What age should DD start school?

[CBB]

I can't believe I'm asking this since DD is only 20.5 months old. We just went to visit a Montessori school today. This is the 3rd Montessori school I visited and I really like the Montessori philosophy. DD will be 2y6mo Sep next year. Unfortuanately in MA the rules are pretty strict that a child has to be 2.9 in Sep, which means DD won't be able to start until 9/07 even though I think she'll be ready next year. I'm trying to figure out what age she'll start elementary school. DD will be 6y6mo old if she does the typical 3yr Montessori program. I thought that 1st grade can began at age 5-6 or maybe I'm wrong. Can I keep her in Montessori for 2yrs and have her go to 1st grade (public school) when she'll be 5y6mo then? I understand every child is different and that social readiness is very important. I would do this only if we feel that she's ready. I'm just wondering if this is an option.


Thanks so much in advance!

[ctmom]

More and more states are changing their age for Kidergarden. I know here in CT, as long as the child is 5 by 12/31, they can start Kindergarden at 4. In CT it is a state law. Other states let their school districts make the rules. In NY most districts have either a 10/31 or 12/31 cutoff. I would check with the school district and see if they allow her to start 1st grade at 5y6m. You should also keep in mind that you might not want her to be the youngest child in her class, some parents and/or teachers feel that children born in the fall should be kept back a year even if the school district allows them to enter early...Hope this makes sense.

[JBaxter]

In Maryland you must be 5 by 9/1 to start kindergarten. From a mom w/ kiddos with late bdays I think its a good thing they changed the dates. The children are more emotionally ready ( from my experience anyway) Nathan wont start preschool until he is 3yrs10months ( nov bday). I know here all the preschools follow the school age requirments that might be why they set those requirements at the programs you checked out. You also need to think about later on when she will be a year later than her friends doing things like age based sports like soccer ( u5's u6's etc/driving/dating/part time job kind of stuff.

added- In Md Kindergarten is required. You must have proof of attending an accredited progaram so attending 2 yrs of the of the 3yr program may not give you what you need to start first grade.

[mattysmom]

I too live in MA and have a February 03 baby and was in a very similar situation last year at this time. I felt that DS would be ready to start "school" at 2.7, but state law regulates preschools to begin at 2.9 (basically if children are under 2.9 they must have a lower teacher:student ratio which is much more expensive for the school too). So, I found a toddler program for him for this year (with all 2-year-olds) and then he'll start "real" preschool next fall at 3.7, stay for two years and then go to kindergarten.

And it varies by town, but most towns near me have kindergarten cutoffs of 8/31 or 9/1 - that a child must be 5 years old by that date. So my son will be 5.7 when he starts kindergarten, 6.7 when he starts first grade, etc...

So my advice to you would be to find a toddler program for your DD for next year and then enroll her in the Montessori for the next 2 or 3 years (depending on how old she can be there, and when you want her to begin in public school).

Feel free to PM me!

[Ari]

my dd is 20 mo. old as well, I don't know what I am doing with her next year? I love having her with me.