So There Taking Away Naps I School Now?

[Candy]

Children in pre-k and K usually take naps but not anymore. Some of the schools in my area have said that kids in K will no longer have nap time. In my opinion this is a bad idea. Some kids with late birthdays are still 4 when they enter K and can get tired quickly. I don't think I would even send my child to a school where there are no naps. I could already see a bunch of kids falling asleep at their tables. I would love to hear other people opinions on this.

[momofboys]

Originally Posted by Candy

Children in pre-k and K usually take naps but not anymore. Some of the schools in my area have said that kids in K will no longer have nap time. In my opinion this is a bad idea. Some kids with late birthdays are still 4 when they enter K and can get tired quickly. I don't think I would even send my child to a school where there are no naps. I could already see a bunch of kids falling asleep at their tables. I would love to hear other people opinions on this.

They haven't had naps in K around where I am in ages. However, there are deadlines/age requirements around me also. A child has to be 5 by August 1st of that school year to start Kindergarten so theoretically there shouldn't be any 4-year-olds. My youngest son is in K now, it is all-day & no nap. He did do a school-based preschool that was all-day 2 days a week last school year & they did take a 1 hr rest time. He hated it lol!

[CraftyMom]

I don't think my state ever had naps in K. My daughter is in K and it is along day. When I was a kid we didn't have naps either

[momofboys]

We never had naps in K when I went to school either & I am 41, lol! However, K was only 1/2 day when I went.

[Candy]

Our area never had 1/2 K it just a full day. Also our state deadline is to be 5 by Sept 30th so kids born in late Aug and Sept are 4 at the time they start K. So strange because a school less than 5 miles away still have naps.

[momofboys]

Originally Posted by Candy

Our area never had 1/2 K it just a full day. Also our state deadline is to be 5 by Sept 30th so kids born in late Aug and Sept are 4 at the time they start K. So strange because a school less than 5 miles away still have naps.

Parents could always choose to wait a year, nothing wrong with that. I personally wouldn't send a 4-yr-old either.

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

Originally Posted by CraftyMom

I don't think my state ever had naps in K. My daughter is in K and it is along day. When I was a kid we didn't have naps either

same here

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

my dd was in 1/2 day and they still had a rest period of 25 minutes! ahh the good ol' days!

[blandino]

When I was in K, we had 1/2 days.

Our school system made K full day, maybe 12 years ago.

Then they had public school 4 Pre-K that was 1/2 day. So if your child needed to nap, you could send them for the morning session (the am was 9:00-11:50 and pm was 12:50-3:35), and then they could go home or to daycare and nap in the afternoon.

This year was the first year of all day pre-k (you don't have the option for 1/2 day), and they nap for 50 minutes. Well, at that age, it takes most of my kids 20-30 minutes to fall asleep (probably more in a room full of other 4 year olds squirming), so they are getting a 20 minute nap...

[Candy]

I think that is along time for a 4 or even a 5 year old to be awake. Getting up for the bus, 8hrs of school, catching the bus home(some kids ride transfer so they have a extra 30-45min ride home) when the child finally does get home they're just going to crash.

[Play Care]

Our district has full day K and no naps. I stop napping kids going in to K at the beginning of summer to acclimate. Honestly most have outgrown napping well before that so it's usually pretty painless. But once the summer hits and they are registered for school they are considered SA and the rules are a bit different for them so it's not as difficult to have them up.

[momofboys]

Originally Posted by Candy

I think that is along time for a 4 or even a 5 year old to be awake. Getting up for the bus, 8hrs of school, catching the bus home(some kids ride transfer so they have a extra 30-45min ride home) when the child finally does get home they're just going to crash.

Do most schools really have 8 hrs? Ours is only 6 hrs for the elementary. My elementary kids go 9-3. My middle school son is in school 7:45-2:30 so still not even a 7-hr day. PArents can choose other options such as one parent working earlier & picking up the child or dropping them off so the child doesn't have to ride the bus, thus shortening the day.

