Single working mom, moving to Dc with 4 year old and 18 months old

[mk]

Hi, I am considering taking up a 1-yr assignment in DC. My two daughters 4 years (turning 4 in august) and 18 month old will be accompanying me.

I need to know the following things:

1. Is there someplace in DC where I can live without needing a car to commute to and from work. (Work will be in Pennsylvania Ave. NW)

2. I need a two bed, two bath place but something thats not too expensive (max. range inclusive of all utilities is $3000 per mnth).

3. I also need to find good preK for my 4 year old, that is not too far from the place of residence.

Am I asking for the impossible???

Also, after rent and utilities, how much is 'enough' to live on in DC with two kids. I am coming in from out of US so have no idea.

[Anonymous]

Hi, MK. I'm the one who suggested you post in the off topic forum rather than preschool to help get some feedback on prices of things around here. I think (correct me if I'm wrong) you need both day care for your 18 month old and preschool for your 4 year old? This September, right?

I was hoping people right in or near the DC line could help her out with these things, including costs, if she moves here from overseas.

[mk]

Thanks anonymous! Yep! I'd like to live close to work and also have the day care and preK closeby, so picking and dropping is not too difficult. I may have my mom to help me out first few months, but will be pretty much on my own after that. If finding preK is gonna be too touch I may forego the assignment--but its just too good for me career wise, so will try to see all options!

[Anonymous]

I cannot speak to DC specific places to live/schools but my advice would be to follow the metro and see what you can find along the lines. For example, if you do a realtor.com search for rentals in 22201 (which is Arlington and a 15 min train ride to PA Ave) in your price range you'll find several high rise condo's within a couple of blocks of the metro. Also in that area are quite a few faith-based pre-k's plus some other schools that might be a fit. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I cannot speak to DC specific places to live/schools but my advice would be to follow the metro and see what you can find along the lines. For example, if you do a realtor.com search for rentals in 22201 (which is Arlington and a 15 min train ride to PA Ave) in your price range you'll find several high rise condo's within a couple of blocks of the metro. Also in that area are quite a few faith-based pre-k's plus some other schools that might be a fit. Good luck!

I agree with the recommendation for North Arlington, especially along the Orange Line metro. It's very close to the city -- just across the river -- and there are a lot of nice high rise apartment buildings, especially near the Courthouse, Clarendon, Virginia Square and Ballston metro stops.

I'm not 100% sure of the rental prices, but maybe try buildings like Arlington Courthouse Plaza and Arlington Courthouse Place. They're right at the Courthouse metro, which is a VERY easy commute via metro to PA Ave and is also quite near Key Elementary School, which has a nice playground and lots of neighborhood kids on the weekends. Overall, the whole area is super kid friendly.

The other plus is that there's lots of good daycare and preschool in the area, although wait lists can be daunting. Here's a link to a document showing all the licensed options/centers in Arlington county: http://www.arlingtonva.us/departments/HumanServices/pdf/file65335.pdf

The one issue is that it might be hard to do the drop offs and pick ups without a car. But if you leave yourself enough time, you could drop off the kiddos and then come back and park the car in your building's garage before hopping on the metro to get downtown for work.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

You could live on Capitol Hill. Look in the neighborhoods around Union Station, Capitol South and Eastern Market metro stations. (www.wmata.com is the Metro site and you can get the zip codes of those stations and do rental searches.) I think you could probably find a nice 2-BR or 2-BR with den in your price range. Capitol South and Eastern Market are on the orange/blue lines, Union Station is on the red line.

Here's a school that has pre-K students: http://www.privateschoolreview.com/school_ov/school_id/5875 I can't personally recommend it, but I run past it nearly every week and it looks like a nice place. It's in Southeast. You could easily drop off the older child and walk a few blocks to the metro. are you planning daycare or a nanny for your younger child?

I won't lie, daycare is a pain to find here, but it's a little easier in VA or MD than in DC, I've heard. In Virginia, you could look around Rosslyn, Courthouse, Clarendon, Virginia Square or Ballston metros - find a childcare first, then find an apartment nearby. Most daycare centers will have programs suitable for both kids. You could also try Pentagon City or Crystal City. Colonial Village, between Rosslyn and Courthouse, is child-friendly and walkable to everything. There are also a ton of high-rises in Arlington that are walkable to the metros I've mentioned.

good luck!

[Anonymous]

Where are you moving from? Cost of living here is relative. I moved from London and am surprised that many things cost more here than back home, even allowing for a bad exchange rate. Really surprised.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I cannot speak to DC specific places to live/schools but my advice would be to follow the metro and see what you can find along the lines. For example, if you do a realtor.com search for rentals in 22201 (which is Arlington and a 15 min train ride to PA Ave) in your price range you'll find several high rise condo's within a couple of blocks of the metro. Also in that area are quite a few faith-based pre-k's plus some other schools that might be a fit. Good luck!

