacher has on the subject. Long story I still don't know what we are doing.

[kmrk336]

I think it really differs child to child. My brother would have been the youngest in his class but my parents kept him back a year. He is the baby of the family and when I say baby I mean BABY. Very immature. He would just not have been ready to start kinder at 4 years old. Keeping him back was the best thing they did for him. He excelled at academics and sports. I was also one of the younger ones in my grade and while I flourished socially, I struggled academically. It took me a lot longer than the other kids to catch on to things (not for lack of trying, and not for being unintelligent). I wish my parents would of kept me back. We're having a July baby so it won't be an issue for this baby.

[sparks3]

We have the same cutoff, and Levi's birthday is Sept 19th. He will be one of the oldest in his class. I totally understand the "being bored" concept. He seems to actually be a bit more advanced than Luke was for his age. I think part of that has to do with being close in age to his older brother. However, he has not had a lot of social interaction with other children, and isn't as "mature". For that reason, I think it's best that he'll be one of the oldest.

I also wanted to add, I was born in June, so I was the youngest of my class. I got along great, and was at the top of my graduating class. I never had any issues and absolutely loved school. Again, though, I have an older brother close in age and girls do mature more quickly than boys.

It's def a case-to-case basis, but if I had a late Summer boy, I would probably keep him back so he would be one of the oldest in his class.

[Suja]

My neighbor's now 18 year old son has a September 7th birthday. He was the youngest in class, went to the GT program (they didn't know of course when he started), plays baseball and basketball, and did just fine. So much depends on the child.

[GA1977]

Our cutoff is also Sept 1st and Gilly's birthday is July 1st. I always thought I would hold him back, because I wanted him to be the oldest in class not the youngest. Now I am really on the fence about it. He is doing so well in school. If I were to hold him back next year, it would be at a different school. I will see what input his prek teacher has on the subject. Long story I still don't know what we are doing.

as I said before: my DH was at the cut off and his mom chose to start him and he was the youngest. His mom said that if he had issues that first year of school, then they would just hold him back and have him repeat kindergarten if need be. (But he did great and didn't need to do that). So, I guess I'm thinking if we put him in as the youngest and he struggles (or whatever) then we have the option of holding him back and repeating kindegarten (and its not too much of a big deal). But if we choose to send him as the oldest and he is bored (and then acts out) we can't go back and "redo" anything.....we'd be stuck where we are adn we'd have to figure out how to challenge him. Does that make sense? (by responding to everyone's comments, I'm talking this out with myself so I'm not arguing any one's posts and comments......I'm just talking it out with myself. LOL)

[MaryJane]

Um, how are you going to get him in if his birthday is past the cutoff date? Brynna's birthday is September 4th and she was definitely ready to start school the year she turned 5, but I couldn't find a single school public or private that would enroll her due to her birthday being after the cutoff. I wasn't given a choice. They even tested her and said she was ready for first grade the year she did start kindergarten but she couldn't go because the cutoff didn't leave me a choice. I must have called every school within a 15 mile radius and none would accept students who weren't 5 by September 1st for kindy or 6 by September 1st for 1st grade. So she is one of the oldest in her grade. It was hard in elementary school because she's also very tall, but now that she's in middle school it's not an issue. They have advanced classes for students who need them. Vada's birthday is August 11th, so she is the youngest in her classes for the most part. She also never had issues except in kindergarten but I attribute that to her teacher. She has always been very mature for her age, but she's a junior this year and just turned 16. She won't turn 17 until after she starts her senior year and will graduate before she turns 18. That has been very intimidating for her, and she's pretty terrified at this point. I am feeling like she's so young to be where she is now. If you find a school that will take him even though he's past the cut off date, please let me know about it.