[blandino]

Originally Posted by momofboys

Do most schools really have 8 hrs? Ours is only 6 hrs for the elementary. My elementary kids go 9-3. My middle school son is in school 7:45-2:30 so still not even a 7-hr day. PArents can choose other options such as one parent working earlier & picking up the child or dropping them off so the child doesn't have to ride the bus, thus shortening the day.

Ours is 8:55-3:35, so 6.5 hours. But they do have B&A care, which a lot of kids go to. So they could be in school from 7:00-6:00.

[Candy]

Originally Posted by momofboys

Do most schools really have 8 hrs? Ours is only 6 hrs for the elementary. My elementary kids go 9-3. My middle school son is in school 7:45-2:30 so still not even a 7-hr day. PArents can choose other options such as one parent working earlier & picking up the child or dropping them off so the child doesn't have to ride the bus, thus shortening the day.

Most elementary schools where I am start at 8 and they get out at 3 so that's 7hrs. A lot of kids do got to B&A care. We are in hurricane central so when one comes they extend the days some time to even longer to make up for missed days. My poor cousin never makes it past the sofa before falling asleep.

[momofboys]

Originally Posted by Candy

Most elementary schools where I am start at 8 and they get out at 3 so that's 7hrs. A lot of kids do got to B&A care. We are in hurricane central so when one comes they extend the days some time to even longer to make up for missed days. My poor cousin never makes it past the sofa before falling asleep.

My point was if there are two parents & they both work that they could work different hours to shorten their child's time in school. Don't blame it on the school if your child is there so long, make changes to make it shorter for them or delay sending your child if they are only 4 - no one will make you send a 4-year-old.

[Second Home]

Here in MD our county has not done naps for 12 years ( could be longer than that I am just going by my oldest dd ) .

And full day K for 8 years .

[Lucy]

Here, you have to turn 5 by September 1st, and our school year starts after Labor Day. So all kids are 5 before they even start Kindergarten.

Also, Kindergarten is half day here, so no need for naps. I have two girls in PM Kindergarten right now, and they go from 12:50 to 3:30.

[Lucy]

Originally Posted by momofboys

Parents could always choose to wait a year, nothing wrong with that. I personally wouldn't send a 4-yr-old either.

Depends on your state. One of my DC kids' birthday is end of August. He was always a little less mature anyway, and with him barely turning 5 a couple weeks before he was to start Kindergarten, his mom and I thought that she could just go to the school and say she wanted to hold him out another year.

Not so easy. They have to test them to see if they're ready, and THEY make the determination. In this boy's case, they felt he was ready, so he went. He was in AM Kindergarten, so I just had him nap an hour after school every day. It has all turned out fine - he's in 5th grade now and doing well.

My point is, not every state/school district lets YOU just say "I'm keeping my kid out one more year".

[Candy]

Originally Posted by momofboys

My point was if there are two parents & they both work that they could work different hours to shorten their child's time in school. Don't blame it on the school if your child is there so long, make changes to make it shorter for them or delay sending your child if they are only 4 - no one will make you send a 4-year-old.

Uhm wow ok many people cant just up and change their schedule and you have to send your child to school here at 5 so you can't hold them back. Nobody's blaming the school and shocking tho most kids in our school district have 1 parent.

[Candy]

Originally Posted by Lucy

Depends on your state. One of my DC kids' birthday is end of August. He was always a little less mature anyway, and with him barely turning 5 a couple weeks before he was to start Kindergarten, his mom and I thought that she could just go to the school and say she wanted to hold him out another year.

Not so easy. They have to test them to see if they're ready, and THEY make the determination. In this boy's case, they felt he was ready, so he went. He was in AM Kindergarten, so I just had him nap an hour after school every day. It has all turned out fine - he's in 5th grade now and doing well.

My point is, not every state/school district lets YOU just say "I'm keeping my kid out one more year".

