Can I homeschool Kindergarten 4 yr old?

Question

My son will be 5 in Sept 19 . I want to homeschool him through K12.com that is affiliated with our state -Florida virtual public school- because it's free and they provide all curriculums&supplies and also the tests are free by certified teachers.However they don't accept him because he was born after Sept 1st . They ask me to pay 600$ for supplies +94$/month . I can't afford all that . If I wait another year, I feel we are loosing time . He had a kindergarten eligibility screening and passed it very well above average but they still don't accept him because he was not born two weeks earlier ! . Any suggestions? Any other free or cheaper curriculums for kindergarten? If I go with another curriculum , will they accept him in 1st grade next year? And do I have to pay a certified teacher for tests ? Any experiences with k12?

They ask me to pay for the curriculum 600$ + 94/month if I want to enroll him in kindergarten , but if I wait until next year, it would be free.

Answer 1

I homeschool in FL, we don't use K12 at all though; there are so many other options for homeschoolers, I suggest you check out your library and the internet for ideas on educational activities for his age.

But basically, if he doesn't make the age cut off date this year for K, he won't make it next year for first grade, either. The cut-offs are pretty firm and standard... I was really bummed when my child MADE the k cut-off; his birthday is August 17th, so I had to register him as a homeschooler and couldn't wait until the next year (then again, we'd already been homeschooling and knew we were staying that way, so for me it just meant having to deal with the paper work a year earlier than I'd hoped I would have to).

Yes, you can homeschool him for kindergarten at home all year if you like, but even if you get him up to a 3rd grade level by June, that doesn't mean that they'll put him in 1st grade next year.

Maybe if he gets into an accredited private school for K, they might put him in 1st grade not to make him repeat K. Don't get me wrong, FL is a great HS state, but I wouldn't count on them accepting early homeschooling as a reason to accelerate a child to the next grade in public school. You can always request testing, but even if he does well, they still might not consider this a reason to let him skip up a grade.

MSB

Answer 2

Homeschooling A Kindergartener

Answer 3

1

Answer 4

First and foremost, you are doing a wonderful job educating your child because he has already shown that he is well above average in his kindergarten eligibilty screening. K12.com can wait until next year. I would suggest joining a homeschool forum like homeschoolreviews.com or homeschool.com and meet the parents of other homeschool kindergarteners. You should also try to see if there are any other homeschoolers in your district.

Some affordable things you could start are workbooks like Kindergarten in 30 minutes,Kumon Workbooks, Math Made Easy Kindergarten, or The Comprehensive Curriculum of Basic Skills. There are also complete box curriculums like Sonlight, Abeka, Calvert School, and My Father's World. In addition, if you wanted him to do some learning online you could use starfall.com; excellent for reading and free or time4learning.com; uses some of the same software that is used in schools and is 19.95 a month with no commitment. When designing your homeschool curriculum you should use the Florida Kindergarten standards loosely as your guide or even another state with a higher education ranking. Not to bad mouth the Florida school system, but there is always room for improvement.

I am currently homeschooling a langauge delayed four and a half year old. My focus is phonics/reading, math, and fine motor skills for writing. I am using Hooked on Phonics and Expolde the Code Primers for phonics ( just letter names and sounds). I recently purchased Saxon Kindergarten Math and Manipulatives and Singapore workbooks for extra pratice. In addition we have about six Kumon workbooks and tons of art supplies; paints, triangle crayons, dough, foam, you name it. all of these supplies were less than 300 dollars. The most expensive thing was the Saxon math and manipulatives.

As for first grade next year, I have no clue. I would let him attend kindergarten and see where his skills were and if his was bored. Then request testing for a promotion. I wouldn't worry about tests at this time. I have no experience with k12 either, I have just visited their site on occassion.

Answer 5

Part of reading is memorization. Neither you nor I are consciously sounding out each word as we read through each others' question and answer, right? At some point we all learn to recognize that certain patterns of letters form certain words - once you memorize that pattern you know and can 'read' the word. Also, different methods work for different children - some children do better learning their alphabet phonetically and sounding out words while others do better learning the sounds then progressing to sight words (a whole-language approach). Try different things with your son and see which method works best for him Additionally, I think you might have answered the first part of your question with the second part. You mention that your child is not yet 4 and that you learned to read when you were 6 or 7. While there does seem to be some pressure to get children reading earlier and earlier, each child will naturally learn at their own place. Forcing a child to 'learn' something earlier then they're ready or able to will usually only create frustration and dislike of the subject. Ignore the critics and don't stress about it, work a little with him every couple of days - you'll see when he's ready. Make it simple and fun and you may create a later reader, but you'll also create a life-long one!

Answer 6

We've used K12 as independent HS'ers for over four years. We LOVE it! We don't have a state-wide virtual academy option, but even if we did, we'd continue using it independently.