[GA1977]

Um, how are you going to get him in if his birthday is past the cutoff date? Brynna's birthday is September 4th and she was definitely ready to start school the year she turned 5, but I couldn't find a single school public or private that would enroll her due to her birthday being after the cutoff. I wasn't given a choice. They even tested her and said she was ready for first grade the year she did start kindergarten but she couldn't go because the cutoff didn't leave me a choice. I must have called every school within a 15 mile radius and none would accept students who weren't 5 by September 1st for kindy or 6 by September 1st for 1st grade. So she is one of the oldest in her grade. It was hard in elementary school because she's also very tall, but now that she's in middle school it's not an issue. They have advanced classes for students who need them. Vada's birthday is August 11th, so she is the youngest in her classes for the most part. She also never had issues except in kindergarten but I attribute that to her teacher. She has always been very mature for her age, but she's a junior this year and just turned 16. She won't turn 17 until after she starts her senior year and will graduate before she turns 18. That has been very intimidating for her, and she's pretty terrified at this point. I am feeling like she's so young to be where she is now. If you find a school that will take him even though he's past the cut off date, please let me know about it.

Personally, I haven't looked in to it but I have friends (and friends of friends) that have entered their kids into kindgergarten early (a few days past the cut off). I'm in Cherokee county....not sure if that makes any difference. But like I said, I have not really looked into it yet. Long story: Parker goes to a private preschool (this is her 2nd year, she will then go to kinder next year). They sent home a note yesterday that fall registration for preschool (for boden) is in 2 weeks and thats what got us thinking. We want to start him when he's 3 (or just a few days shy of 3 years old) but then we started thinking about kindergarten. I don't want him to be at this preschool for 3 years!! He's be bored out of his mind. And then when he's in kindergarten he would be 5 years old for only 3 WEEKS of his kindergarden year...he's be 6 his entire kindergarten year......that seems a bit ridiculous....doesn't it? Ugh, this parenting thing is hard! LOL

[Cosmosmom]

I would absolutely without a doubt hold any child of mine back with a Sept birthday. I have a Sept 12th birthday, was tested and came out fine so my parents had that choice. After talking to a friend of mine's mom (a child psychologist), she thought it was better to be older. Asked my mom if she wanted me to leave for college at 17 and turn 18 the first few weeks there.....or leave at 18 and be 19 my first few weeks.
I have always felt it was a great advantage to be older. I was always one of the most mature....came in handy in high school when my friends were a year younger. And school was always pretty easy. The rest of my friends or others I know with Sept b-days were pushed ahead.....and every single one has struggled. I do know there are expections....I had one friend who came from a different district...senior year high school I was 18 in Sept...he turned 17 in Nov! Over a year younger and is now a prof...but he is quite brilliant. Though he was immature in high school.

Actually I would probably even really think about holding back a July or August baby with a Sept 1st cut off date in my state. Do more pre-K type programs instead. That is what my parents did, I went to something called junior kindergarten first. I think that it would have been awful to be pushed ahead and than held back when my friends progressed. OMG how terrible that would have felt at shared times like recess when you see your old friends a grade ahead. No way.

[Gwenn]

as I said before: my DH was at the cut off and his mom chose to start him and he was the youngest. His mom said that if he had issues that first year of school, then they would just hold him back and have him repeat kindergarten if need be. (But he did great and didn't need to do that). So, I guess I'm thinking if we put him in as the youngest and he struggles (or whatever) then we have the option of holding him back and repeating kindegarten (and its not too much of a big deal). But if we choose to send him as the oldest and he is bored (and then acts out) we can't go back and "redo" anything.....we'd be stuck where we are adn we'd have to figure out how to challenge him. Does that make sense? (by responding to everyone's comments, I'm talking this out with myself so I'm not arguing any one's posts and comments......I'm just talking it out with myself. LOL)

Well, no...once a student enrolls in kindergarten he can only repeat it if he is retained. They can just as well retain him when he is older as when he is younger - that doesn't make a difference. So either way doesn't matter.

I agree that summer born kids often are more likely brought to Child Study teams at school (some need services, some don't, but it's definitely an issue). That said, lots of younger kids do just fine and that one fact in and of itself isn't going to predict problems but it can tip the balance if they are a little slow for their age.

I have September birthday and started kinder at four. The question I suggest asking is, are you ready for him to move out of the house and into a dormitory at age 17? That is what I did and I wasn't old enough to even have a credit card. Something to think about...

