Before/Aftercare at Ashburton Elementary School

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone! We’re relocating over the summer, and our kids (ages 7 and 5) will be attending Ashburton Elementary this fall. I’ve been researching before- and aftercare and it sounds like the onsite RDCA program has a very long waitlist.

Does anyone have recommendations for other options? I know the YMCA has a program as well. We’ll be living very close to the school (walking distance), so something nearby would be ideal.

Thanks so much!

[Anonymous]

MCCA.

Ashburton is seriously overcrowded. Find another school.

[Anonymous]

BCDS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BCDS

+1, they bus them there after school. They have a playground and it's a good place to be.

[Anonymous]

RDCA at Ashburton only has around 75 spots I believe, and there are over 800 students at the school. There is a long waiting list. Your best bet for before and aftercare is Bethesda Country Day School or YMCA. They bus the kids there after school. If you only need aftercare, then Whole Kids Academy (they also bus but don’t offer before care). Sadly all these options are more expensive than the on-site option at Ashburton.

[Anonymous]

Our DC went to RDCA from K-5. Great experience. So convenient, affordable, and we always knew she was in great hands. We were sad to leave when she went to middle school. It’s a great value. I hope you get off of the wait list soon!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our DC went to RDCA from K-5. Great experience. So convenient, affordable, and we always knew she was in great hands. We were sad to leave when she went to middle school. It’s a great value. I hope you get off of the wait list soon!

How long did it take you to get in? We've been on the wait list for 2.5 years.

[Anonymous]

The church at the corner of Fernwood and Democracy has before- and after-care that many from Ashburton attend. I can't remember the name (our kids are in HS now)

[Anonymous]

After it became clear we would never get a spot at RDCA, we crunched the numbers and opted for Catholic school for elementary. Our tuition is just a few thousand more than what we would have paid at BCDC or YMCA. We will switch to MCPS come middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our DC went to RDCA from K-5. Great experience. So convenient, affordable, and we always knew she was in great hands. We were sad to leave when she went to middle school. It’s a great value. I hope you get off of the wait list soon!

How long did it take you to get in? We've been on the wait list for 2.5 years.

We were fortunate to get off the waiting list in time for kindergarten. But this was almost 8 years ago.

[Anonymous]

Thanks so much, everyone! 2.5 years on the waitlist (!) RDCA seems like a very long shot. We’ll aim for BCDS or the YMCA since we definitely need both before- and aftercare (we hadn’t realized MCPS doesn’t start until 9 a.m.). The walking distance school commute didn’t work out 😄

[Anonymous]

I know there’s an in home daycare a couple blocks walk from Ashburton that offers after care but not before care. I can’t remember the name

[Anonymous]

Welcome! My kids are at BCDS and they're very happy. My older daughter was offered a spot at RDCA after 3 years on the waitlist, but there was no room for my younger daughter, so we decided to stick with BCDS. People tend to complain about overcrowding, but Ashburton is a great school and we've had a fabulous experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Welcome! My kids are at BCDS and they're very happy. My older daughter was offered a spot at RDCA after 3 years on the waitlist, but there was no room for my younger daughter, so we decided to stick with BCDS. People tend to complain about overcrowding, but Ashburton is a great school and we've had a fabulous experience.

This is wonderful to hear. We’ve been a bit worried about overcrowding, so it’s reassuring to hear this from fellow parents.