Just learned we are…

[Anonymous]

Moving to DC immediately! We’re looking for a house to rent. Once we pin down the house and know the school (hopefully on Monday or Tuesday), what are next steps for school for my kids (6 and 3). Do I just show up at the school? I know I missed the lottery, so I’ll I’m not sure what this means or what do do. Thanks for any guidance you can provide.

[Anonymous]

Your six year old has the right to attend whatever school you are zoned for. Your three year old doesn't, and if you want them to be in pre-k, you will have to do a post lottery application. Check out the short waitlists dashboard for schools you might be able to get into: https://www.myschooldc.org/short-waitlists. You can also try to lottery your older kid in the same school if you want them to be at the same place. Kindergarten is the first year that you have in boundary rights to just enroll in your zoned school.

As for enrolling your older kid, I'd call the school and ask.

[Anonymous]

Where will you work in DC, and how long will you be here? If it’s temporary and you only have to worry about elementary school that’s a lot easier. If you’re looking to put down roots and want to have a good middle school/HS path, you’ll need to pay much more attention to those details, commute logistics, etc. best of luck, and welcome to DC!

[Anonymous]

Depending on where you live in DC, there may not really be public schools for your 3 year old anyway. (PK3s are concentrated in schools outside of NW. IMO Capitol Hill is really the sweet spot of good IB DCPSes and PK3 available.) Take a look at the lottery options and then look at private preschool/daycare options as well. Your 6 year old should be all set.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your six year old has the right to attend whatever school you are zoned for. Your three year old doesn't, and if you want them to be in pre-k, you will have to do a post lottery application. Check out the short waitlists dashboard for schools you might be able to get into: https://www.myschooldc.org/short-waitlists. You can also try to lottery your older kid in the same school if you want them to be at the same place. Kindergarten is the first year that you have in boundary rights to just enroll in your zoned school.

As for enrolling your older kid, I'd call the school and ask.

You kind of buried the lead here. The correct answer is that the 6 year old has IB rights to whatever the IB school is, so the short waitlist is irrelevant. The 3 year old would need to lottery but they would immediately move into a priority with a sibling enrolled or attending. If the kid is 3 then they would need to be IB for a school with PK3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your six year old has the right to attend whatever school you are zoned for. Your three year old doesn't, and if you want them to be in pre-k, you will have to do a post lottery application. Check out the short waitlists dashboard for schools you might be able to get into: https://www.myschooldc.org/short-waitlists. You can also try to lottery your older kid in the same school if you want them to be at the same place. Kindergarten is the first year that you have in boundary rights to just enroll in your zoned school.

As for enrolling your older kid, I'd call the school and ask.

You kind of buried the lead here. The correct answer is that the 6 year old has IB rights to whatever the IB school is, so the short waitlist is irrelevant. The 3 year old would need to lottery but they would immediately move into a priority with a sibling enrolled or attending. If the kid is 3 then they would need to be IB for a school with PK3.

OP will want to enroll ASAP once moving, before any lottery spots (if there even is any movement) are offered to non-sibling enrolled.

[Anonymous]

Welcome!

When looking at houses to rent, you probably want to weigh the quality of the school for your 6 year old, with the likelihood of your 3 year old getting a slot at the same school. There are some wonderful schools that either don't have PK3, or have IB siblings who don't get in. Is that a trade off you're willing to make? If so, I'd be looking at both public PK only schools that might not have wait lists (Military Road, some of the Appletree campuses) that might work with your commute, or charter schools with no lists. You might also want to look at private preschools if that's in your budget.

If also agree that you should enroll your older kid the moment you have a house. Then your younger kid will take either the top spot on the waiting list, or the spot below the last IB sibling spot. How many kids are on the waiting list doesn't matter, what matters is how many siblings are on the list. If they end up at the top of the waiting list, the odds of getting in are good.

[Anonymous]

Welcome to DC, OP!

[Anonymous]

I would focus on finding a place to live in boundary for a good school for your older kid.
Keep in mind that most of the schools in that category "good for your older kid" may not have PreK 3, only PreK 4.
These are the schools in Ward 3 neighborhoods: woodley park, Cleveland park, Georgetown, tenleytown, Forest hills, etc.
Some good schools to consider: Eaton, murch, hyde Addison, stoddart, key, janney, Lafayette, ross, sheperd, oyster (bilingual Spanish).
I'm pretty sure that these schools all start at PreK 4.

[Anonymous]

OP -- are you moving to DC proper or to Maryland/Virginia?

[Anonymous]

Very sorry for your loss.

[Anonymous]

You can also enroll online. At the very least the website will let you know what documents you will need to have to prove residency and enroll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can also enroll online. At the very least the website will let you know what documents you will need to have to prove residency and enroll.

Forgot the link: https://enrolldcps.dc.gov/node/76

[Anonymous]

Where are you working? Capitol Hill is a good short term possibility. Your 6 year old can attend any hill school and your 3 year old can probably get a spot at an apple tree location.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would focus on finding a place to live in boundary for a good school for your older kid.
Keep in mind that most of the schools in that category "good for your older kid" may not have PreK 3, only PreK 4.
These are the schools in Ward 3 neighborhoods: woodley park, Cleveland park, Georgetown, tenleytown, Forest hills, etc.
Some good schools to consider: Eaton, murch, hyde Addison, stoddart, key, janney, Lafayette, ross, sheperd, oyster (bilingual Spanish).
I'm pretty sure that these schools all start at PreK 4.

Shepherd ES and Hyde Addison ES both offer PK3. But even with sibling attending will not get a spot post-lottery at either at this point. Nor most of the Capitol Hill schools. Even the Appletrees downtown seem to have less waitlist movement than usual.

I’d focus on a neighborhood with vibes, school for older child, and budget you prefer — then find a daycare option by you or your spouse’s (if you have one) work. If you get into a free PK3 post lottery, then cool. If not, you have a safe option with the silver lining it’s one less kid to find care for during breaks etc.