Single Dad with Pre K3 Daughter Moving to DC for 3 Years, Where to Live?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I won’t be able to do an au pair because my understanding is you need to be a US citizen or permanent resident to have one in DC, which I’m not. And didn’t mean to imply I’d depend on other families for care, I certainly would be looking for nannies/babysitters (have already started on care.com).

Any reason why doing preK and supplementing with nanny wouldn’t work?

I think you are going to have some difficulty finding a nanny who will work overnights.

You might have more luck if you look for someone live in. But if you do that you might find that you can get a 3 bedroom 2 bath place (the minimum you can do with a live in) plus daycare in Silver Spring or Hyattsville plus daycare, for less than a 3 bedroom 2 bath place in DC with free PreK, aftercare, and camp.

Daycare is going to give your kid much more stability. PreK would mean transitioning to aftercare, and then to a nanny, plus needing to make different arrangements for all the school breaks, or paying your nanny a ton of over time to make those work.

Running these numbers makes sense, OP. Perhaps you could get a live in student with low rent in exchange for childcare for the overnights? Daycare does make a lot of sense for the continuity throughout the year. I'd ask WHC what others do with similar schedules, there may be options we don't know about.

[Anonymous]

With that schedule you need to accept that you have to hire a FT nanny who can workk whatever hours you are scheduled for. You cannot expect someone to take a PT job but also be available to work over night 1/3 of the time. But you probably can find a nanny who will agree to a fixed schedule of 40-50 hours a week whenever you need them. You’re not going to be able to rely on “free PK” and a PT nanny with your schedule. Remember that you are the sole wage earner and you need to invest in ensuring you can work. So yes; you will pay 1/2 your income on childcare. The other alternative is overnight daycares that cater to shift workers/medical professionals, but that seems rough.

You can still send your child to “free” PK with a fulltime nanny - you’d just use the nanny hours at different times of the day/week, or see if she’d do light housework and cooking while DD is at school.

But you need 100% paid coverage for when you work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I won’t be able to do an au pair because my understanding is you need to be a US citizen or permanent resident to have one in DC, which I’m not. And didn’t mean to imply I’d depend on other families for care, I certainly would be looking for nannies/babysitters (have already started on care.com).

Any reason why doing preK and supplementing with nanny wouldn’t work?

The problem with "supplementing" with a nanny with your unusual hours is that you cant reasonably assume that this person will be able to find other part time work that fits in the inverse of your schedule, and they won't be able to survive on part time hours. You need to accept that you will have to pay for someone full time. I'm sure you can find 40 hours of work for her, even if you child is in PK. Look closely at the school year schedule (180 days per year) and your work schedule.

I'm very sorry that your child's mother isn't involved in childcare! The other option is bringing up a grandparent for that third of the month for overnights, which will be the trickiest thing to cover. Might be cheaper to fly in a grandparent than hire full time help.

[Anonymous]

Columbia Heights is so convenient with little kids. Walk to everything including Target and the pediatrician. It also probably a greater concentration of families than any other neighborhood. I would look at adding Raymond ES to your lottery list (north CH) as well as getting on the list for the free PK at CentroNia and Barbara Chambers.

[Anonymous]

Did you put Whittier on your lottery list?

[Anonymous]

I've lived in DC for 20+ years and have a high tolerance for sketch. I lived in Shaw before it was the place to be, and I would not live in Columbia Heights. There are too many shootings and having to use the CH metro as my main stop would really wear on me. 14th and Irving is just such a shit show. I would say anywhere but Columbia Heights, actually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did you put Whittier on your lottery list?

I did and am waitlisted #44

Also dorothy heights, waitlisted #24

Raymond waitlisted #24

And about 20 other schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Columbia Heights is so convenient with little kids. Walk to everything including Target and the pediatrician. It also probably a greater concentration of families than any other neighborhood. I would look at adding Raymond ES to your lottery list (north CH) as well as getting on the list for the free PK at CentroNia and Barbara Chambers.

Really? This has not been my experience at all.

Op, you should visit DC and decide which neighborhood before you move here. Some of these responses aren’t accurate.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I really liked Petworth - I drove through there once during their Porchfest which was awesome. Sherman Circle area was nice.

[Anonymous]

I would move to Capitol Hill, in-bound for Peabody or Ludlow, get a full time nanny and put my kid in part-time pre-school somewhere like River Park Nursery School (on the Hill). Safe, TONS of nannies so your kid would have lots of kids to play with, tons of parks and kid amenities, close enough to WHC.

Columbia Heights is sketchy AF right now.

[Anonymous]

You need a live in nanny. And not a pretty one.

[Anonymous]

Petworth is nice. 16th Street Heights too.

[Anonymous]

Anywhere around WHC is not at all safe or family friendly.

[Anonymous]

I work with physicians and they all live: NW DC, Georgetown, Roslyn and Great Falls. That's about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work with physicians and they all live: NW DC, Georgetown, Roslyn and Great Falls. That's about it.

Ok. I live in Bloomingdale near the WHC and know plenty of doctors who live in the neighborhood.