School....
Hi everyone.
My daughter was a 28 weeker with IUGR, born in November 2007 and due in February 2008. At the moment, we are trying to determine what to do about school: yes it is still a while away but if we were to send her to junior kindergarten at the right time, we would be signing her up next year at this time. She is still VERY small for her age (under 20 lbs at 27 months) and is also lagging a bit in a few areas (speech, possibly some fine motor) although she is starting to progress quickly.
I remember someone mentioning to me shortly after she was born that they thought we could send her later, not just joining grade one with the 2007 class (which is an option for any child, preemie or otherwise), but actually a year later so that she would be with her 2008 peers instead of her 2007 peers. Of course, I can't remember anything about it now, and maybe that person didn't actually know.
So, what is the deal, anyone know?
Thanks,
Cheryl
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School Start
Hi Cheryl,
Junior kindergarten is definitely OPTIONAL. The preemies do not have to attend JK. The only thing is that if they skip their JK year and start kindergarten the next year, when you feel they are more ready, they will be started in SK, not JK. So essentially, there is no problem with waiting a year to put her in school, but she will miss a year of kindergarten as a result. The only other thing you can do is keep her home till maybe after Christmas and then enroll them in January or even March. That way, the teacher will have more time to devote to her because the other kids will be well into their routines. September with JK's is very challenging because they are all so needy, so if you waited till the other kids are established in the class then she would have better role models for her kids and a teacher who is more able to attend to their needs. Teachers are used to different kids at different developmental stages these days, so there is more awareness. You could register them and try it and if they are struggling, then pull them out and wait until next year.
I am tempted to say that if the parents are prepared to make a big stink, they could probably keep them out a year and then push for JK next year. The board will tell you it can't happen because that is enough to stop most parents from pushing. I've seen the board cave in to parent's wishes on issues much bigger than this one, if you are prepared to fight for it, you can probably succeed.
I would be tempted to say that you should give it a try with them in JK in September and then deal with the situation if it isn't working. Then you will have more ammunition to petition the Board to let their kids wait it out a year, once they have proven that they really need the time. Parents know their kids best and what they can handle, but maybe having role models, more advanced in their developmental stages, might be an advantage for these little guys.
Hope that helps you somewhat Cheryl!
Kristen - Mom of 3 prems!
Hey Cheryl, I am in the exact
Hey Cheryl,
I am in the exact same situation for this year and also a kindergarten teacher. At first, I felt very strongly that Jackson should not start JK until a year later but now I am feeling that perhaps this change will be good for him. He has apraxia of speech and is also delayed in other areas. The board's position is that once they enter school they join their age group. My goal is to try him in Jk and SK and see how it goes. IF after that there is still significant delays in his learning and it is clear to both us and the teachers that he is struggling then I am going to fight to have him stay in kindergarten for three years. Again, this typically does not happen but I have heard if you advocate strong enough it may work out. At the very least, in his grade one year they will let him go to the kindergarten room for some of the day.
Hope this helps,
Jenn
Thanks everyone...
It is so frustrating that she was born at the end of the year. I really wish she had been due in April and born in February: then at least her natural school year wouldn't have changed. She is a dual citizen (Australian): maybe if things are really bad, we'll have to move there (they start the school year in January and the cut off is April or so I think). Plus parents of ANY child (preemie or otherwise) have a right to hold their child back a year: that might just be for kids near the cutoff, not sure.
Hey, for those of you with older kids, when does being picked on by older kids start? And do you think a much smaller child is going to get picked on a lot? Is a girl less likely to get bullied for that reason?
Thanks,
Cheryl
I was a 28 weeker with IUGR
I was a 28 weeker with IUGR (1 pound 2 ounces). I was always small, and very skinny, but was never really made fun of because of it. I do think being a girl helped. I never really had weight issues like other girls, I was able to eat anything I wanted in my teens and not put on weight (not so much now) - which made some girls envious. One of the NICU nurses did tell my mom, that "your lucky that she is a girl, because she will always be petite". (which makes me afraid that my 24 weeker son will have a hard time with being bullied) My mother did say that she had the choice of putting my due date as my birth date on my birth certificate, but I never had that option with my son. hope I helped a bit.