kindergarten age requirement

Is 5 years the general age requirement to enroll a kid into
kindergarten? Does anyone know of any circumstances where a younger kid
may be enrolled into kindy? Anecdotal info is appreciated as well.

-L....

Here they go the September after they turn 5.

Jeff...

It depends on the laws of the state as well as the policies of the local
school districts.

Diferent places have age cut-offs that let kids who are 4 1/2 or 4 3/4 into
kindergarten. Other places let kids start kindergarten at 6.

Jeff

enigma...

i started at almost 4 (my birthday is mid-September) because
i was reading the dictionary for fun by then. i started
reading just before i turned 3 & read everything with print
from cereal boxes to the newspaper.
my parents felt if i waited another year to start school i'd
be really bored.

Tracey...

You need to ask about the rules in your local school district, because it
seems to vary greatly by area. Here in CT, a child can start Kindergarten
in September (well, the end of August) if he/she will turn 5 on or before
January 1st. In other words, a child starting K in Aug/Sept. 2006 must
turn 5 on or before January 1, 2007.

cjra...

In California in the district I went to school and the two my nieces
and nephews all currently belong to, the age is 5 but cutoff date is
mid-December. So I started at age 4, as did 3 of my siblings born after
Sept and one of my nieces.

Marie...

Find your state on this list. But it may depend on whether the state law
applies to all districts. Some districts may be allowed to have their own
cut-off date.

Clisby...

Age cutoffs for enrollment vary by state. The cutoff in my state is
Sept. 1, so generally speaking, kids start at age 5. However, some
states have later cutoffs, so a child could start kindergarten at age 4
as long as he/she would be 5 by the cutoff date.

When I was a child, the cutoff in S.C. was Nov. 1 or 2. My birthday was
in October, so I started kindergarten at 4 and 1st grade at 5.

toypup...

At our school, they can start as early as 4 1/2. The cutoff is to turn 5 yo
by December 2, and school starts in June.

Joe M...

Each state/country/whatever has different requirements. That said, in
New York state, kindergarten is compulsory at age 6 (if they are going
to be 6 at the start of the school year, they MUST enroll.) In
general, kids are 5 YO when starting school here. 4 YO's are allowed,
space permitting, as long as they are 5 by December 1st (school here
starts in September.)

Short answer to your question? Yes, I believe 5 is typical for most,
at least in the US.

Good day,

kensgirl91...

Here in Georgia the cut off is 5 yrs old. I believe the b-day has to
be no later than Sept 30th. But being a pre-k teacher make sure your
child is ready. I've seen many parents try and push their child. It
doesn't make a difference when children are younger, but remember if
you try and push your child when they are too young.....they will be
younger than others in middle school and high school. That is when the
differences will show. My son was the right age, but should have held
him back due to his maturity.