PS-3, Pre-K lottery - what would you do differently?

[Anonymous]

I would love to hear from parents about how they feel they might have done the public PS-3 and Pre-K lottery "differently" now that the public school round is over (acknowledging that people may still be mulling over charters, staying with nanny/daycare, SAHM/D etc.)

Please, I don't mean for this to turn into a contentious thread (trolls and people who like to casually insult others anonymously, can you take a day off? Thanks in advance!)

If there is no PS-3 at your in boundary/proximity school, or high high in-boundary demand, how do you play the numbers? Do you apply to one or two schools that you are not as enthusiastic about to make sure you get in somewhere? Or only apply to the "top" OOB schools and take your chances?

Do you keep doing whatever you were doing for another year if you don't like the outcome? Is the worst thing that can happen is you go bankrupt? I think the worst thing that can happen is your child is subjected to a nightmarish school, although none of the ones I visited were too bad. I steered towards ones that have good test scores or reputation, friend's suggestions, etc. This board was helpful.

We were waitlisted to various degrees at the 5 schools on the top of our list and accepted at the number 6 school, which looks like it might work out ok, but I wonder if I shouldn't have left off some schools with ridiculous OOB waitlists and concentrated on schools with lower demand and better proximity. I don't live on Capitol Hill, and I thought I had a chance at getting in as OOB, but if I had understood the process just a little bit better I think I would have skipped Peabody and Watkins and picked schools where I had a less remote chance of getting in.

[Anonymous]

Yup. I think people shoot themselves in the foot by only applying to the "top" schools. Better to do a mixture.

[Anonymous]

Pre-school applications the new college applications?

Back when I applied to college (I think it might be a little different now?), you had your SATs sent to 6 schools and then filled out those 6 applications. One was supposed to be your "safety" school - one that you KNEW you'd get into, as a worst case scenario.

Now the free pre-school market in DC is so competitive that people will apply to Tier 5 schools as safeties. It's pretty ugly. It seems questionable how long they'll stay in, but (past K, maybe? past 2nd doubtful) it beats paying for another year of daycare.

There are still charter pre-schools, don't make the same mistake of overlooking them.

[Anonymous]

OP. I assume your 6th school was a school that you would have preferred to any school that was not on your list at all. If you applied to JKLMO for 1-5 and then skipped Ross, Cooke and Thomson for #6 and instead but a school you liked less than RCT, I think you make an error.

But, if the school you got into was higher ranked in your own mind than any other school in the city (except your first 5) then you made the right move. You go into the highest ranked school that had a spot for you.

[Anonymous]

The only upper NW school I could see using one of the 6 choices for would be Hyde, since they tend to have a substantial portion of their student body coming from OOB.

Unless I was inbounds for JKLMO, I wouldn't bother to even try for a PS3 or PK4 slot. I just don't see that happening unless your are inbounds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP. I assume your 6th school was a school that you would have preferred to any school that was not on your list at all. If you applied to JKLMO for 1-5 and then skipped Ross, Cooke and Thomson for #6 and instead but a school you liked less than RCT, I think you make an error.

But, if the school you got into was higher ranked in your own mind than any other school in the city (except your first 5) then you made the right move. You go into the highest ranked school that had a spot for you.

If she did this, I think she didn't make an error. Our family didn't apply to any of the upper NW schools--just Cooke, Thomson, Bancroft, and some other schools closer to our house. Thomson is my top choice, and we're in the 50s on the waitlist. We're in the upper 30s for Cooke, and have a prayer of getting in only if they add another PS3 class. Those schools aren't safeties at all, not this year for PS3s.

For us the only way we got in anywhere was to have not one safety school, but two--one that we would be OK with, and one that we really looked down our noses at--but that is still better for our family than another year of daycare. That last school is the only one we were accepted to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

For us the only way we got in anywhere was to have not one safety school, but two--one that we would be OK with, and one that we really looked down our noses at--but that is still better for our family than another year of daycare. That last school is the only one we were accepted to.

I wasn't in the lottery this year, but plan on going in the preschool3 lottery next year. This is what I'm just not sure of--how to determine whether a school that I might rather look down my nose at is better for our family than another year of daycare. What if the educational opportunities, aftercare, and hassle of arranging camps and such mean that spending money on daycare for another year isn't such a bad deal after all? I guess I'm going in the lottery more for the longer term utility since daycare (ours anyway) ceases to be an option once my kid needs to go into kindergarten.

[Anonymous]

This is the math for my family. Since I have twins the cost of daycare for DH and me is about $24,000 a year. This is about 25% of DH and my gross income. Another 25% goes to our mortgage. We need Pre-K 3 financially. I estimate camps and aftercare will not cost us more than $6,000 for the twins. Because of this, we are playing the lottery to win- get entry at a school we are comfortable with. I will select schools based on my preferences, proximity to my older DC's school and our home, and based on the odds of getting in. We live on the Hill and ideally I'd like a school with other families we know for play date potential.

[Anonymous]

Takoma Educational Center will be the next "turn-around" school. Principal is fantastic and has early childhood background. Reggio Emilia for the whole school through the catalyst schools program. PS/PK teachers have MAs in Spec Ed plus early childhood. PS/PK in their own suite with their own cafeteria and playground. They're not overly subscribed yet because the new principal only has a a couple of years in so far.

[Anonymous]

Also, for those of you who did not get in anywhere, consider Garrison in Shaw/U-St area. DCPS is recruiting parents to enroll (there are -- or were -- spaces available) and local parents who live in the shaw/U-street/Logan area are organizing. Up to now, the school had been almost exclusively OOB.

[Anonymous]

Miner on Cap Hill has a short waitlist, but I think they'll run through it this summer. It might be worth checking out for kids who don't have slots yet. People rave about the Principal. It has a great new building and a nice area for drop off.

[Anonymous]

Hi OP: Are you applying to charter schools as well?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is what I'm just not sure of--how to determine whether a school that I might rather look down my nose at is better for our family than another year of daycare. What if the educational opportunities, aftercare, and hassle of arranging camps and such mean that spending money on daycare for another year isn't such a bad deal after all?

12:57 here. For our family it was as much about our son's needs as it was about the $. He's in a great in-home daycare, where I'd happily send a second baby--but this past fall, he started to simply outgrow the setting. He craves interaction with lots of different kids, but is frankly not that good at making friends at the playground (he tries & tries, but he's no good at reading other kids' social cues). Yes, we want to save the $13K/yr that we're spending on his daycare, but we also want him in a setting where there are a lot more kids his age, and some more structure. And while we could move him to another daycare for a year or two, that would have its own hassles (including finding a spot for him someplace convenient to home/my office/spouse's office).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only upper NW school I could see using one of the 6 choices for would be Hyde, since they tend to have a substantial portion of their student body coming from OOB.

Unless I was inbounds for JKLMO, I wouldn't bother to even try for a PS3 or PK4 slot. I just don't see that happening unless your are inbounds.

OP here - Just a reminder, none of the JKLMO west-of-the-park schools offer pre-S for 3 year olds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP. I assume your 6th school was a school that you would have preferred to any school that was not on your list at all. If you applied to JKLMO for 1-5 and then skipped Ross, Cooke and Thomson for #6 and instead but a school you liked less than RCT, I think you make an error.

But, if the school you got into was higher ranked in your own mind than any other school in the city (except your first 5) then you made the right move. You go into the highest ranked school that had a spot for you.

OP - Thanks! This is interesting. If you have time to elaborate, I am wondering what things about Ross, Cooke and Thomson particularly you like, and what's RCT?