[Cosmosmom]

I have September birthday and started kinder at four. The question I suggest asking is, are you ready for him to move out of the house and into a dormitory at age 17? That is what I did and I wasn't old enough to even have a credit card. Something to think about...

I really think that was the single biggest reason why my parents (mainly my mom since she is the boss of everything LOL) didn't put me ahead. I was pretty much 6 my entire K year....but the bigger issue for mom was when I would leave the house and be out on my own. I was 18 when I moved into the dorm but two weeks later was 19.

[MaryJane]

Personally, I haven't looked in to it but I have friends (and friends of friends) that have entered their kids into kindgergarten early (a few days past the cut off). I'm in Cherokee county....not sure if that makes any difference. But like I said, I have not really looked into it yet. Long story: Parker goes to a private preschool (this is her 2nd year, she will then go to kinder next year). They sent home a note yesterday that fall registration for preschool (for boden) is in 2 weeks and thats what got us thinking. We want to start him when he's 3 (or just a few days shy of 3 years old) but then we started thinking about kindergarten. I don't want him to be at this preschool for 3 years!! He's be bored out of his mind. And then when he's in kindergarten he would be 5 years old for only 3 WEEKS of his kindergarden year...he's be 6 his entire kindergarten year......that seems a bit ridiculous....doesn't it? Ugh, this parenting thing is hard! LOL

I checked with schools in Douglas and Cobb counties since we were on the line. Now I'm in Paulding County and it's the same here. They said it was a statewide thing. I'd be checking into that before I'd even be weighing options. Fwiw, Vada went to a private PreK when she was 3. She then stayed home for a year before starting kindergarten. Wasn't an issue. Like others have said though, her being 17 when she graduates is really concerning for both her and us. It wasn't something I thought about at the time, since her birthday wasn't after any cutoff dates. Anakin's birthday is on the 13th of August so he will be young too, and I'm considering whether I want to start him in preK or in kindy this next school year. He'll be 5 in August, but he hasn't been to preK because he wasn't potty trained when the school year began. He will be old enough to start kindergarten but he'll be 4 for about 2 weeks after school starts before turning 5.

[Chayah]

As a former kindergarten teacher, I vote for him to be the oldest in the class, especially since he's a boy. Hands down.

[macksmom]

I would WAY rather my child be a little bored for a bit in kindergarten than get held back. Besides there is no guarantee a child will be bored. They are all bored at some point when they come back after summer break, etc. Most teachers will give advanced kids something more enriching and the newness of school in general is enough to keep their minds busy imo.

As others mentioned, other issues come with being the youngest like going to college at 17 and also getting your license way later....or way earlier if you are the oldest lol.

In our district I don't think they will let you start early but can hold back if you feel your child isn't ready. I know someone DH works with has a DD who missed the cut off by a few days and she was pissed. Her kid could already read so she was quite advanced already. As far as I know she is doing fine and not bored at all.

On the other hand, there was a boy in DD's kinder class who was held back and it was kind of sad. DD loved this kid and she was so confused as to why he was still with the same teacher when she had a different one. They say it doesn't effect them but I think it does. They probably get over it after a while but it has got to be rough to be left behind on the FIRST year in school when you spend the whole year getting to know the other kids and making friends, going to birthday parties and then the following year you are left behind and have to do it all over again.....

[kmrk336]

I Asked my mom if she wanted me to leave for college at 17 and turn 18 the first few weeks there.....or leave at 18 and be 19 my first few weeks.

I totally forgot about this. I was 17 when I left for college, I turned 18 about a month and a half in. I stayed for 1 year and begged to come home the entire time. I was totally unprepared at 17 to be in college living by myself. I think had I had another year I would have been ok.

[Ky'sMom]

Elle is also a Sept birthday, she is 9/26. She is 4 right now and academically is kindergarten ready. I am really upset that she will not be able to go to kindergarten this August. I would prefer her start right now and be the youngest in the class since she is mature and is very bright and I don't want her to be bored.

