DH, just turned 11, PG, highly social, high-strung, perfectionist
That would be a very young spouse!
Based on the context of the message, I presume this was meant to be DD who is 11.
... we're in a place that's good for her academically as well as emotionally... it's better for her emotional and mental health to be able to work at her natural pace... not to be held back... it's all coming at us really fast and I'm not sure how ready we all are. Can she take the workload? Is she mature enough?... at the same time she's just a little girl who has a hard time going to sleep and loves summer camp and gets so nervous about things. Who feels like she has to be extra mature in her classes because all the kids are older. Who asks us to push her in meeting her goals, but whom we don't want to push too much. Who still pouts at having to do chores or homework when her friends are calling.
The social/emotional piece is important. There are other recent threads which discuss perfectionism and anxiety in case that may be of interest.
There is a possible red flag if a child "feels like she has to be extra mature in her classes because all the kids are older", as there is a difference between this and a child who naturally is more mature and on the wave length of the older students, finding herself to be more interested in the things which may be on their minds (world issues, careers, etc), and finding the older students to be a closer match intellectually.
I hope the school will remain flexible as she starts needing their high school level offerings... She's expressed a strong interest (obsession?) in a particular early college program and we're supporting her dreams, even while we know that the program is only right for small number of kids... the local community college will take students at 13 (with the expected hoops and bureaucracy) for joint high school / college. One of my colleagues' daughters did so, so I know it's possible.
You may wish to make a wishlist/checklist (for example a computer spreadsheet) for tracking the items your daughter believes she sees in the early college program she is interested in.
You may wish to make arrangements to visit the school whose early college program your daughter is interested in, asking questions and making observations about items on the wishlist. Receive the school literature, talk to other students, meet the professors, and arrange to have your daughter spend a night on campus if it is a residential (boarding) school.
You may also wish to make arrangements for visiting the local community college you mentioned. Tracking the answers/observations about each of these educational setting placement options (and any others which may arise) may provide for confident decision-making.
