Wow, I'm sorry to hear this, TMJ. Red flags are going up all over the place, aren't they?! It's such a shame when preschools take the blanket stance that boys should be held back in starting K, especially if they have summer birthdays. Is this the case with your DS? It's especially a shame when they don't even know your child and how great he is! While it's easy to say that preschool isn't that important for children, it does have the advantage of providing a school experience, and I know that K programs would generally like kids to have gone to preschool for this reason alone. And I know it's especially tough in small towns where everyone knows everyone's business. Are there any other programs, perhaps in a nearby town, that would be more accepting of your son and maybe a little less frought with small-town politics? It might be worth a commute of some sort just to get what your son needs. Also, is your son involved in any sort of organized actiity, anything from Sunday school to sports to music? Has your son previously been in daycare that may have already provided him the sorts of experiences that preschool offers? To me, since academics aren't a concern at all, preschool is just about the child learning to separate from you, learning to listen to another authority figure, and learning to problem solve with other kids. If your DS can get this somewhere else, perhaps that would be the better option?
