Goodbye, Preschool

Kate & I have another 9 days of school left (single digits!!!!!)

But Claire finished Preschool last week. 

And, by finishing Preschool, I mean she is done with Preschool..... Forever! 

It was her first (and last) year.

You see, Claire has a September birthday.

And, for those of you who are teachers or who have kids with Fall birthdays, you know the dilemma:

"Do they start Kindergarten or do you wait a year?" 

In California, they cut off date for Kindergarten has been December 1st,  September/October/November kids can start Kindergarten at 4 (almost 5) years old, but most people in our wait until they are 5 (almost 6) years old for those Fall birthdays.

I remember when I found out I was pregnant with Claire & that I was due in September. 

I remember agonizing about my unborn child's birthday.

"Oh no! A Fall birthday! I will have to decide if I send he/she to Kindergarten at almost 5 years old or wait until they are 6?"

Yes, this is what I was thinking about when I was pregnant with her. Ridiculous.

Most parents in our area hold their Fall birthday kids and wait until they are almost 6 to send them to Kindergarten, and we are doing the same thing with Claire, for a couple of reasons.

1. If I send Claire to Kindergarten this Fall, that means she is going to college when she is 17. Um, no way.

2. If I sent Claire to Kindergarten this Fall, she and Kate would only be a year apart in school. Knowing their personalities, I think Claire would totally invade Kate, her friends & activities. 

I think having them 2 years apart in school is a much better fit for both of them.
(Also...looking to college, having a 1 year break for double college tuition will be nice. Just thinking ahead)

3 . In the last few years, California has changed the eligible birthdate for Kindergarten, so instead of December 1, it bumped to November, this year it will be October 1 and then the following year it will be September 1. Because of the date change, the last 2 school years, our school district has offered a Transitional Kindergarten (TK) class for those kids with birthdays between September 1-December 1.

Not all Elementary schools in our district have TK, but ours does!

You better believe I signed Claire up for that....and she got in!!!

Did I mention it's FREE? 5 Days a week for 3 hours AND taught by credentialed Kindergarten teachers in our district?

But, the 4th (and a big reason) that we aren't sending Claire to Kindergarten this year is because her Preschool teacher told us that she wasn't quite ready for Kindergarten and that another year of Preschool (or TK) would be a better fit for her. 

OUCH.

Even though *I know* she wasn't ready and I wasn't planning on sending her to Kindergarten, it's still hard to hear that as a parent. Especially as a parent who is a teacher. 

And, I do admit that because I was never planning on sending her to Kinder, we haven't worked with her on her numbers/letters/etc like we did with Kate.  Let's just say as soon as her teacher told me that a few months ago, I went out & bought a practice workbook for Claire & we work on it often and her writing/letters/numbers have totally improved.

On her last day of Preschool, her teachers had nothing but praise for Claire saying how much she had grown up since the beginning of the school year. 

She is a better listener, more helpful & made a ton of friends along with the improvements to her "academics"

Claire came home with a Preschool Scrapbook that she made at school this year & I loved seeing how her drawings have changed since the first day of school. So much more detail!

 The past 9 months have been so full of change for Claire...not being the youngest child anymore, having a baby brother, starting Preschool for the first time. Clearly, she is okay with Luke in the family.

 And, even though I do ridiculous things for holidays, like Bunny Prints & Elf on the Shelf, I am glad that my kids still know the real meanings of holidays. Phew!

 Let it be noted...I have made my kids jello maybe 5 times in their lives. Glad it was memorable. LOL.

 "Jesus Loves Me" what we sing to the kids at bedtime.

I love these answers. Butterflies & Flowers. Gotta love free spirited 4 year olds!

  I will miss our Preschool (for the next few years until we send Luke...but I won't miss the monthly tuition payment. Preschool around here is expensive!)

I could send her to the Pre-K program at her preschool, but we are doing TK (did I mention it's at our Elementary School and FREE?) It's just logistically easier for us to have her go to the same school as Kate next year.

Our Preschool has been a tremendous place of growth for both our girls. 

It's the preschool at our church where both Kevin and I went.

The teachers are caring & kind and the families are wonderful.

Claire's class was a really special class. Only 15 kids. She made some really good friends, friends that she can call her own. (Most of Claire's friends up until this year have been younger siblings of Kate's friends, so it has been huge for her this year to make her own friends)
 
I know it is such a hard choice when you have "bubble" birthdays that are close to the cut offs.
It is a HUGE choice and an individual choice.
I have friends who sent their Fall birthday kids early and they have done awesome.
I have friends who sent their Fall Birthday kids early & then had them repeat Kindergarten another year.
As a middle school teacher, I can usually pin point the Fall Birthday kids the first month of school (either old or young for their grade) It's mostly a maturity thing in middle school. But, on the other hand, I have been surprised by some Fall Birthday kids.

Luke is an August baby, and YES, I am already thinking about what I might do, since the cut off will be Sept 1st for him. As of now, I am "planning" on sending him to Kinder when he is 6 for a few reasons:
1. Boys usually mature later and I don't want him being a whole year younger than most kids in his class (since people in our area tend to wait to send)
2. Kevin & I were both late bloomers, so giving him an extra year is a good thing.
3. So that he can be in the same grade level as his brother cousin Jack who is September) but, who knows, he might be ready to go at 5. Plus, he is my baby, so I want him home an extra year!

We will obviously make the final decision when he is 4, not 9 months old ;)

Bottom line: 
It's a Kid by Kid decision. Go with your gut. Trust your instincts. No one knows your kid like you do. Do what's best for them.

I feel we are doing what's best for Claire.
I feel 100% confident about our decision.

Goodbye, Preschool.

Hello, Transitional Kindergarten!