Starting school in 2015 or waiting until 2016?

My DS1 will be eligible to start school in 2015. His birthday is 23 June 2010 but the cut off is 31st July. I am very concious of him being one of the youngest kids in the class if he starts in 2015.

We had always thought that we would just wait until 2016.. however, things have changed. I'm pregnant with #3, and financially, having 3 kids in DayCare or me being a SAHM may not work (still trying to figure all that out).

I was one of the youngest kids in the class, and ended up repeating year 6 at a new school before starting Year 7 at the same school. I enjoyed being one of the eldest.

My DS1 is incredibly intelligent and advanced for his age (so I have been told by his daycare), his vocab and language is that of a 5-6 year old. Socially however I'm not sure how he would fair. It's still a while away so he may mature emotionally and socially by then. He is a sensitive little creature (one of the things I love about him). I don't want to do any damage to him by putting him in school before he's ready..

HOWEVER.. now that our family situation is changing, I will have to return to work by Jan 2015 (I will most likely taken May-Dec) as leave. I don't know what type of work I'm going to get when I do return from mat leave as I am a sole trader so won't know what my contracts will look like until I actually get one... worst case scenario is that I will have to return to a travelling role which means that my husband will need to do the day care/school drop off.

OR, because I have more earning potential than my husband, he becomes a SAHD and I return to FT work (not ideal with breastfeeding)

If DS1 goes to school, day care fees won't be too much of an issue... we could afford to have 2 in long day care/preschool. If we wait to put him in until 2016 then I won't be making enough money to put three kids in care.

What would you do???

Thanks for reading :)

If I read correctly, he would be 4.5 years when starting school in 2015? If so, then no, I'd wait til 2016. My DS will on just turned 5 starting school and I feel that he's to young lol

Hard call. I would also be rather reluctant to start him at 4.5 but the whole family situation does need to be taken into consideration. Have you looked into costs of hiring a private nanny? Or an au pair if you have room in your house (or could hire a transportable/caravan for the back yard)? Is family day care any cheaper?

Also, you should totally go overdue and have three June babes :)

What would I do? I would plan to send him in 2015 and then only change your plans if you are strongly advised by childcare/kinder etc that he is not ready. Jan 2015 is a long way off and you will probably find that he develops the social skills between now and then (I think some children are advanced with vocab etc early and then they stay still on that level but then catch up socially - almost like they have made a conscious decision to focus on one thing and then the other - my DD is a bit like this). Maybe is a gamble but that is what I personally would do - I struggle with daycare fees for two, and I would dearly love for DD to go to school next year as would she, but she misses the cut off here.

I couldn't quite work out from your post but if your DS started in 2015 meant that you will be able to take a part-time or a less demanding role - and him starting in 2016 would mean you would need to go full-time so your DH could be the SAHD as not able to afford daycare for three - then I would definitely go with the 2015 plan as I think that sounds like a better option for the whole family.

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What would I do? I would plan to send him in 2015 and then only change your plans if you are strongly advised by childcare/kinder etc that he is not ready. Jan 2015 is a long way off and you will probably find that he develops the social skills between now and then (I think some children are advanced with vocab etc early and then they stay still on that level but then catch up socially - almost like they have made a conscious decision to focus on one thing and then the other - my DD is a bit like this). Maybe is a gamble but that is what I personally would do - I struggle with daycare fees for two, and I would dearly love for DD to go to school next year as would she, but she misses the cut off here.

I couldn't quite work out from your post but if your DS started in 2015 meant that you will be able to take a part-time or a less demanding role - and him starting in 2016 would mean you would need to go full-time so your DH could be the SAHD as not able to afford daycare for three - then I would definitely go with the 2015 plan as I think that sounds like a better option for the whole family.

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Thanks for your advice. That makes total sense. Yes, you are correct... financially we would be better off if DS1 started in 2015 :) We might be in a different position by the end of 2014 which could allow DS1 to start school later (i.e.Hubs getting a higher paying job, winning lotto :rofl: etc)

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Hard call. I would also be rather reluctant to start him at 4.5 but the whole family situation does need to be taken into consideration. Have you looked into costs of hiring a private nanny? Or an au pair if you have room in your house (or could hire a transportable/caravan for the back yard)? Is family day care any cheaper?

Also, you should totally go overdue and have three June babes :)

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We do have a separate granny flat which we use as our study/bedroom for my FIL when he comes to stay... It may be financially more viable to hire a nanny/au pair and I have yet to look into that. Family day care is an option but I do want to put DS1 into pre-school anyway because of the structure and "learning".

