When do I need to start thinking about schools?

[Anonymous]

DC turns 3 this winter, so I think (hope!) that I don't need to be dealing with this yet, but due to spending too much time on DCUM I'm finding myself anxious about the whole school question. And I think part of that anxiety stems from the fact that I don't know what the time frame is for thinking about this. So barring situations like home purchases that require more long-range planning, at what point do you start looking into schools / figuring out the options? I think with a winter Birthday my child won't enter Pre-K until fall 2012 when she is 4 almost 5 (right?)

If it matters, my presumptive 1st choice would be our local elementary school (DCPS JKLM school) as I like the idea of remaining a part of the community, ease of commute, etc., but I do want to do a little research to make sure that the school would be the right fit for DC.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Most people I know start thinking about schools before they have a kid. Seriously, you better get on board.

[Anonymous]

OP,

Go to a few open houses at privates next fall. If you want to apply, the deadlines are in December and January. Be careful. It's easily to get seduced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP,

Go to a few open houses at privates next fall. If you want to apply, the deadlines are in December and January. Be careful. It's easily to get seduced.

Thank you for this response - very helpful.

And I should be clear - my 'worry' is more that anxiety I get when I feel like there's something I'm supposed to be doing but I don't know exactly what or when. Now that I have a time frame for reference I can put it on my mental calendar and not worry about it until next fall.

[Anonymous]

I was in the same boat when my son was three! I didn't want to miss the boat.

For peace of mind, you should call a school's admissions office and confirm that your child's DOB is indeed for Fall 2012 pre-k entry!

[Anonymous]

Start thinking now about what kind of school you are interested in. Do you want to jump into the admissions race for the more selective schools? Maybe thinking one of the more low-key private schools? Think about attending some Open House dates this year to get a feel for schools and start narrowing your list. If you are thinking public and have charter, magnet or other lottery options, ask around about how those processes work and when the applications are done. If you are thinking of a religiously- affiliated school, make sure you have registered with the appropriate church since many have a 1 year requirement.

It's a lot of choices. I really would say to start peaking around now casually because you don't want it to be stressful next year trying to do too much on a short time frame.

[Anonymous]

Also, you need some time to make sure you and DH are on the same page, if you're not already there. If one of you wants private but the other believes in public, or wants parochial, then you need time to think about your choices together.

It's probably never too early to lurk on DCUM and get the sense of various schools. And by starting early you will also learn to take half of what you read with a grain of salt, instead of surfing DCUM the night before applications are due and believing everything you read....

[Anonymous]

Also pre-K is a tough year to gain admission at top privates because of preferences for alum, connected and sibling applicants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC turns 3 this winter, so I think (hope!) that I don't need to be dealing with this yet, but due to spending too much time on DCUM I'm finding myself anxious about the whole school question. And I think part of that anxiety stems from the fact that I don't know what the time frame is for thinking about this. So barring situations like home purchases that require more long-range planning, at what point do you start looking into schools / figuring out the options? I think with a winter Birthday my child won't enter Pre-K until fall 2012 when she is 4 almost 5 (right?)

If it matters, my presumptive 1st choice would be our local elementary school (DCPS JKLM school) as I like the idea of remaining a part of the community, ease of commute, etc., but I do want to do a little research to make sure that the school would be the right fit for DC.

Thanks!

FWIW, some top charters (Washington Yu Ying, the Mandarin Immersion school, is the one I'm aware of) structure their waitlist based on your application date. IOW, the lottery is totally random, but you can be first on the waitlist by submitting the first application. Just something to be aware of because there are some JKLM students who choose to leave their inbounds school for a better opportunity at a great charter.