Moving from DCPS to Charter but commute is terrible

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Prek4 & 3 going into K & Prek4. We love our DCPS elementary school but feeder pattern is not great (MacFarland). We just accepted a spot at a charter school that feeds into DCI.

Now having regrets because our commute went from walking our kids to school to a 40 minute drive (20 each way). Am I crazy that I am already regretting our decision. We only switched because the current feeder pattern is not great and we can't afford to move to another part of the city and we are undecided if we may move down the line to the burbs.

I assume I could try the lottery when the kids are in upper years and switch the kids back if the commute this year sucks.. but who knows how that will go.. looking for advice

No one is forcing you to do the commute. Switch back to your IB school and let another family have the spot.

Terrible advice. Do the commute once school starts and see how it goes. You may get used to it.

OP just accepted the spot and is already whining about a mere 20 minute commute. Doesn’t bode well at all. She should stay at her IB and then plan to move after elementary to the burbs.

Even worse advice. Let OP spiral a little bit, but staying IB and suggesting to move to a completely different city/state is terrible advice.

[Anonymous]

I think there are other considerations -are you dual lingual? Is it worth it for a longer commute?

[Anonymous]

I had a similar commute from Petworth to Brookland. I may have the exact times off, but it was basically, leave the house at 7:30 and home by 8:30.

The 20 minutes on the way became fun time with the kids. The 20 minutes home was a nice moment to decompress from the standard morning hustle to switch to work mode.

[Anonymous]

20 min isn't terrible. We live in the Peabody/Watkins boundary and had a 20 min one-way walking commute everyday with a PK3 and K child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've been doing a similar commute to a WOTP elementary for 4 years. It does suck and we spend way more time going back and forth than I even imagined for school activities/playdates/etc. But I have learned to enjoy the time with my kids to chat about their days, listen to audiobooks/radio and play silly car games. It is what you make of it. And my oldest is headed to middle school next year (and massively struck out of the closer to home charter options) so it does feel like it is finally paying off.

Second this. We have a 20 min each way driving commute to an OOB school, previously could walk a few blocks to our IB. I was so convinced it would wreck our days to be in the car so much. But we have restructured our life to make it work and it’s actually nice to have the time with my child to and from school. Even though I’m of course paying attention to driving, I’m not as distracted as I am at home with chores and other things. We have really great chats and dance parties.

Switching when we did eliminated a LOT of stress about feeder patterns, possibly moving, and having to switch more than once or when my child was older and had deeper friendships. If it’s a school you see a pathway for your child until middle school or beyond - the “price” of driving might be worth it. Many families at our school drive much further than we do, if that’s helpful.

Do you have two cars and two parents to split the trips? That made it really do-able for my family. The advice to try to find a carpool buddy or backup is good as well. Try asking on the school app (if they have one).

[Anonymous]

well our second kid walks to MacFarland, older one went from there to top selective DCPS, so just coming here to mention that, in case it might be of interest. I've been around long enough to know experiences like this aren't for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Would you be willing to do an electric-assist cargo bike commute? Some people prefer that to driving (and some people think it's insane). Then as kids get older, they get their own bikes, and you commute together (if it's feasible/there are bike paths).

I know that Yu Ying and Cooper are working on getting bike lane access to their schools.

If you are willing to carpool, you'll want a car that seats at least four kids (chances are, you'll be carpooling with another set of siblings).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would you be willing to do an electric-assist cargo bike commute? Some people prefer that to driving (and some people think it's insane). Then as kids get older, they get their own bikes, and you commute together (if it's feasible/there are bike paths).

I know that Yu Ying and Cooper are working on getting bike lane access to their schools.

If you are willing to carpool, you'll want a car that seats at least four kids (chances are, you'll be carpooling with another set of siblings).

Children do not belong anywhere near e-bikes.

[Anonymous]

Well OP, 1/2 the families in this town go to charters and if you count OOB DCPS schools even more. They all commute.

You do you if you are not interested and stay at your IB if you want.

ECE parents are so precious and naive, prioritizing walkability at the expense of all else…….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would you be willing to do an electric-assist cargo bike commute? Some people prefer that to driving (and some people think it's insane). Then as kids get older, they get their own bikes, and you commute together (if it's feasible/there are bike paths).

I know that Yu Ying and Cooper are working on getting bike lane access to their schools.

If you are willing to carpool, you'll want a car that seats at least four kids (chances are, you'll be carpooling with another set of siblings).

She thinks the commute is too long already. Now you want them biking in the rain. How does this address her issue at all?

[Anonymous]

Truthfully go speak to students at dcps middle schools. You’ll be thrilled with your 20 minute commute when you see the alternative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One thing you may not realize when your kids are very young is that there's tons of good options when it comes to elementary schools, but as the child ages, the options get much, much worse. DCI is a massive improvement over MacFarland and Roosevelt, and a 20 minute commute seems fairly normal. And there's not a huge price difference between living in Petworth and living in Brightwood/Takoma/Shepherd Park, and you could end up moving closer to DCI eventually.

So true. Everyone is fighting for access to OOB schools, not because that school is much better than the neighborhood school, but because the guaranteed Middle is superior. The lottery here is infuriating. Maybe this could be fixed by getting rid of all guaranteed spots and having every middle be lottery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing you may not realize when your kids are very young is that there's tons of good options when it comes to elementary schools, but as the child ages, the options get much, much worse. DCI is a massive improvement over MacFarland and Roosevelt, and a 20 minute commute seems fairly normal. And there's not a huge price difference between living in Petworth and living in Brightwood/Takoma/Shepherd Park, and you could end up moving closer to DCI eventually.

So true. Everyone is fighting for access to OOB schools, not because that school is much better than the neighborhood school, but because the guaranteed Middle is superior. The lottery here is infuriating. Maybe this could be fixed by getting rid of all guaranteed spots and having every middle be lottery.

Sorry but no the elementary immersion charter our DS attended was head and shoulders better than our IB DCPS. There was no comparison at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing you may not realize when your kids are very young is that there's tons of good options when it comes to elementary schools, but as the child ages, the options get much, much worse. DCI is a massive improvement over MacFarland and Roosevelt, and a 20 minute commute seems fairly normal. And there's not a huge price difference between living in Petworth and living in Brightwood/Takoma/Shepherd Park, and you could end up moving closer to DCI eventually.

So true. Everyone is fighting for access to OOB schools, not because that school is much better than the neighborhood school, but because the guaranteed Middle is superior. The lottery here is infuriating. Maybe this could be fixed by getting rid of all guaranteed spots and having every middle be lottery.

You're frustrated by your little scramble in elementary school and your solution is to burn down the city.

[Anonymous]

We did basically this for Basis, and it was the best decisions we ever made for our kids' education.