Poll: How many preschools did you apply to?

[Anonymous]

I am wondering how many preschools people typically apply to. These schools seem pretty hard to get into...it seems like once sibling preference, etc., is taken into account, there may not be a lot of slots left. And yet, there typically is an application fee for each one. How many did you apply to, and how many did you get into?

[Anonymous]

We applied to 4. Were waitlisted everywhere and eventually got off 1 waitlist. I think it depends on where you are and which preschools you are applying to. If you're applying to the popular ones in NW, you should apply to several.

[Anonymous]

One. In Bethesda.

[Anonymous]

remember some of the more popular ones do not have a lot of slots open and some have none.

[Anonymous]

We applied to 2 and got into 1 with our DS. DD has an automatic in next fall at the school her brother attended.

[Anonymous]

7 schools.

Ultimately got into 3. 2 off of wait list.

[Anonymous]

OP, I think it really matters where you are geographically and how comptetitve the schools are. I live in N. Bethesda, looked at 9, applied to 3 and got into 3, but there are generally more spaces per kid where I live.

[Anonymous]

OP here--I live in NW DC and would be applying in the Mount Pleasant/Cleveland Park/Chevy Chase area.

[Anonymous]

It may also depend on whether you are applying to the 2.5-year-old or 3-year-old class. We applied to 4 schools and got into all 4 for the 2.5-year-old class (and there were schools that were supposed to be really hard to get into). There are 12 kids in my DD's class now. I don't think many (if any) will drop out and the 3-year-old class has a limit of 14. This means that anyone applying to the 3-year-old class for next year will be competing for the 2 spots (that will most likely go to siblings anyway).

[Anonymous]

Only applied to one for my 2 y.o. (when he was 1.5) and got in.

[Anonymous]

3 for a 2 year old and wait listed at all.

[Anonymous]

ah, OP, I feel your pain. Saw your reply that your MtP, Cleveland park..me too. Everything...EVERYTHING...has 2 year wait lists...it's very discouraging and what most of us reluctantly end up doing is hiring a nanny until we roll off a wait list. At least that's what those of us that were silly enough not to waitlist our unborn child as soon as we were pregnant...I joke not. There is a school at COlumbia/16th ST NW - Little Flower Montesorri (not really a montesorri school) that always seems to have openings; the staff there is nice enough and the school is administratively a mess but that was our choice over nannies until we rolled off a wait list. If you can bear having to turn your child's medical records in to them repeatedly bec they lost them it's a great little school. They curiously never lost our payment. good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ah, OP, I feel your pain. Saw your reply that your MtP, Cleveland park..me too. Everything...EVERYTHING...has 2 year wait lists...it's very discouraging and what most of us reluctantly end up doing is hiring a nanny until we roll off a wait list. At least that's what those of us that were silly enough not to waitlist our unborn child as soon as we were pregnant...I joke not. There is a school at COlumbia/16th ST NW - Little Flower Montesorri (not really a montesorri school) that always seems to have openings; the staff there is nice enough and the school is administratively a mess but that was our choice over nannies until we rolled off a wait list. If you can bear having to turn your child's medical records in to them repeatedly bec they lost them it's a great little school. They curiously never lost our payment. good luck!

are you talking about daycares? I assumed OP was asking about typical half-day preschool programs for 3 yos. Maybe I assumed incorrectly?

[Anonymous]

5 in Arlington.
Got into 1 right away, and 2 off the waitlist.

[Anonymous]

5 in NW DC. Got into 1 (weirdly, it was the one with the worst odds, so go figure). A nerve-wracking experience.