It's not a FLVA rule that he can't attend - it's a state board of ed thing. They may not allow him in 1st grade next year, either, because he won't be the required age for 1st if he's not the required age for Kdg.

Have you asked them if he enrolled next year as a Kdg student if he could do 1st grade (or up) work? I worked for two of the K12 virtual schools in my former state and they both allowed this. The child is in their "official" age grade, but they can take coursework from any grade.

If you can do that, then yes, you could purchase K12 as an independent user. You don't have to do *all* six courses, especially if he'd have a chance to take them next year. You could do Math and LA/Phonics this year and one or two other courses (history and art - you want to keep those at the same grades b/c they line up).

I do believe FL requires that a certified teacher look at your portfolio every year if you're doing homeschooling (FLVA is virtual *public* school).

The $94/mo you mentioned is for all six courses. I would just do 2-4 of them if you plan to enroll in FLVA next year. Again, ask them if he could enroll as a Kdg student, but have some 1st grade courses at that time.

You can also purchase your K12 materials used from the Yahoo Groups "K12 Used Stuff" board. That would save you a LOT of money. It's too bad you missed the 15% off sale (ended May 31st).

Answer 7

If it's a public education, then it should be free (covered by our tax dollars). Don't pay. My recommendation is to get the book "What Every Kindergartener Should Know"; it's a good general guide. Next, check out the website of a local school; many of them have the benchmarks and standards for each subject by grade level. If not, ask for them in writing from the district office. Don't worry that you will be home schooling, you live within the boundaries of the district and the information should be provided.

I am pleasantly surprised that your cut off date is September 1st. I wish all districts would adopt that date. It never hurts to have kids older. Think ahead to college - it will be better if he is almost 19 when heading off the college rather than almost 18; it means he will have an extra year of driving practice under your roof; if he develops any athletic talent, it will give him an edge.

Regarding testing: students who can't read aren't tested. Testing ususally begins in second grade. What most parents don't know is that they can opt out of testing. I opted out of testing because my curriculum (I designed myself) wasn't compatible with the areas being tested by the school. By the way, once my sons entered middle school and were tested, they qualified for the gifted program which I never enrolled them in.

Take advantage of the home schooling environment that is not rooted in textbooks and worksheets; that is really boring - don't you remember. Learn by doing, seeing, experimenting, and literature (not the same as textbooks).

Answer 8

I know that frustration! We were 10 days past the deadline. By the time my daughter was 'ready' for kindergarten by her birthdate, she was reading The Hobbit and doing multidigit multiplication!

Just follow his lead and work/play with concepts this year. Try Kitchen Table math from www.artofproblemsolving.com for fun math concepts that are hands-on. Read, read, read and search for fun nature and science activities online. Talk to the Florida virtual school and ask if he starts next year (2008) as a 'kindergartner', can he take the placement tests and move into whatever grade level work they indicate. They may or may not do the official skip to first, but they should at least let him work at the appropriate level of curriculum. Not officially grade skipping him may have advantages. For example, he will have more opportunities for academic programs like math contests, spelling bees, geography bees, science fairs, talent search testing, etc. However, insist he does appropriately challenging work. You can always pursue a grade skip later. As an example my daughter is turning 9 this fall, we 'skipped' her so she will be listed as a 4th grader, but she will be completing honors algebra I. She can be whatever grade we want it doesn't limit what

K12 is a very thorough, complete, and engaging curriculum. We used them completely our first year and have used some individual courses since. We have found other options that fit our daughter better, but I know many gifted kids who do great with it.

Oops! Almost forgot to mention my favorite resource: Creative Homeschooling for Smart Families, by Lisa Rivero
Buy it or check it out from the library, tons of resources and ideas.

Answer 9

I'd wait. This is one of those things about public school administration that doesn't make any sense, but you have to deal with anyway. It's one reason to stay clear of public programs in my opinion.

I wouldn't worry about him being behind. Since you can't enroll him, then don't. Send him next year and go from there. The only othe option is to see if K12 has a homeschool option for him to take. Generally, they soak the public sector for all it's worth, and drop the price for folks that are on their own. I think it's the deep pockets syndrome. Looks like if you go to the K12 website, you can do a consumer direct process for well under this price (for kindergarten). Probably less than $400. Good luck.

Answer 10

To homeschool a kindergartener all you need is to read to them, let them color and buy some activity books at the one dollar stores for grade K/1.. that is how we did my 7 y/o's kindergarten year. Also the library often has free story time, those are great! (Probably cost us less than $50.00 all told.)

We are in the process of trying to find out if the school board will acknowledge his lessons if my 4 y/o goes into first grade next year (he would still be five when he begins first grade) if we were to h/s him in kindergarten this fall. His b/day is Oct 14, and our home state age for beginning school is 6.

Good luck!