There is a chance I could have another June baby... if bubs is 12 days late!!!

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If I read correctly, he would be 4.5 years when starting school in 2015? If so, then no, I'd wait til 2016. My DS will on just turned 5 starting school and I feel that he's to young lol

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I know! Seems soooooooo young, which is where my mama guilt is kicking in... I'm thinking surely we can work something else out financially..

Hmmm... this is a hard one. I would put him in, but be prepared to re-evaluate during the year and possibly even think about him repeating his first year. I would be upfront with your kinder and school that you aren't sure if he is ready, and take their input on board.

Sorry, just wanted to add that I would only send him at 4.5 if you had exhausted all other budgeting/money saving measures. Just for one year you could eat vegetarian, make a pact not to get takeaway etc, all the normal saving money stuff.

DS2 is jan 2010 and we decided to not send him to kinder next year and to wait until 2015 for kinder and 2016 for starting school as I felt Just turning 4 a couple of weeks before kinder starts would make him way to young and same with starting school at just turned 5. Seems much better idea to start him at 5 for kinder and 6 for prep! As he could be more than a year younger that some older kids in class.

It is a hard and stressful choice but I am now happy with my choice. Also means there is a year between then at school as DS1 starts 2014 at 5 and 1/2 years of age.

DD was born April 2010, and for now we are planning that she goes to 4 year old kinder next year and start school in 2015. She has been at 3 year old kinder this year and loves it, and the teacher's think she is ready for 4 year old kinder next year. We will see how she goes next year and then decide for the following year.

DD was born 2 April 2009 and cut off here is 30 April. She has been at 4 yo kinder this year and is ready to start school next year. She will be 4 years 10 months when she starts and is likely to be one of the youngest if not the youngest. But she is ready. I have had a lot of discussions with various teachers that have met/observed her and all have said the same. Every child is different and you will know what is best for your child.

For what it is worth my DDs social skills went through a massive development around 3.5 years old.

Janie

We do school starts differently way out west and I'm not sure actually what year you are referring to when you say "start school". FWIW, DDs 1 and 2 are both May babies and so are amongst the youngest in their classes - pre-primary is compulsory for the year your child will be 5 by 30 June. DD3 will be even closer to being the youngest in her class when she starts. DDs 1 and 2 started kindy 4 full days per week when they were just under 3 years and 9 months, pre-primary for 5 full days per week at 4 years and 9 months and DD1 now in grade 1 at 5 years 9 months. Not sure how those years compare to eastern states school years, but for instance DD2 in pre primary is reading, writing, spelling etc. I haven't had a moment of thinking that either of them were too young, and both are well ahead of where they should be academically. Socially, DD1 has always been incredibly confident but DD2 has not been and I was worried how she could cope on a social level, but more because of who she is than her age ITMS. Both have blossomed and have good friendships. There are kids who are struggling still after almost 3/4s of a year, but age seems to have little bearing on that - one of the kids who is most unsettled still is actually one of the oldest.

Such a huge amount can change over the course of the next 18 or so months. If it were me I would be enrolling him ready for 2015, start prepping him for going, and just play it by ear with his behaviour. If you still have massive doubts when the time comes you can either start him off but be prepared to pull him out if its not working, or just elect to delay until 2016.

My DS1 is a July baby and the NSW cutoff is the end of July as well. My son is very social and interested "big school" but we will wait a year. It's not the classroom stuff that worries me, it's the playground, the toilets, all those unsupervised moments where other kids can take advantage of him. It's also the 5 days a week, all day exhaustion of school as well.

My SiL started her twins at 4.5 for the same reason (finances/daycare) and she regrets it. She can really see the difference between them and her first daughter who was 5.3 when she started. She has raised the issue of repeating but the girls are horrified at the idea of leaving their friends and the school doesn't think they are behind enough to warrant it either, even though it is obvious they struggle a bit.

the vic cutoff is 30th april.

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the vic cutoff is 30th april.

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This is a more sensible cutoff than NSW I think!

SA is also around 30 April from next year when we start single intake instead of term intakes (although I think it might be 7 May- not entirely sure on that). I still don't know why that date and not 30 June which makes more sense to me (even though ds1 would still miss out on starting next year if that was the date given he's 6 July).

The April 30 cut off makes no logical sense to me and I am from Vic. There is talk if it bring changed to the end of the year but who knows if it will change. It gets confusing with child care and child care based kinder as they often go by age rather than the April 30 cut off. Ds is now in a 3yo kinder room even though he won't start kinder until next year and a friends child is in the 4yo kinder room but he won't start until next year and the friends he makes now will go to school before him which seems silly.