I herd there was a lady who kept her kid out a year because he was smaller and she wanted him to be bigger than the other kids an more athletic. I don't think that's what she told the school her reason was but if true that would be one of the dumbest excuses ever.

[Annalee]

Originally Posted by Candy

I herd there was a lady who kept her kid out a year because he was smaller and she wanted him to be bigger than the other kids an more athletic. I don't think that's what she told the school her reason was but if true that would be one of the dumbest excuses ever.

This happens here alot. To be such a small school, sports rules! My son is 12 in 6th grade and he has some 14 yr old boys in his class because parents wanted the extra size in sports. I think it is, not only a dumb excuse, but a selfish one on part of the parents as well.

[TwinKristi]

They don't have nap time in kinder here and it's full day. I know a Kindy teacher in another area of my state and they have half day and said if they had full day they'd need to include nap time?? Not here.

[sahm1225]

We haven't had naps in kindergarten here for years.

My dd birthday is august 27 and the cut off was august 31st. School doesn't start until after labor day so all kids will be 5 by the time school starts. I asked about holding her back a year and apparently it is not an option in our state.

Kids adapt. My DS is in kindergarten now. He goes from 7:45am -2:45pm. He wakes up around 6:45am and goes to bed at 7:15pm. His body has adapted and he wakes up and goes to bed at the same times even on the weekends and school off days. The first month of school may be harder since they are adjusting to a longer day and no naps, but kids are tough

[Scribbles]

Not all states require Kindergarten:

15 states plus DC mandate kindergarten attendance (kids are required to have attended kindergarten before enrolling in first grade.)
35 states do not require that children attend kindergarten (kids can go right into first grade at the compulsory age for attendance)

Each state has a compulsory age in which children are required to be enrolled in school.

In 8 states plus DC the compulsory school age is 5
In 25 states the compulsory school age is 6
In 15 states the compulsory school age is 7
In 2 states the compulsory school age is 8

Most states say that once a child is enrolled in school, they become required to adhere to mandatory attendance rules.

http://mb2.ecs.org/reports/Report.aspx?id=32

[SilverSabre25]

I was in kindy more than 20 years ago and we didn't nap! It was only half day.

Honestly if your child still naps I don't think they're ready for school.

[craftymissbeth]

Originally Posted by SilverSabre25

I was in kindy more than 20 years ago and we didn't nap! It was only half day.

Honestly if your child still naps I don't think they're ready for school.

Exactly.

OP - I didn't catch what state you're in. Here in Kansas the compulsory attendance age is 7 AND children may not enter kindergarten until they are 5 (I don't remember the cut-off date for the 5th birthday). So if I had a 5 year old still falling asleep during school hours they would either be homeschooled that year or start kindergarten when they're older.

Honestly, if a parent chooses not to rearrange their schedule or to homeschool and they STILL have a problem with the no-naps policy then they need to rethink their priorities. It's not the school's problem... the responsibility of making sure your child is ready for kindy falls on the parents' shoulders.

We are going to all day kindergarten next year. Kindergarten is not mandentory but if your child doesn't attend they will be sooo far behind.

We will be the only 6 hour kindergarten in our area-Most are 7:45 to 3:30/3:45 with either a 1/2 day on Fridays or no school at all on Fridays.

[renodeb]

I recently read an article about how they are eliminating nap time in preschools because of rising curriculum demands. I have never heard of nap time in kindergarten though. IMO american children are severely behind on sleep. Parents want to hang out with them in the evenings instead of putting them to bed on time. Naps are essential to a child's development. Eliminating them would be a huge mistake in any setting.

[Candy]

Im in Louisiana for prek they have to be 4 by Sept 30th and 5 by the same date for K. But school here starts the second week in Aug. I do agree that kids don't get enough sleep, I remember catching a movie at 11 at night at the theater and kids were everywhere. No kid should be up at that late.