She reminds me a lot of myself as a kid and I was extremely bored in school. I remember a meeting where they wanted me to skip a couple grades, but my mom didn't want me to and I wish she would have as I was very mature as a kid and I'm sure I would have done well if I had been advanced. Especially since I took a lot of advanced courses and by the time I got to high school, I took classes with primarily 11th graders when I was in the 9th grade. I wish I could have graduated with my friends and not have been bored to death in 11th and 12th grade. I even skipped every Tuesday just because I didn't want to go to school lol. I still had a gpa over 4.00 with all the skipping because school was just too easy. So I worry about Elle in that respect. I don't really care too much about athletics. I was very athletic as a kid but don't put a lot of emphasis on being athletic as I am more concerned with a challenging academic environment than playing sports even though I do love sports and activity and my kids are involved in athletics already.

FYI, they will not let Boden enter public school early here in GA. There is no way to test into kindergarten and they are VERY strict about it. I am a crazy "make-people-do-what-I-want-to-do-in-school" sort of parent, but I could not make them bend with Elle and I know other people who are crazier than I am in school lol. They also could not make them bend. One of our teachers at Ky's school has a daughter with an early Sept birthday, I think the 5th and they would not let her daughter go to our school. She had to put her daughter in private school, so if you are going private, you can do it, but not in public school. And if you start off kindergarten in private you have to stay in private school until 2nd grade or they will have to repeat a grade in public school. So if he goes to private kindergarten when he is 4 turning 5, then the following year in public school, they will make him go to kindergarten again when he is 5 turning 6 as there are age/birthday requirements for both kindergarten and first grade since kindergarten is not legally required.

ETA: Some private schools do allow exceptions to the rule like I mentioned above. I have looked into a couple here in Atlanta proper but not a lot of them allow this. Like MaryJane said, this is a statewide rule and unless it was years ago, I find it hard to believe that they let a kid into kinder who did not make the cutoff. Elle can read and do simple arithmetic and they won't let her go. We are looking at moving out of state if not this fall, then next year so I am considering putting her in kindergarten in a private school so that she will be in the right grade when we move back up north.

Erin

[GA1977]

ugh!! I'm upset now!! ; ( thanks girls!!! Like i said, i haven't done the research yet. We were just talking about it last night and of course I go straight to my apa girls for advice!!! thanks girls!

[tanyachap]

I don't know if you are able to enroll him early but I would consider it if you feel he is ready. I was born at the cut off (Jan 12 with cut off Dec 31) and my parents had the option to enroll me early (this was overseas). My parents preferred that I be the oldest in the class. I was not only academically ready but also mature for my age. Holding me back was a huge mistake everyone now realizes. I think people don't even realize the extent to which a child can be bored AND GET IN TROUBLE due to boredom. In a classroom of 25-30 student the teacher has to go with the majority. I can't say that I was gifted but I was above any of my classmates in most classes. When I got older I skipped classes due to boredom and lack of challenge. It got really worse in middle and high school and I also had no problem getting ready for tests and acing them. I have very high GPA from high school.

However, if a child is not academically or emotionally ready, he will be better off being held back. At this point, we are facing the possibility that DS2 won't start kinder this year and he will be 5.5. (April baby but a late bloomer). We will decide in May 2013. The preliminary evals came that he is not ready. I have no problem holding him back as I can see with my own eyes that he is behind his peers and tends to do what his friends with Oct, Nov. Dec birthdays do.

DS2 is a Feb baby so far from the cut off but very advanced. If the cut off was Feb 1 (theoretically) I would consider sending him early. (He was born Feb 3). He gets along fine with older boys and gets bored without a challenge.

So you have to decide based on how he is doing in this last year before kinder. I don't think that boys are always behind but they do tend to develop and mature a little slower than girls. But if Boden keeps being the smart little monkey he is I would seriously consider it if that's possible. In our state, you cannot do it past the cut off.

[MaryJane]

Elle is also a Sept birthday, she is 9/26. She is 4 right now and academically is kindergarten ready. I am really upset that she will not be able to go to kindergarten this August. I would prefer her start right now and be the youngest in the class since she is mature and is very bright and I don't want her to be bored.

