"Advanced" 4 Yr Old - What Did You Do?

Hi M.,
My daughter was in the same situation you are in. She turned 5 in Dec of her K year. I am an employee of Gilbert Public School ( I am not a teacher). My kids went to Neely. Neely if a totally different set up than the other schools. Go there and check it out. Both my kids went there..my daughter till 3rd grade and my son finished the 6th grade. They are now in 8th and 10th grade and my daughter is in 2 honrors classes and my son has a 3.7 gpa. I cannot tell you how much I feel that so much of this had to do with Neely. hehe guess all I am saying is...go check it out. We live in Queen Creek and still have my kids in Gilbert School...and I would never change that. Good luck!!

I would still recommend sending her to kindergarten. It's a good first school experience and skipping it could be detrimental to her social/ emotional health. It is also good to be at the top of your class for one year before moving on. My son has an August birthday and we wondered whether or not to send him to school. He was ahead in reading, etc., so we decided to send him. But he was emotionally/ socially behind, so that even though his mental abilities were stimulated, he suffered as far as friends/ good self esteem go. Now, with a January birthday, your daughter may still be way ahead after kindergarten. If that is so, maybe you could have her skip a grade then - but do not skip kindergarten! Self confidence is much better than not being bored for that all important first year.

Our son was ahead at 4 as well. We homeschooled him and his siblings. It was much better all around. Especially because his social friends were around his age, but his school work was able to be very much ahead.
--Good luck,
Clare W

Hi M., I have my children in a charter school called Eduprize, it is known for working with your children and finding what level they should be in with their curriculum. Ex.They will assess your daughter and in Math, reading, science, etc. and if she excels in any of them they will have her go to the grade or grades up from where she should be just for that specific class she excels in. That way she is still with children her age for most of her grade learning, but is still being challenged in the area(s) she excels in. Hope that makes sense. There are 2 locations for Eduprize, one in Mesa ( www.edu-prize.com/ ) and one in Queen Creek ( www.eduprizeschools.net/ ), The only thing is you will need to get them on a waiting list NOW!!! Space fills FAST. Another school I have heard is good with this as well is Noah Webster ( noahwebster.org/ ) in Mesa. Hope this helps. Good luck

The trend I've been seeing is the opposite of what you've seen: many people are delaying the start of their children. We have a boy with an August birthday and we waited a year to start K. He would've just made the cutoff of Aug 31. He was bright at a young age in math and reading. We talked with lots of elementary teachers from around the state and country, and they all recommended this strategy. He's now in 6th grade and we've NEVER regretted it! He also has classmates who have June or July birthdays who waited to start, so he would've been the youngest kid by far, if we would've started him on time. (your daughter would be 1 1/2 years younger than these kids) We've always been very proactive about talking to teachers about him, and they've worked with us to keep him challenged. When I volunteer in class, it's extremely obvious who the "young ones" are, even when they're very bright like your daughter. Socializing is so important at a young age! (1st grade was our least favorite, but partly because we weren't as proactive on the first day -- learned our lesson!)

A couple other data points teachers gave me:
===When your child starts high school in 9th grade and is facing a lot of issues such a drugs, boys, etc., she will be 13, in a world where a lot of seniors are 19. An extra year of maturity can only help with making good decisions and dealing with the peer pressure of high school.
===Another year will also help in such events such as Spelling Bee, Geography Bee, and Valedictorian. These things are contested by grade, not by age. You don't get extra "points" because you're younger than the other kids in the grade. The better she does academically, the more likely she'll get a college scholarship.

You might want to consult with some of the ALP (honors) teachers in 4-6th grade, and/or Jr/Sr High School and get their opinions. If you decide to wait, sounds like you should find another pre-school who can accomodate a wider variety of abilities and keep her challenged -- there are lots of options. There are also activities outside of school to stimulate her intellectually, while she's getting quality socializing with her peers at school. Good luck with your decision. Take care.

M.,

I have been in your situation with my son who is a Sept. birthday. He was almost six before I put him in K and was reading at a 4th grade level while everyone else was learning letter sounds. He is now 13 and in 7th grade. I do NOT regret my decision to keep him with the regular age guidelines.

Having been an elementary school teacher I knew that K,1,2,3 were not the issue. He would have excelled and done great in the early grades, But 4th grade is a very telling and difficult year for the kids that are pushed ahead. Many of them have extreme difficulty when they get to this stage and by that time they are too old to hold them back (which isn't even holding them back, really) without major self-esteem issues. The academics and social scene are very different in intermediate 4-6 and the kiddos that are placed ahead of the guidelines many times struggle in both arenas. I found that when my son got to this stage he was grateful that he was academically ahead and didn't have to fight for his grades while trying to manage the new social status quo.

My suggestion is to keep her with her grade level, but seek a good teacher who is willing to challenge her on many levels. There is nothing wrong with being at the top of the class, it is a self esteem and confidence builder.

I would recommend a charter school this way they will work with your child's lvl a little more then a normal public school. Plus it is still free. However since your daughter's birthday is in Jan. it will be very very very hard for you to find any school that will test her for early admission. My daughter birthday is 12-18 so even though she could pass that stupid test at age 3 they wouldn't take her early. They are worried of later years and maturing issues I personal find it bull seeing as how my daughter is currently best friends with a 10yr who she plays with all the time & gets along better with older kids, plus in my family we have always matured at a very early age. I think they have now made my daughter be the odd girl but there really isn't much you can do. I would put her in at her normal time & keep an eye on her talk to the kindergarten teacher and see if after having her in the class if they are willing to skip her ahead. Honestly now adays the learn more in kinder then I did.

My daughter is now in 5th grade. We started her early in school as she was emotionally ready and she was also ahead of her grade level. She is still doing very well in school. You can check into a couple of different things. Check Gilbert Traditional (Neely Elementary) for their back to basics program. Or Challenger Basic School ( same type of program). These two schools are a bit more advanced than your typical public schools due to the Saxon and Spalding. Edu-Prize is also worth checking... Good Luck!!

Debbie