Go Frances, Go! I agree that if the extra year isn't going to change the size differential, and you feel she's emotionally and intellectually ready, that is the right decision. And yes, a lot will change between now and next year, and even between next February when you sign up and September when she starts.

Is JK full days in your neck of the woods? I live just south of you and childcare for JK/SK costs the same as preschool because "school" is only 2.5 hours and they escort the kids back and forth. My girl starts Grade 1 in 6 months and my budget gets a whole lot healthier! Though my daily routine gets more demanding.

It's full-days, half-weeks, so yeah, we will definitely see a reduction in our child care expenses for Frances. Thank goodness.

Great! Glad to hear they have a sane schedule for you guys . . .

Wow, that seems so soon! Will you be able to get part-time daycare to compensate? I know a lot of parents finding trouble with after/between school care right now if they are dealing with a daycare centre (as opposed to in-home care).

How strange that Simon and Frances shared a due date, but I will not be enrolling Simon for two more years... and yet, he also meets all the qualifications you mentioned about colours, shapes, numbers, etc. I sometimes worry about the boys being bored in school for that very reason.

I also find it very weird that Simon and his cousin will be in the same grade at school, but Simon is 9 months older, which seems HUGE developmentally right now - Noah is barely walking, not really talking, and Simon is ready to go off to school today if I'd let him.

And here are the grownups, me almost three years older than Beloved and yet he seems older than me.

Age is so subjective!! (Sorry for the hijack - you got me thinking....)

This is totally off topic, but lately I've been seeing some teasers on the TLC channel about a new "reality series" starting March 4, 8/7 c. I beleive. It's called Little People, Big World. When I saw this I thought I would bring it to your attention. If it's insensitive of me, I'm sorry.

She will do fine. I don't blame you for being concerned, but she will learn, very young, some very valuable skills (dealing with people who might not understand immediately)that will help her when "real" school comes. Everyone will be totally wow'd by her!

Dani, yeah, there is part-time care available where she goes right now, and if worst comes to worst, Erik and I can arrange to be responsible for either getting-to-school or getting-home-from-school, so I hope we'll be able to avoid daycare on those days. It's only half the time and our employers are pretty flexible about letting us bring work home so if something comes up, I think it will be ok.

LauraJ--! No, it's not insensitive. Not even a little bit. Thanks for the heads up. I'm not much of a TV person, but I will have to at least check it out in the listings. :)

I wouldn't worry about her getting teased for her size -- not now, anyway. I don't think kids start teasing each other until at least age 4. My son anyway is in a swimming class with 3 year olds who are, no kidding, at least 6 inches shorter than him. I don't see them picking on each other for any reason other than that it's fun, if you know what I mean. (At this age they're experimenting with reactions.)

My daughter, who's 20 months old, is in a mixed-age daycare. On Tuesdays she is with one 3-year-old and two 4-year-olds (one of which is her brother). On Thursdays she is with a 2-year-old, two 3-year-olds, and two 4-year-olds. The other kids get a HUGE kick out of ordering her around or tattling on her when she, for example, eats a crayon; but other than that, it hasn't been a problem. In fact I'd say she benefits.

So if Frances is in junior kindergarten early, than does that make her early for everything else?

Everybody already said what I was going to.

But I think YT said it best.

I think she'll be fine. What I have found, with small children, is that while they're curious and honest, they're accepting. Really. They seem to be less concerned with the abilities of others and while they may ask Frances why she's so small, in the end, they won't care. They'll just wonder.

In the three years dd has been at school, there has never been teasing. There may have been some honest questions about why someone is different than someone else, but not teasing.

To be honest, I'm not really sure if young children really notice size that much. Particularly if Frances is developmentally on par with them. The PP mentioned that her 20 month old might get bossed around a little, but there is a big developmental difference between a 2 year old and a four year old. Frances isn't going to be behind these kids developmentally.

Sorry for the ramble. ;)

Jennifer--I think so. If we think she'll benefit we can keep her in kindergarten an extra year, but we'll see when the time comes.

Jamie--thanks. :)

Baby Girl's preschool classmates (age 2-3) are totally accepting of one another. They seem wonderfully oblivious to any differences, consider everyone a good friend and choose who to sit beside at lunchtime based on "who's a good sharer." We should all be so lucky! She'll rock!

Very interesting to read, we will be facing that decision one of these years too. I think we will also go ahead with entering her in JK at the proper time.
I know in my 3-6 yr old montessori classes, for whatever reason, generally the smaller ones seemed to be the most popular! When I think back to some of the most well-liked children they were more often then not the tres petites.
DH was/is small (looked 2 at 4) and the worst he remembers is kids trying to pick him up a lot, but mostly he just remembers getting away with murder a lot of the time!!! :)

We've just sent our son early to school (four and a half, usually you have to be four and nine months) and he's loving it. He's a little bit small for his age, which makes him very school among the (on average) kids a year older than him, but nobody seems to notice. His best friend is also young, but she's a full head taller than him, and they seem to react to each other based on interests, rather than size.

I know this won't make much of a difference for you, but Offspring has in her class a child that is by FAR the smallest child in the entire grade level. She's approx. the size of a child two to three years younger. "Jane" has been in classes with Offspring, off and on, since kindergarten. She's a very bright child. She's even student body Vice-President, and one of the most popular kids in school. She's funny, well-adjusted, and never been told that her size can limit her.

I forsee the exact same situation for Frances. If you think she's ready for junior kindergarten, then she's ready. From all of the things you list that she has already mastered, it sounds like she'd almost ready (academically) for regular kindergarten. That's the product of good parenting. And with your attitude, and the way you've taought her that she *is* normal, I wouldn't be surprised if her stature isn't a non-issue for her peers.

KLee--thanks--and you're right. I know you're right. It's going to be just like daycare, where I had visions of bigger kids plowing her over because they didn't even see her standing there, and instead she's the darling of the room.