Preschool Question...I need your thoughts

OK I think this is a no brainer but want your opinions.

The state of Nebraska is changing the cut off date for Kindergarten to July 31st (as in you have to be 5 on or before July 31st to start Kindergarten) Lexi's birthday is August 1st.

HOWEVER, Lexi can start preschool this coming school year and we can then decide if we would like her to take an enterance exam to start Kindergarten at age 5 (2013/2014) OR have her repeat the preschool program and start Kindergarten when she's 6 (2014/2015)

Here's where it gets tricky....Lexi's BEST BEST friend will FOR SURE be starting Kindergarten the 2014/2015 school year when Lexi will be 6 (he'll be 5 and turn 6 in September) and DH is pretty adamant that Lexi goes to school with Cy.

I think that Lexi would be ready at age 5 but she will then be 17 when she graduates and just turn 18 when she starts college, not that it's bad she'll just be young.

OK, so now I'm rambling. ANYWAYS...what are your thoughts??? Send her to preschool or just wait????

what would be the cost difference to sending her to preschool for this coming school year or sending her to Daycare?

OH it's public school preschool so its free for preschool but since there wouldn't be anyone taking her spot I would still have to pay for a full day of daycare regardless.

Do you feel that she is learning anything at daycare?

I feel she is learning a LOT at daycare but I worry about the social side of it. Lexi goes to an in-home daycare and has pretty much been around the same 7 kids of mixed ages since she was 6 weeks old (give or take 1 or 2 that went to school). She only has 1 friend (Cy, her BFF) that is her age. I just wonder if she would be ready for Kindergarten at age 5 vs age 6 and if this(sending her to preschool) is the best way to find out.

I wouldn't make a decision based on a friend; I'd focus on if my child was ready or not, they can find ways to maintain friendships and will, for sure, make new ones. It's generally a maturity/social decision rather than an academic one at that age. If you think she can handle Kindergarten, I would definitely take the screening. Savannah will be old enough for Kindergarten to start in a year, but she's kind of on the immature side now, so I'm going to wait and see how she does with pre-school next year and decide if she'll do an extra year or not.

I agree with Pam. . .you need to decide what is best for her. I've said before I was a young 5 when i started school and I did fine with grades, but socially I was not great. When everybody else was maturing I didn't and that affected EVERYTHING. As an adult I'm fine, and graduating from college at 22 with my masters degree was pretty awesome, but again, I may have done better if I'd waited a year.

We will probably keep Everett out until he is 6.

Well Here's what we decided....

I am signing Lexi up for Public School prechool this fall. At the end of next school year we will sit down with her teacher and the para (whom I know very well and trust) and at that point make a decision for Kindergarten. We figure the only way we'll really know if she's ready at 5 is to get her into preschool this year. If, at the end of next year we all agree that Lexi simply isn't ready then she will repeat preschool and start Kindergarten at the age of 6.

ETA- Is it bad that I was up all night last night AFTER we made the decision and was really sad because my baby girl was going to be in my school in the fall?!?!?!

I was really sad when DF told me Russ would be starting school in the fall. I'm ok now but I'm sure when it gets closer I'll be really sad.

I would be sad too. Our School District doesn't have preschool, but our daycare does. I will be feeling it when DS starts K. We are still deciding on when to start him. The cut off for us is 5 by Oct 1, but it's only half day so either way we will have to pay for Daycare.