[loveajax]

So I had a thread here about DD getting "ready" for kindergarten that was so helpful to me.

Anyway, I am thrilled with her PreK teachers. They are fantastic.

I am pretty close with one of them (she also babysits for us) and she is unhappy because of the class size (20 kids, 2 teachers). The K cutoff around here is age 5 by September 1, but some "pushy" parents wanted their kids in preK (not preschool) even though their kids won't be starting K next year (won't make the cutoff). Some of these kids are still in diapers (because of how young they are!).

Anyway, I just feel like these kids will have their "preK" year (when they are older/more advanced) and I don't know if I should "complain" to the school or not. I don't think there is an "official" policy.

I hate complaining but I also would like my DD to cover the bases the teachers want to cover? By the way, I remember a little girl in DD's class getting "bumped up" last year because she was so advanced...that I understand (it wasn't DD, of couse, she's only advanced in being fresh!)....but for the parents to dictate this when their kids aren't really ready in the teachers' eyes??

(OMG, how do parents navigate all this stuff...it makes me nutty and so unsure of myself!).

[mommytoEli]

i don't know....i am one of those parents pushing to get my son started in a program that age wise he does not qualify for, but academically he does. 4 months ago he was in diapers....and reading. what do you do with a kid like that? at least he is out of the diapers now, but at 3 years old still has 2 years to wait until he can start kindy. it is frustrating on this side too. i hope that is why young kids are in your pre k, maybe bc they are advanced in some area. if they truly are not, and are truly not ready in ANY area, then i'd agree that was wrong and wonder why the school would allow for it at all. in my district, it doesn't matter if I think my child is advanced, he can only gain early entrance after being tested and evaluated. only a group of educators can decide if he can start early....not me. anyway....in your case....if they truly don't belong there AND are detrimental to the learning of the appropriately aged children, i would complain. it probably will not matter, but it might make you feel better.

[DPline]

Since you are close to this one teacher can you find of from her if there is an official policy? And then decide where to go from there? As I see it, it is one thing if they have a policy and are choosing not to follow it, and another if they don't even have a policy.

Is this a private school or a public school? My kids all went to a preschool that is through our public schools and while they don't received state money for the preschool program they still follow the state age cutoff for 3 & 4 year old preschool, and for the Young 5's program, for which they do receive funding, absolutely no child is admitted who does not meet the Dec. 1 cutoff for entering kindergarten.

Like MommytoEli talked about, I can have them tested to enter kindergarten early or go directly into our gifted and talented school. But this is not an option for the preschool or Young 5's program.

Good luck!

[loveajax]

Thanks, guys. This one is private....I know our public preK has the age cutoffs. I am prety sure there is no policy (it is so disorganized!!). I am sure she will have a good year anyway....just wish there were less kids for the teachers! I think I'll let this one go.

[OakShannon]

If they don't have a policy in place, they should and they should be firm about it. In the age of parental anxiety about kids' performance and everyone wanting their child to have every advantage, parents often push for this kind of thing. Every year parents at my school would push to have their child start pre-k or kindy early and threaten to pull their kids if we didn't agree. If they are letting that kind of pressure influence their decisions about which kids are in the pre-k class - that's not good for the class. At this age, you KNOW what a difference a year makes developmentally. It's huge! Several younger kids will change what the teacher is able to plan for her class and how her time and focus are spent. (A Montessori class is set up for this kind of age difference and it is planned for - so I'm not talking about that situation.)

And Mommytoeli, this is not directed at you at all. I hear that you're frustrated. Some kids truly are gifted overall, academically, socially and emotionally, and they do better with an older group of kids. But that situation is rare and if there is more that one younger child in this class, that is probably not why these kids were moved.

Can you take a day to observe, armed with what your friend has told you? If she's concerned about it, I'd say there is a problem and maybe some of you parents of the pre-k age kids need to push from the other side for an age based policy for pre-k placement. Most pre-k programs have one, so you're not asking for anything unusual. If it were me, I wouldn't be happy if parental pressure was being allowed to influence their placement decisions.

[greenrobin]

I'd be a little worried about the disorganization--a good teacher can control the classroom situation, but the entire school should at least have some kind of structure and written policy. That's just good management!

And I also have a child....well actually several children, ahem............gifted at being fresh! I am so going to use that!

[loveajax]

Oak, have I ever asked you if you would be willing to come to MA and be DD's teacher (and school adminstrator) for pre-K thru college? hahahha. Everything you write about school I always agree with 100 percent.

Green, DD has a Ph.D in being fresh.....it's quite an accomplishment!! I hope your kids only have their masters degrees!

[celebratewewill]

Originally Posted by loveajax

Green, DD has a Ph.D in being fresh.....it's quite an accomplishment!! I hope your kids only have their masters degrees!

hmm, my child is so gifted with this, that she recieved an honorary phd.

[Nevada Jen]

I think I would try to observe the class and form your own opinions about it. That said. . .Kids in diapers (unless they are disabled) would not be allowed on the age 3 private preschools here. Your daughter is in a year older class and there are still kids in diapers? That makes for a very different type of class than a bunch of 4 year olds who just go to the bathroom when they need to and take a decent amount of responsibility for themselves. Is there a school rule about being potty trained? I know both schools my son attended had firm rules that children must be fully potty trained to attend. That might be an easier rule to attack than letting kids younger than the cut off in the class.

[Cjmeck]

When my son was in PK, it was ages 3-5 and there were 2 teachers for 20 kids. It was absolutely beyond me how the teachers did it, but the class was mostly calm and organized. There were different stations so all the kids were rarely doing the same thing, so they stayed spread out. I think the biggest test if a child is ready for PK is not diapers, or how smart they are; but how mature they are. Can they entertain themselves for awhile? Can they follow simple directions? Kids who cannot do those things take too much extra time for the teachers and the rest of the kids suffer. If it seems like your DD is getting the short end of the stick, I'd definitely speak up. For my son's class, it went along nicely for the most part. They did have a problem with a younger child who knew very little english and ultimately, the teachers asked that he be moved to a different class. I really think that mixed age groups are fantastic and the kids learn alot from eachother. The little ones learn how to act by watching the older kids. And the older kids learn tolerance and patience for the little ones.

[OakShannon]

CJ - I think that can definitely be true. The difference, in my opinion, is whether this is something that was planned for and the program was designed that way, or if it something the teachers are having to adjust to because the school doesn't have a definite policy or philosophy in place.

Love - Sure! I love New England.

[KarenInCa]

Being in diapers still, is a bit young for preK. When my daughter was in preschool, no child could be in the "pre-preK" till they were out of daytime diapers. I can see how you would feel your own child is not getting her needs met if she is there with other children who might not be old enough to be in the same prek stage as your own daughter is.
One of the girls that went to preK with my daughter has parents who are very pushy about her being in advanced classes. In PreK, they made sure she was in PreK-2, and now that she's in Kindergarten, they've made sure she is in a class they refer to as Pre-1.
Her parents always want her to be one step above "normal". With this child, being "normal" is going to be "failed".
What if she really IS normal or average at something? What a high expectation to put on a child!