How do you handle drop off/pick up OOB?

[Anonymous]

Hi. We just got our DS into a school near the middle of the city and live near one of the edges, where our other child will be in daycare. I work outside of the city (so drop off/pick up for me means coming into the middle of the city and going back out again) and my DH usually commutes by bike. I'd love to hear from other parents about any creative drop-off/pick up ideas they may use (or know of other families using) as we weigh all of our options.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

This sounds nuts. You work outside the city and live near the edge, plus daycare is near the edge, and you are going to drive DC#1 in and out each day while DH bike commutes.

You are going to lose your mind. Sorry I have no creative ideas for you. If DH works near the school, he needs to deal with DC #1 pick up and drop off -- whether on Metro or by car.

If you are committed to the center city school, consider moving.

If this is something you are just doing for 1 year for free PS-3 before you enroll your kid in JKLMO, I think you'll find it is not worth the money.

[Anonymous]

only creative situation that I can think of is you handle daycare baby's drop off and pick up, while DH gives up the bike commute and drops off/picks up school aged kid.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Yeah, it sounded crazy to me too. But, I got the impression from the discussions here that many people drive their kids across the city for "better" schools, (use carpools, hire someone for aftercare, etc.) but maybe I was wrong!
No, we don't live in the JKLMO area. DS will be in pre-k. The schools in-bounds for us (and even some of the close OOB) aren't an option. We are within the top 10 on the waitlist at a relatively good DCPS school in a much closer commuting distance, which may be the better option if we are offered a space.) We really don't want to keep DS in his daycare for pre-k, since we aren't that happy with the pre-k instruction there and we're not sure we could get a K spot anywhere else the following year anyway.
And yes, we are considering both the options of DH giving up the bike and moving, but it would be to MoCo so that (in theory) we wouldn't have to deal with this school craziness.

[Anonymous]

Where is your husband's office in relation to the school? You can't take a bike on the Metro during rush hour, but you can take it on a bus. If the buses work right, your husband could take your child to school on the bus, and then bike to work from there, doing the pickup the same way that evening.

It's also possible that once the school year has started you'll find another family in or near your neighborhood, and will be able to carpool (or have one parent take both kids on the bus/metro).

[Anonymous]

Don't let them get you down. Many people do do the cross-city commute. Hopefully you will find people to carpool with so it's not so bad. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Hi OP--I live in NE (Ward 5). One child goes to school close to my house, another in NW. What has worked for us is identifying car pool partners. I also have a friend that hired someone to do do 2 hours of babysitting/afternoon including pickup and it is cheaper than paying for aftercare.

[Anonymous]

We are in a simliar situation where my husband prefers to walk to work but had to ditch this due to drop off / pick up. He has his choice of walking with the jogging stroller, riding his bike with the child seat, or driving the car.

I am responsible for dropping off and picking up my DS at his DCPS in Columbia Heights and then commuting to downtown.

This might be something we need to do for 2 years until our children are in the same school. For us, we have a really good inbounds school BUT we loved the charter that we got into and have decided that it is worth the additional headache.

[Anonymous]

Check to see if your school has a website or listserv. If it's a decent school, they should have an active PTO/PTA, which could direct you to other parents who live in your area.

[Anonymous]

OP- I sympathize though I have no experience. Like 15:58, I live in NE (Ward 5) and am looking at OOB and not-close charters. I think the school/work commute sounds crazy-making. I just don't know how people stay sane. I do hope we can carpool but w/ so many options in so many different directions, it's hard.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks everyone for your comments. To quote from "The Wire," when selecting a neighborhood I think I "was thinking short when [I] should have been thinking long." (Great house with a great yard, quiet neighbors but horrible schools and lousy access to city services in general. My fault for thinking that what we paid for that house - and pay in taxes - meant the same access to services that they DO have in other parts of the city!) I don't want to make the same mistake again by turning down a great school that my kid can stay in for years because it's currently inconvenient for me and DH... at least not without fully exhausting all of the options to make this work.

DH is willing to give up the bike and I'm probably changing my work schedule so he'd only have to do that 3 days a week. But, of course, taking the car for drop off/pick up adds high parking expenses in addition to the after care costs we'd have to pay... oh, the things we do for our kids!

Thanks again everyone!

[Anonymous]

fyi -it is was not for drop off / pick up I would be metroing. Instead I drop $200 a month to park my car near metro center. I rationalize that it would have cost me $80 anyway to take metro so it is really only costing my $120 a month. We have looked into paid parking near a metro stop that is close to my DS's school but did the math and when you pay for parking and take the metro it is the same cost as just paying for parking downtown.

[Anonymous]

What about a DCPS near Metro Center?

[Anonymous]

OP. Do you mind saying where you live and where the school is? How you have to handle the commute might change the advice folks give.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, my sympathies. Unfortunately, I think we are likely to be switching from Metro-ing to driving once my toddler starts OOB/not-in-the-nabe charter school. Are many others in this boat. It's sad but the logistics just seem so daunting, regardless (and more so by public transit).