The Not So Official Kindergarten

We have been agonizing over what school Lila should attend for months.  At first, we thought she should go to West Chester Friends, but that didn't work out.  Next, we enrolled her in a very academic 5's program at her preschool.  We felt pretty satisfied with the decision but couldn't deny the fact that she makes the cut off for Kindergarten.

I should back up.  There is absolutely no way that I would send either twin to an official Kindergarten this year.  Savannah was in the same boat with her birthday being days before the October 1st cutoff (they have since changed it to September 1st.)  Even with her academics well above average, we held Savannah in order to give her one more year with us, at home, in the bubble. . . whatever you want to call it.  We want the same for the twins.  I don't feel you can go wrong when you give a child more time in the nest.

Here are the facts. . .

Public Kindergarten is the same amount of hours as preschool. 

Lila has been evaluated by numerous people and she scores average every time.  She has been given IQ ratings by two different psychologists and both, independently, rate her as smack dab in the middle of the curve.   AVERAGE.  

Adeline will continue in her developmental IU classroom but move to the afternoons which is more rigorous.

We want the girls in the same grade.

Savannah is doing 2nd grade in our local public school.  

Keeping the above in mind, this is what we have come up with.  (I should note that this decision was well supported by the last psychologist who evaluated Miss Lila.)  My baby girl is going to do public Kindergarten.  While this was not an easy decision, it seems to make the most sense.  Lila will keep the same schedule as preschool because our Kindergarten is a half day program.  We figure it can't be too taxing because of this.  Lila will REPEAT Kindergarten at West Chester Friends' full day program the following year which will track the twins in the same grade.  Finally, we hope, by attending our public Kindergarten, we will gain a better understanding of how Lila learns which will help us make more informed decisions about her schooling next year.  Although she scores average, we are convinced there are some processing delays or learning differences waiting to be diagnosed.  Kindergarten will also give her greater exposure and possibly better prepare her for success in her REAL Kindergarten program the following year.  We were assured that Lila would be well supported with instructional staff, have an IEP that involves, at the very least, speech therapy, and be grouped based on her ability.  Kindergarten is tricky because there are so many children entering that are already reading.  Lila isn't close.  The school psychologist promised me that it is a nurturing program that the children love.  It is low stress but at the same time, has a solid academic program.  Only time will tell. 

The icing on this decision is that Savannah and Lila will be in the same school.  In fact, they are in the same hall, only doors apart.  They will walk in together each morning and Savannah will drop Lila at her classroom door.  Another perk is that Lila will have exposure to older kids.  She is the youngest kid in her class.  We hope the more mature students help our girl grow a bit more confident, independent and push her to act older.

Tonight was our sneak peek at Lila's classroom.  Lila walked in with a very serious face and tight grip on my hand.  She introduced herself to her teacher as Lila Grace and has requested that her teacher and fellow students address her as Lila Grace, not Lila.  Miss Grace found her name on the walls, checked out the toys (wasn't one of the kids that was going to drop everything and start playing though) and asked me a ton of questions regarding various items around the room.

When we left, she still seemed happy with our Kindergarten choice.  I, on the other hand, am terribly nervous.  She is so YOUNG!  She lacks maturity and confidence.  What I can say is that my little girl is very sweet and kind.  I don't want to choose anything that would put undue stress on her or take the wind out of her sails.  I want to keep her pure heart intact and let her be happy and carefree for as long as she can.  I guess I have to go on what the speech therapist said that evaluated her yesterday.  She said that Lila is the type of kid that is going to love Kindergarten.  Although there is a significant language delay, she described my girl as smart, social, and likable.  She expected Lila to get along just fine.

Again, only time will tell. . .

I just want to go back in time and let her curl up on my chest like a little frog while I rock her in the safety and comfort of our home.  Where did my baby go?

Six months old and barely the size of a newborn.  I miss my tiny baby!