We decided to start DS (who is now 5yrs 5mos) in K at the public school even though he had already been in a private K for six months for several reasons:

1. He was 4yrs and 9mos in September and we had concerns over the switch to full day.

2. We wanted him to get comfortable at that school and we thought that half-day Kindergarten with lots of music and art would be a good way to do that.

3. We knew (since older DD goes to that school) that the school administration would not agree to the skip until they had seen him in action over a period of months. Schools can be VERY hard to convince if you come in there saying your child has mastered their curriculum and should be skipped, even if it's true! They just don't get it until they actually see what your child is like.

We have had great success so far with a midyear switch to first and planned promotion to second next year. Compacting two grades into one year can help to smooth the transition and can relieve school doubts about educational "gaps." A lot depends on your child's temperment and appetite for a structured academic environment as opposed to the less structured K environment. Some schools have VERY structured K's, though, and in that case early entrance to first could be the better choice.

Last edited by Cathy A; 04/21/08 01:54 PM.