Hi Lorraine,

Thanks for your perspective. I'm glad your kids have done so well despite the age difference. It is interesting to see how different the school systems work in various parts of the country. I live in the south and it has become the norm rather than the exception to hold kids back beginning around June birthdays (our state cut-off is Oct 15th). The private schools here have a June 15th cut-off so it seems that people are beginning to follow those guides lines even for public school (although in the private schools kids are all required to be tested and it is test results rather than birth date that dictates pre-k vs kindergarten).

I think my oldest dd would have been fine if everyone started according to the state mandate but there is a big difference between kids starting kindergarten at age 6 and those starting at age 4. It seems teacher expectations are much higher as well. I had my triplet girls tested recently and my little peanut is clearly not ready for kindergarten being a full year behind the other girls developmentally. This makes our decision a lot easier this time around as we want to try and keep them together. Take Care.

Nettie

Mom to g/g/g age 4
and 8 yr old big sister

Nettie

Mom to g/g/g age 7
and 11 yr old big sister
and ^angel big brother^