We are in a similar situation with our PreK DD. She is by far the youngest in the class, with the majority of the class being at least 6 months older than her, and a few red-shirted almost 6-year-olds. DD is also small. Many of the kids in her class are a whole head taller than her. She also seems to have held onto her baby look a little longer than most. When she walks in the class many kids comment about how cute she is. They even come up to her and squeeze her cheeks or pat her on the head.

In many ways it is great that she has always been the youngest. She is a chameleon, matching her behavior and learning to those around her. But, in other ways, it is not. She is treated like a toy. I have seen her get manipulated. She is learning to be more of a follower. I think she is becoming even more reserved. She is also an easy target for picking on. And, as I observed recently, many of the older kids in her class are introducing some mature topics into their play as well as queen bee drama.

But, she is happy. The first few weeks were rough for her I think, looking back. But, I think she is happy to have her niche in the class. Many of the kids are writing letters and words, and I am glad she is seeing that is normal, though none are reading yet.

We are looking into schools for next year. We, too, have pretty much decided that public school, even the magnet school, would not be a great fit for her. For one, the academics even in the academic advanced schools will not be a good fit. But, more importantly, I think she will get lost in the shuffle. She would require no attention academically and happily perform at the level of the class. A lot of the privates would be the same way.

We have found a school that I think would work, but they are very progressive and exclusive. They are not academic focused at all, especially in the lower grades, (although thankfully they do not use everyday math.) Yet, they are doing something right because over half their upper grade students score in the top 5% on the ERBs. I think that sounds good, but its probably more a reflection on the families they attract. Their whole shtick is the sense of community, feeling loved and safe, emphasis on arts, building confidence, thinking outside the box, and having fun. It's mostly reggio with a lot of individualized instruction and a no limits attitude. It really aligns with my ideals of childhood, and I have now heard of many stories of shy children blossoming there and their parents credit the school's approaches.