I agree with the recommendation for North Arlington, especially along the Orange Line metro. It's very close to the city -- just across the river -- and there are a lot of nice high rise apartment buildings, especially near the Courthouse, Clarendon, Virginia Square and Ballston metro stops.

I'm not 100% sure of the rental prices, but maybe try buildings like Arlington Courthouse Plaza and Arlington Courthouse Place. They're right at the Courthouse metro, which is a VERY easy commute via metro to PA Ave and is also quite near Key Elementary School, which has a nice playground and lots of neighborhood kids on the weekends. Overall, the whole area is super kid friendly.

The other plus is that there's lots of good daycare and preschool in the area, although wait lists can be daunting. Here's a link to a document showing all the licensed options/centers in Arlington county: http://www.arlingtonva.us/departments/HumanServices/pdf/file65335.pdf

The one issue is that it might be hard to do the drop offs and pick ups without a car. But if you leave yourself enough time, you could drop off the kiddos and then come back and park the car in your building's garage before hopping on the metro to get downtown for work.

Good luck!

I am in N.arlington (clarendon). My kids go to a full-day preschool (after care avail) just a few blocks from the house. We are 2 blocks from Metro. Husband used to work on Penn and it would take 15min by Metro. Such an easy commute, lifestyle. We don't use a car. I WAH and walk the kids to and from school (which is also 2 blocks from Metro- 2 blocks from our house). We actually rented a very nice house for $3050/month prior to buying our current house....so doesn't just have to be a condo or apt.

You'll want to get on preschool waitlists asap.

[mk]

MK here. Thanks all. I will definately look up all the recommended places. Is preK free? I know day care is expensive probably in the range of 1000 to 1500 per month? I would love to be on a waitlist but read somewhere that you need to have an address (state) first? Is that true? I am coming in from an Asian country, where I had lots of support from family in raising the kids, so am a little scared at the thought of managing it all.

[Anonymous]

I think preK in arlington may be free, but definitely not everywhere. PreK or daycare for a child who is 4 (and many daycares around here have a preschool or preK curriculum) is definitely cheaper than for an infant. Yes 1K - 1500 a month is about right for an 18 month old but the good news is the cost will go down when the child turns 2, usually by several hundreds of dollars.

[Anonymous]

PreK is free in DC for a 4yo but waitlists are very long so you may be unable to find a preK spot in a decent public school in DC for this August/Sept. However, once your kid hits K, you are guaranteed access to your in-boundary school and K is full day.

[Anonymous]

Is there any way that you could come on a "scouting trip" before you officially move here. I found it really hard to find a place to live without being here. A lot of good places don't even post on line and the ones that looked nice in pictures turned out to be pretty bad when I actually saw them. I think you could find a 2 bedroom (utilities included for about $2000). I would definitely consider NW part of the city. It's more expensive but I think you will be more pleased with the quality of life and services. Also, I'd look for day-cares closer to where you work rather than where you live. Metro is very unreliable so you might find yourself picking up your children late on daily basis if it's closer to home. If you look closer to work, you can get on lists now, since you have that info already. You could make it in DC without a car, but it will be hard with two kids for things like grocery shopping and weekend activities. You can always try it out and see how you manage. I have a 16 month old and have to go grocery shopping every day unless I take the car. I hope this helps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think preK in arlington may be free, but definitely not everywhere. PreK or daycare for a child who is 4 (and many daycares around here have a preschool or preK curriculum) is definitely cheaper than for an infant. Yes 1K - 1500 a month is about right for an 18 month old but the good news is the cost will go down when the child turns 2, usually by several hundreds of dollars.

G*d NO! Only if your household income is below 80K and even then there is an incredibly long waitlist.

We paid 3 years of private preschool for our kids.

[Anonymous]

Do you know what hours are like for your new job? While I wholeheartedly recommend Arlington, I would be worried if you were trying to drop off and pick up every single day without a backup and work full time. If thats the case, I would try to live and work and have daycare/preschool all in the same place if its possible. Which REALLY limits your options. If I were you, I would opt for a nanny, scale back your housing costs, and have your older one in part day preschool.

[Anonymous]

MK here again. Thanks all. I am now searching the various websites recommended here, and also locations. Its all very helpful. The idea of hiring a nanny for both the kids seems great. What are the costs typically? What is the norm-- live in or do they just stay the day and leave at night?

If live-in, I will need to consider living options and privacy issues.

Do nannies drive? Pick drop kids to school?

I suppose I should post these kind of questions on a more specific forum.

Anyway thanks to all who have taken out the time to respond to me.