She reminds me a lot of myself as a kid and I was extremely bored in school. I remember a meeting where they wanted me to skip a couple grades, but my mom didn't want me to and I wish she would have as I was very mature as a kid and I'm sure I would have done well if I had been advanced. Especially since I took a lot of advanced courses and by the time I got to high school, I took classes with primarily 11th graders when I was in the 9th grade. I wish I could have graduated with my friends and not have been bored to death in 11th and 12th grade. I even skipped every Tuesday just because I didn't want to go to school lol. I still had a gpa over 4.00 with all the skipping because school was just too easy. So I worry about Elle in that respect. I don't really care too much about athletics. I was very athletic as a kid but don't put a lot of emphasis on being athletic as I am more concerned with a challenging academic environment than playing sports even though I do love sports and activity and my kids are involved in athletics already.

FYI, they will not let Boden enter public school early here in GA. There is no way to test into kindergarten and they are VERY strict about it. I am a crazy "make-people-do-what-I-want-to-do-in-school" sort of parent, but I could not make them bend with Elle and I know other people who are crazier than I am in school lol. They also could not make them bend. One of our teachers at Ky's school has a daughter with an early Sept birthday, I think the 5th and they would not let her daughter go to our school. She had to put her daughter in private school, so if you are going private, you can do it, but not in public school. And if you start off kindergarten in private you have to stay in private school until 2nd grade or they will have to repeat a grade in public school. So if he goes to private kindergarten when he is 4 turning 5, then the following year in public school, they will make him go to kindergarten again when he is 5 turning 6 as there are age/birthday requirements for both kindergarten and first grade since kindergarten is not legally required.

ETA: Some private schools do allow exceptions to the rule like I mentioned above. I have looked into a couple here in Atlanta proper but not a lot of them allow this. Like MaryJane said, this is a statewide rule and unless it was years ago, I find it hard to believe that they let a kid into kinder who did not make the cutoff. Elle can read and do simple arithmetic and they won't let her go. We are looking at moving out of state if not this fall, then next year so I am considering putting her in kindergarten in a private school so that she will be in the right grade when we move back up north.

Erin

I was also very advanced and all my friends graduated 1-2 years ahead of me, so I know what you are talking about. My teachers tried to skip me a grade from 6th to 8th and my mom said no. Then I changed schools in 8th grade and they wanted to skip me to 9th and again my mom said no. I was always irritated that my mom wouldn't let me skip ahead. It was because she didn't like me hanging out with kids older than me, but I did anyway. I had almost no friends my own age. My birthday is in April so it had nothing to do with my being older or younger since I was the average age. I was just very smart and very mature for my age. I don't think that is typical though, and I don't think it's something you can necessarily know about in kindergarten and first grade. I know that Tea and Vada are both advanced academically and Vada was always mature, but they always had more advanced classes they offered that more than challenged them academically.

[hanvan2]

Here you would not be able to get past the cut off. They won't let you start them earlier.

But I wouldn't anyway. I would rather deal with a behavior problem from being bored than deal with a struggling child. My DD1 bday is 9-19 and she's the oldest one in class. She's doing well and keeping up. She is also more mature. I'm also glad she'll go off to college at 19 not barely 18. But I used to teach and my struggling kiddos were almost ALWAYS the youngest boys in class (a few girls) but all were almost the youngest in class. just my 2 cents

eta: not all younger kids are going to struggle either. Hope I didn't make it sound like they would But I've just noticed that most of the time the kids who had a little trouble reading were the youngest kids in class. Of course some weren't. I think that's why it's a kid by kid thing and not an all or nothing. But I wouldn't put my child in earlier. good luck w your decision

[Dreya]

I have two July boys and the cut off date at their private school is the beginning of August. Right now Jonathan is the youngest in his PreK 4 class but luckily his teachers all recognize that he's a young child compared to the rest of them. Apparently that all evens out by about second grade. I'll be putting Daniel in 3's next year too and again he'll be the youngest, I think he can handle it though. It's really all up to individual personalities I think.