I am having a tough time with a decision that really needs to be made. We registered my son for Kindergarten in the fall. His birthday is late August and he will be just 5 when school begins.
After a recent screening the teachers approached us and advised us to keep him back a year due to immaturity. I completely agree that he is immature and he has some social issues, however he has been reading independently for 6+ months now, he is a math whiz and knows his shapes, colors etc.
My concern is that when he does eventually enter kindergarten that he is going to bored.
Any advise? Anyone know of any enrichment programs or a program specifically geared toward 5yr old preschoolers who chose to stay in preschool for an extra year?
We are located in Grayslake.
Thank you very much for you advise and recommendations. We found a FABULOUS program at the POKO LOKO school and have registered him for the fall. We found there program to be challenging and flexible, with a great momentum.
If he thrives as he should, he can go straight into first grade after this next school year.
You might want to consider looking into some of the private schools in your area. The Waldorf and Montessori schools have a very different approach. Also the Goddard schools. The smaller classes will help so that the teacher can keep your child engaged, and might also be beneficial for your son to develop the social skills he needs.
I'm sending my son to preschool in the fall to Red Apple Academy in Lindenhurst. I know they have a kindergarten enrichment program in the afternoons there. They have a website redappleacademy.com
This might be an option...not sure. Just throwing that out there.
Have you thought about Country Meadows Montessori in Gurnee (Just past Hunt Club on Washington Street)? We sent our 4 year old for pre-school (5-day/wk preschool) They have 3,4,5 year olds in the same class. It is a great environment and allows children to independently progress at the his/her learning level. The cost may be worth it for your son. He may also be able to mainstream back into public school at the first grade level after Montessory School or you may end up loving Montessory for him.
Have you looked into Montessori? Old School Montessori in Grayslake is wonderful! They really focus on the child and his natural ability to be interested in learning. I do not know if they have opening for the summer camp program or the fall, the last full day of school is Thursday the 31st. The classroom ranges from ages 3 thru 6. Their phone number is ###-###-####. My son has truly enjoyed the program, we are starting our 2nd summer there. He loves it & is doing great!
