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

[Anonymous]

St Albans is wonderful, several friends have multiple kids there and have loved it. Cleveland Park is ideal. Walkable but with a relaxed family atmosphere.

FT nanny is 40 hours a week. You can honestly wait to hire until a few weeks before start date, usually. The neighborhood list serv is likely to be your best place to hire. You can shell out for an agency to place one, but it’s expensive — $10k up front.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, appreciate everyone’s input. If I could get an au pair I would but you need to be a US citizen to do that in DC.

Sounds like I’ll need a FT nanny. What constitutes FT, 40 hours/week? What would I have her do on my week off? Groceries, laundry, cleaning etc?

As far as location I think if I can get her into St Albans I’m leaning towards Cleveland Park for accessibility, walkability, restaurants and stores etc that I feel are missing from Petworth. Is living there worth it to have her at St Albans compared to the other schools? It’s a 20 minute bike ride to WHC according to people who live there.

She’s #33 on Tubman waitlist. Is there a significant difference in schooling between St Albans, Tubman, Dorothy Heights, Appletree and Meridian?

Hi OP, I agree with your assessment. A good nanny/housekeeper will keep your life running smoothly, even while your kid is at school. (In preschool, they also have SO many days off, early dismissal days, and then of course long breaks for holidays and then the entire summer. This is on top of illnesses, of which there will be a ton. You’ll be using a nanny for full day care way more than you think!) A nanny can also do your grocery shopping and make all or most meals, laundry, tidying and cleaning, and small tasks (pick up drycleaning, doctors appts- just make sure you discuss all of this upfront and put it in a contract). FT is 40 hours, but people can be open to more or less. Having consistent professional support will make your life SO much easier as a single parent. Your daughter will thrive, too.

I’d look for a housekeeper/nanny about 4-5 weeks before a start date. I wouldn’t bother with a nanny agency. Once you pick a neighborhood, there will almost definitely be a listserv where people will post recommendations for their nannies. (I’d assume this in a family friendly place like Cleveland Park.) Finding someone who other neighborhood families know, as well as who knows the neighborhood, is crucial. Interview a few candidates, do a background check, get their references (3-4). There are a lot of people looking for FT nanny positions in DC. As long as you pay a reasonable market rate (which the listserv can help you price), you will get tons of candidates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, appreciate everyone’s input. If I could get an au pair I would but you need to be a US citizen to do that in DC.

Sounds like I’ll need a FT nanny. What constitutes FT, 40 hours/week? What would I have her do on my week off? Groceries, laundry, cleaning etc?

As far as location I think if I can get her into St Albans I’m leaning towards Cleveland Park for accessibility, walkability, restaurants and stores etc that I feel are missing from Petworth. Is living there worth it to have her at St Albans compared to the other schools? It’s a 20 minute bike ride to WHC according to people who live there.

She’s #33 on Tubman waitlist. Is there a significant difference in schooling between St Albans, Tubman, Dorothy Heights, Appletree and Meridian?

Living in Cleveland Park, sending your child to St. Albans and hiring a FT nanny is SUCH A GOOD plan for you. This will definitely work. I can see you and your child both thriving in this situation.

Wish you luck in finding a great nanny. There are many here in DC and I'm sure you'll find one. The nannies I know who work with single parents with demanding jobs who do overnights are all wonderful. Find someone who feels like part of the family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, appreciate everyone’s input. If I could get an au pair I would but you need to be a US citizen to do that in DC.

Sounds like I’ll need a FT nanny. What constitutes FT, 40 hours/week? What would I have her do on my week off? Groceries, laundry, cleaning etc?

As far as location I think if I can get her into St Albans I’m leaning towards Cleveland Park for accessibility, walkability, restaurants and stores etc that I feel are missing from Petworth. Is living there worth it to have her at St Albans compared to the other schools? It’s a 20 minute bike ride to WHC according to people who live there.

She’s #33 on Tubman waitlist. Is there a significant difference in schooling between St Albans, Tubman, Dorothy Heights, Appletree and Meridian?

You’re going to need at least 40hrs/week if not 50. If you work 8 hrs you have to build in time to commute.

For the week you have off, you make up the hours the next week (but OT may still apply), or have her do household stuff.

