Early admission to Berkeley TK?
We're in a bit of a strange spot where my daughter, now 3, will turn 5 probably the same week she starts K -- so she'll be one of the youngest kids, if not the youngest -- but because she has an August birthday she's also not eligible for TK. I would really like to get her into TK for next year, rather than remaining in preschool, as it seems to me she'll be at an age where she'd actually really benefit from it. Has anyone done this for their kids? And if so, what was the process and what would you recommend? For context, we're in Berkeley with an older sibling already at Ruth Acty; my daughter has been fully potty-trained since age 2, no longer naps, and attends preschool full-time. Thanks!
Sep 2, 2022
Parent Replies
BUSD is strict. You don’t qualify so she won’t get a free spot in TK.
California is in the process of expanding TK to include all four-year-olds, but that won't be soon enough for you--so your daughter will unfortunately still miss next year's April cutoff date. Berkeley is generally not flexible on birthday cutoffs (and most districts won't take too-young TK kids because they don't qualify for state funding). Moreover, she'd be far and away the youngest TK kid even if you could find a district to take her--not something that I'd want to do socially for a four-year-old. We also have an August birthday kiddo, and my advice is not to rush the academics--your daughter will have plenty of time once she gets to K to learn these skills, but she only has one chance to have a preschool experience. Kinder teachers are used to kids coming in at a range of academic levels, and they'll meet her where she is. Also, a lot will change between ages three and five--you may worry that she's behind now, but by this time next year--and especially by this time the following year, as she starts kindergarten--you may feel very differently. (For what it's worth, my August birthday kid is now a third grader, and while they came into K a bit behind some of their older classmates, they are now well above grade level in both math and reading, with no particular intervention from us other than continuing to expose them to books and learning opportunities. The very best advice we got was not to compare our August-born child's progress each academic year to our older fall-born child's progress at similar points in the same grade; kids learn at their own paces, and indeed, our August baby did catch up and then some by mid-elementary.)