While age usually dictates this decision and is an eligibility criterion for schools, age should only be a guide for school readiness as numerous other factors need to be considered. Each child is different and should only be assessed on his or her skills and capabilities. For example, you may have a child whose birthday is after the cut off date for school entry, but you believe he is particularly bright and would be bored if he didn’t start school.  What are the advantages/disadvantages of starting early? Alternatively, you may have a child who is old enough to commence school, but you are concerned about his level of maturity, aspects of his development or worry that he will be the very youngest in the group. Should you contemplate waiting another year? What things do you need to consider?

Issues of grade placement can also affect parents with children who already attend school. Children who show significant delays or who are significantly advanced with their learning and development may have been recommended as candidates for repetition or acceleration of a year.

In other cases, issues about grade placement or school readiness are not relevant; however, parents may be keen to determine whether their child’s general cognitive/learning and social-emotional development is on track.

Having your child undergo a developmental assessment can be a highly valuable process when addressing all of the above issues. These types of evaluations examine your child’s learning potential and cognitive and social/emotional developmental status.  If relevant, the pros and cons of advancement or holding your child back are explored, and recommendations are offered. In cases such as early school entry, a basic assessment is a mandatory requirement of the department of education.

School readiness and grade placement assessments at The Avenue Place are usually conducted over 1-3 individual sessions where your child will participate in several developmental games and activities relevant to age.

Where necessary, parents and teachers will be interviewed and asked to complete behavioural, social skills and developmental measures.   At the end of the assessment, a comprehensive report along with a recommendation is provided and discussed with parents.