[Anonymous]

Living in Cleveland Park also gives you the option is staying in DC, because the elementary, middle and high school options are just great. I myself don't live in Ward 3, and securing good schools, especially after elementary, has been doable but is not for the faint of heart and depends somewhat on lottery luck. In Cleveland Park, you can just rest easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, appreciate everyone’s input. If I could get an au pair I would but you need to be a US citizen to do that in DC.

Sounds like I’ll need a FT nanny. What constitutes FT, 40 hours/week? What would I have her do on my week off? Groceries, laundry, cleaning etc?

As far as location I think if I can get her into St Albans I’m leaning towards Cleveland Park for accessibility, walkability, restaurants and stores etc that I feel are missing from Petworth. Is living there worth it to have her at St Albans compared to the other schools? It’s a 20 minute bike ride to WHC according to people who live there.

She’s #33 on Tubman waitlist. Is there a significant difference in schooling between St Albans, Tubman, Dorothy Heights, Appletree and Meridian?

I’d sit down and write up something about you and your DD, including your schedule and where you’re looking to live, and post it on the nanny forums here. You’ll get a ton of random replies but starting to talk to a few nannies might help you coalesce on a plan - for example you asked what you would have her do on your week of, I could see some nannies being open to literally mimicking your schedule and having that week of themselves. You’d still need to be open to paying for that flexibility with a slightly higher hourly rate (also reflecting that you’d need nighttime work) but you might end up saving not having her work when you don’t truly need it or in overtime. I could see a nanny who has her own kids liking the week off, or if she travels often, or if she’s hustling and wants to pickup babysitting or backup care jobs on the off days.

And kudos to you for being open minded, not all of the comments here are nicely worded but I see through that you’re just trying to do your best. Your daughter will be alright with a good combo of preschool and a consistent caregiver, and soon enough you’ll be through this residency or fellowship or whatever and can move somewhere more single parent friendly (if that’s what you want).

[Anonymous]

Week *off* above

[Anonymous]

Plz lock thread and move off forum. Congrats OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think your bigger issue is after before 7am / after 6:30 pm / weekends / overnights. Have you considered an au pair for pick up and drop off and extra support?

Welcome to DC!

I think it would be a hard sell for a young female au pair to come live with a single dad and his kid.

The optics are bad.

[Anonymous]

OP, this sounds like a really good plan!! Good luck.

[Anonymous]

To your question of whether there's a difference between St Albans, Tubman, Dorothy Height, Appletree and Meridian--YES, the former is a private school where most of the families are wealthy, white, and highly educated. The others are public schools (DC or charter) where most of the families are low-income, not white, and less likely to have college/graduate degrees. Your kid could have great teachers at any of them, and I know people who had good experiences at Appletree and Height. The curricula are different. The cost is different. The schedules are different. Which one is best for your kid is a separate question, but they are definitely different.

[Anonymous]

I'm confused about your hours. Are you completely off every other week and work just 40 hours during the other weeks?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To your question of whether there's a difference between St Albans, Tubman, Dorothy Height, Appletree and Meridian--YES, the former is a private school where most of the families are wealthy, white, and highly educated. The others are public schools (DC or charter) where most of the families are low-income, not white, and less likely to have college/graduate degrees. Your kid could have great teachers at any of them, and I know people who had good experiences at Appletree and Height. The curricula are different. The cost is different. The schedules are different. Which one is best for your kid is a separate question, but they are definitely different.

He is asking about the difference between SAECC, a daycare center that offers free PreK, and the charters that offer free PreK. He is not thinking of sending his 3 year old daughter to STA which is a private school for boys that starts in 4th grade, and matches your description as a school for children from rich families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

Petworth is nice and has a lot of
Kids. I see kids playing on Sherman Circle on weekend mornings. If you decide to move to Petworth look at the crime map. There are streets close to Sherman Circle that you don’t want to move, for example Crittendent St and Decatur St between 8th St and 9 St.

And the metro stop is worse than Columbia Heights.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

Petworth is nice and has a lot of
Kids. I see kids playing on Sherman Circle on weekend mornings. If you decide to move to Petworth look at the crime map. There are streets close to Sherman Circle that you don’t want to move, for example Crittendent St and Decatur St between 8th St and 9 St.

And the metro stop is worse than Columbia Heights.

Not really. Columbia Heights cannot even keep a CVS open due to crime.