[Candy]

For the states that K isn't mandatory I would imagine that child would be very far behind unless the parent was teaching them at home.

[daycarediva]

I don't think anyone is blaming the schools.

Our schools JUST went to full day, prior to that, it was half day with a 45 minute rest period. ALL of my kids have napped during that time frame. My DS (who is turning 6, and was 5 1/2 before entering K) had a heck of a time adjusting and was exhausted daily. He STILL naps on weekends and still goes to bed just fine. I feel terrible about it, and NO I can't pick him up from school early they won't allow that.

I have a dcg entering K who is going to have a heck of a time, too. Some kids NEED sleep, and I honestly think they should allow those to rest if they need it. The benefits of down time far outweigh the loss of 10 more dittos coming home.

[spinnymarie]

In our district, there were no naps even before i started teaching in 2006 for Kindergarteners. The Pre-Ks are all half-day, so no naps there either.
...
The kids are tired, but they make it just fine, they go to bed earlier for the first few months.

[Leigh]

Originally Posted by daycarediva

I don't think anyone is blaming the schools.

Our schools JUST went to full day, prior to that, it was half day with a 45 minute rest period. ALL of my kids have napped during that time frame. My DS (who is turning 6, and was 5 1/2 before entering K) had a heck of a time adjusting and was exhausted daily. He STILL naps on weekends and still goes to bed just fine. I feel terrible about it, and NO I can't pick him up from school early they won't allow that.

I have a dcg entering K who is going to have a heck of a time, too. Some kids NEED sleep, and I honestly think they should allow those to rest if they need it. The benefits of down time far outweigh the loss of 10 more dittos coming home.

[Candy]

Originally Posted by daycarediva

I don't think anyone is blaming the schools.

Our schools JUST went to full day, prior to that, it was half day with a 45 minute rest period. ALL of my kids have napped during that time frame. My DS (who is turning 6, and was 5 1/2 before entering K) had a heck of a time adjusting and was exhausted daily. He STILL naps on weekends and still goes to bed just fine. I feel terrible about it, and NO I can't pick him up from school early they won't allow that.

I have a dcg entering K who is going to have a heck of a time, too. Some kids NEED sleep, and I honestly think they should allow those to rest if they need it. The benefits of down time far outweigh the loss of 10 more dittos coming home.

I use to think teachers used nap time for their breaks also i'm starting to wonder when do they get them now.

[daycarediva]

Originally Posted by Candy

I use to think teachers used nap time for their breaks also i'm starting to wonder when do they get them now.

Special and lunch. They still get breaks!

[hwichlaz]

Originally Posted by Candy

I think that is along time for a 4 or even a 5 year old to be awake. Getting up for the bus, 8hrs of school, catching the bus home(some kids ride transfer so they have a extra 30-45min ride home) when the child finally does get home they're just going to crash.

School isn't 8 hours. They go from about 815 - 215 here. Our kindy is still half days though, so no nap. I've found that my own daycare kids stop napping by 4 years old, unless they are coming down with something or had an extra rough day.

[hwichlaz]

Half day kindy here is only 2 1/2 hours, so naps aren't needed. It's closer to 3 hours if the kids stay for the optional lunch time. They don't start kindy until age 5 though. There has never been naps in half day kindy here. When I was in full day kindy as a child, most of us got into trouble at nap time because we wouldn't sleep, lol. I'm 38.

Originally Posted by momofboys

They haven't had naps in K around where I am in ages. However, there are deadlines/age requirements around me also. A child has to be 5 by August 1st of that school year to start Kindergarten so theoretically there shouldn't be any 4-year-olds. My youngest son is in K now, it is all-day & no nap. He did do a school-based preschool that was all-day 2 days a week last school year & they did take a 1 hr rest time. He hated it lol!

My 1st kid was 4. She did ok, but they had "rest" time and allowed some kids to nap. It was 30 minutes. My son was 5 and my twins were just 5. I believe naps were still allowed last year as well.