Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion A newbie!

Good Evening All-
I have come to this site with great hopes of advice and guidance from those of you who have been blessed with a gifted child. I have a 3 yr.10 month old little girl. I have researched until my eyes hurt, and still do not know where to turn for help. Every set of guidelines I have examined shows her to be exceptional. Whether she is actually gifted, I do not know. I can tell you all that at 14 months, she had a 200 word vocabulary, and by age 2 could identify the presidents, all of them. There are no local resources where I live, and early entrance to kindergarten is prohibited by law here. She will be almost 6 by the time she could start kinder, and at the rate she is progressing will be at 4th grade level by then. Where do I start? Any and all help will be appreciated more than I can say.

Are you looking for a preschool placement for her right now? Or are you needing resources and ideas for activities to engage her at home?

When you say early entrance is prohibited by law, do you mean state law or district policy?

Are you looking for resources for psychological testing?

In my case, state law prohibits early entrance to kindergarten. I have also contacted the local school district and was informed that there is currently no testing done on students any earlier than half way through their kindergarten year. We have a state pre-k program, but my daughter could not attend due to birthday restrictions. The school would not even consider it.
Yes, testing resources would be wonderful.
I am not sure is preschool is what she needs at this point. My grandson is in regular kindergarten, and she can and does do more than he can. She has been writing her name, alphabet, and numbers for over a year. She can do simple addition and subtraction, and has begun simple fractions. I try my best to find things to stimulate her, but I am sure I am not doing the best I can. If you could offer additional ideas on home activities, I would appreciate it. So would she!

Welcome YaYa!

I'll let the "experts" around here answer your questions.

You might want to try www.time4learning.com. It's fun and young and goes through 8th grade. My DS loves it (not that he's been on it recently). But it is a fun, educational full curriculum well-suited for young children. I think it costs about $20/mos., and I believe there is a discounted prepay option. Of course, the mismatch will be even greater by the time she's ready for school. Then what... But she'll have fun meanwhile.

Welcome.

As for things to stimulate her at home, if you have books, art supplies, dirt, and lots of love and attention, I think you're doing fine. But I am a big fan of letting these kids do their own thing.

Do the private, charter, or other k programs follow the state on early entrance. Plus you've got time to research and fight... but only if there is wiggle room. Can you legally skip K?

Also... I hate to ask the obvious but did you read the no early e on the state site or did you hear it from a non state person. Either way, I would actually call your state's department of education and ask... then if your state funds any gifted programs then ask to talk to a person who works in that area (different states call it different things - ours is like exceptional talent office I think). I was amazed that people in the state office actually talked to me at length, and emailed me back.

Of course, maybe you already know and it really it locked down... but what if a kid moved into state and was young, therefore, what if you tested into 1st. Or suffer k and skip 1st but now I'm really getting ahead of the game.

Hi YaYa, I second what everyone else says and recommend Starfall http://www.starfall.com/

Welcome.

I read the no early entry rule on the state site, and it was confirmed by my area public school principal. I have e-mailed the gifted education office in our state, but have not received a response. I feel like everyone thinks I am exaggerating when I discuss how bright my little girl is. The local principal actually said-"every parent thinks they have a genius, but more often than not, this is not the case". I was not implying by any means that my child is a genius- but she is very bright.I was simply looking for a way to measure her ability. But, alas- my questions remain questions. Perhaps I do not know the right questions to ask. All I know is in all the years I have been around children, even my 2 that are grown with kids of their own, I have yet to be as impressed as with the intellect of this child. Should I just let it be and throw her to the wolves?
Private school is out of the question for us- we simply cannot afford it.

You could have her tested by a psychologist with the WPPSI-III or SB-5. That may give you an idea of where you stand.

My DS started reading at age 2 1/2. We decided to have him tested at age 4 1/2 to get a better idea of his level of giftedness and to get recommendations from the psychologist about appropriate school placement.

Even if private school is too expensive, you may be able to enroll in a distance learning program like Calvert Homeschool. It's not free, but it's a lot cheaper than a private school! You could work with her at home until she is old enough to attend school and worry about appropriate placement then.