prk schools with more outdoor time?

[Anonymous]

I get it OP- private preschool is so expensive- I have twins - I'm looking into just sending them to a half day program 2-3 times a week. They get the school experience and tuition is affordable. The other days can be devoted to some fun excursions. It's not ideal as I would prefer full time but something is better than nothing- keep researching and looking at different options.

[Anonymous]

I like how families that want part-time pre-school are told that that school is for those who NEED a spot for full-time care and then when families complain about pd days and unnecessary snow days, they are told that school is NOT full-time day-care. Pick a side people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like how families that want part-time pre-school are told that that school is for those who NEED a spot for full-time care and then when families complain about pd days and unnecessary snow days, they are told that school is NOT full-time day-care. Pick a side people.

Actually it's not a conflict.

DC pre-k3 and pre-k4 are an optional extension of the school system that provides education and care for children 180 days of the year (more if it's on the extended calendar in DCPS).

If you don't want your child in full-time SCHOOL that young, which is a perfectly legitimate parenting decision, you are free to do something else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like how families that want part-time pre-school are told that that school is for those who NEED a spot for full-time care and then when families complain about pd days and unnecessary snow days, they are told that school is NOT full-time day-care. Pick a side people.

Not the same. Nice try. What would you say to an 8th grader that wanted to come to school until noon? It's okay because there are snow days and PD days?

Huge difference and you know it.

[mcjd79]

Anonymous wrote:DC DPR co-ops might meet your need. They are mostly 2-3 year olds, but meet for 2-3 hours each morning M-F.

OP, some of the PK3 and PK4 schedule is just the constraint of a day. Lunch and nap takes 2.5-3 hours hours of the 6.5 hour day. If your kid's school has daily "specials" (which parents aggressively advocate for), that is another 30-60 minutes. That leaves 3 hours remaining. Recess is typically 30-60 minutes, which leaves about 2-2.5 hours for snack, bathroom breaks, and center/lesson time. Think about how long it takes to get a group of 15 three-year-olds to do anything (snack, lunch, bathroom, walking to or from recess) PLUS the school's need to schedule/balance which age groups (PK3-5th grade is 8 years of age span) are on the playground at any given time.

My kids go to a school where the littles have one scheduled morning recess of about 30 minutes. They are frequently outside for additional parts of the day for lessons, and sometimes the non-nappers get additional outdoor time in the afternoon. Aftercare typically does 1+ hours outside as well. They get more time outside than they did when I was home with them. But yeah, it's only 30 scheduled minutes of recess per day.

Wow. Your school sounds like they are trying to offer a bit more than out local dcps. But then we struggle to get parent support and there is no PTO.

[Anonymous]

mcjd79 wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC DPR co-ops might meet your need. They are mostly 2-3 year olds, but meet for 2-3 hours each morning M-F.

OP, some of the PK3 and PK4 schedule is just the constraint of a day. Lunch and nap takes 2.5-3 hours hours of the 6.5 hour day. If your kid's school has daily "specials" (which parents aggressively advocate for), that is another 30-60 minutes. That leaves 3 hours remaining. Recess is typically 30-60 minutes, which leaves about 2-2.5 hours for snack, bathroom breaks, and center/lesson time. Think about how long it takes to get a group of 15 three-year-olds to do anything (snack, lunch, bathroom, walking to or from recess) PLUS the school's need to schedule/balance which age groups (PK3-5th grade is 8 years of age span) are on the playground at any given time.

My kids go to a school where the littles have one scheduled morning recess of about 30 minutes. They are frequently outside for additional parts of the day for lessons, and sometimes the non-nappers get additional outdoor time in the afternoon. Aftercare typically does 1+ hours outside as well. They get more time outside than they did when I was home with them. But yeah, it's only 30 scheduled minutes of recess per day.

Wow. Your school sounds like they are trying to offer a bit more than out local dcps. But then we struggle to get parent support and there is no PTO.

Every DCPS has specials each day. Nothing to do with a PTO -- as good as it is to have one.

[Anonymous]

There's pretty amazing free PreK offered at a range of CBOs. They're early childhood centers so it feels less like regular school for a kid so young (and there are no uniforms, a plus for me) and before and after care is available on a sliding scale. Full school day attendance (9-3:30, 8:30 if you want breakfast there) is expected to keep a spot. Outdoor time at ours is something like 45 min and while the rooftop space isn't great, they also do movement classes, garden, and take walks in the neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

OP, I had the same concerns and the easiest solution I found was to leave DCPS and signed up at a no frills church preschool three days a week 9 am-1pm. We pay $345 per month, which feels so worth it so far. It feels much more about fun and play, much more age appropriate and laid back than the DCPS we were in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I had the same concerns and the easiest solution I found was to leave DCPS and signed up at a no frills church preschool three days a week 9 am-1pm. We pay $345 per month, which feels so worth it so far. It feels much more about fun and play, much more age appropriate and laid back than the DCPS we were in.

PP here. Outdoor time matters to me very much. From what I know, the only area schools that offer much outdoor time charge a fortune for it. To compare; our fun church PK3 costs less than $6/hour, some of the private nature centered places cost closer to $20/hour. So I would suggest going to a part time preschool and taking kids out on your own time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Early pickup is really disruptive to the other kids in the class who are staying. If you want PT do a co op.

We are not doing early pick up currently. But are looking into school that offer it as part of there NORMAL day as to not be causing issues for our student or others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lee Montessori allows for early pick up for nappers (aka pk3 and sometimes pk4). They also play outside everyday regardless of weather (unless it's dangerous). Most schools will stay inside but Lee they are out and you are expected to send your kids with proper outdoor attire.

The real question is are you serious about sending your kid to school? If you aren't prepared to fully commit to school's attendance than don't take a space for a child/family willing to commit to being all in.

We expected to be staying at our school for a while and have not skipped days. So, yes committed and trying to make it work. But it seems this schools program &/or the length of the day might not be the right fit for this kid. Hence asking here for information about other programs. Thanks for the information about Lee .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please realize that parents who hold their kids out a lot because of transition (i.e. Only sending a few times a week) are not only taking spots for kids who WANT to go every day BUT also hurt schools and their tier rating because of attendance.
What did you do before 3? Obviously you could afford daycare or whatever you did prior to 3, and if you have the flexibility of picking up midday or part time than you CAN afford something that a lot of parents cannot (who not only need their kids in school all day but also need before/aftercare).

I'm sorry but I have zero sympathy for you. No one is promised pk3 or 4. And, there are not enough pk3/pk4 spots available for those who want one. If you don't want to commit to a full day experience than wait to lottery for another year and let someone who is willing that spot.

We have not missed any days of school!! We also believe it would not be fair to anyone to treat our dcps like a drop in daycare. We were excited when we came off the wait list for our local DCPS. We signed up for prk fulky expecting to stay for the long term. But it doesn't seem to be working well for our kid. