Age school starts for boys in Lakewood

momof2+?

Mon, Mar 28 2016, 12:27 pm

A recent thread about a mother trying to decide to keep her child back a year or push them ahead has me thinking:
I was under the impression that boys start school at "5 year olds." (until then they are in school is someones house.) Girls have a choice of starting real school at 4 year olds, or 5 year olds. (right?)
Do all the schools in Lakewood have the same cut off date (birthday?) When is it?

So when would the child be turning 5? Pushing them forward means that the December kids are turning 5 partway through the year?

sky

Mon, Mar 28 2016, 12:38 pm

Most schools in Lakewood start at the same age - boys and girls. (There are a few exceptions where they have a grade before primary, but it isn't common)

If birthdays are January - August they are starting school at age 5.
If birthdays are September - December they are starting school at age 4 and will turn 5 before January 1.
Most schools have the end of December as the cutoff but in actually there are very few December students, and some schools have different cutoffs.
I know Orchos Chaim is starting to push their age deadline forward one month each year, I'm not sure if other schools are doing that also.

momof2+?

Mon, Mar 28 2016, 12:59 pm

So if the schools don't have the same cut off date how do you know which year to be applying your child to school? you have to research each school? (talking about November/December kids.) And if you can't get your child 'in' anywhere, you hold them back for the next year? and then you'll be meeting all the schools deadlines? as in - Schools won't take your son if he is too young, but always take kids that were held back?

And what is Orchos Chaim essentially doing? what does that help/do?

sky

Thu, Mar 31 2016, 9:02 pm

I'm not sure why YOC is doing it, maybe because people are holding back boys whose birthdays are august and september so they should be the oldest (I see this a lot now in general) . They sent home a letter they are pushing the deadline forward a month every year until it hits April - or something like that.

I think many people who have a child who is just before the deadline will apply just in case and if they get in they will decide much closer to when school starts what to actually do and defer a year. I think only people who plan on holding back (like start 3 and 4 year old playgroup a year later) really wait to apply later based on deadlines (if that makes any sense).

I had a November daughter and wasn't sure what to do and didn't know if I was sending her during application time - but I spent the year pushing and she go in just before school. At that point I knew she had to go to school so I was pushsing hard through the summer. By the summer you for sure know what a kid is ready to do. I was told to apply like normal for her because if I did decide after Pesach she was ready for school no one would talk to me. She is the youngest in her grade.

amother

Lime

Thu, Mar 31 2016, 11:38 pm

My ds is an October baby, now 3 1/2. I'm sending him to a kindergarten Morah for boys next year. I will apply to school next year. The schools I am interested in all have kindergartens. At that time I will be able to see how well he plays with the boys that are in his class. They'll all be a few months older than him until his age. Meaning he'll be towards the younger ones. The school can decide based on interview/Morah recommendation and his skills if he should go straight to primary or repeat kindergarten in school.

If I wanted a school that starts in primary I'd probably just apply anyways and try to get in...the a school may say you're in but just wait till next year, he should repeat kindergarten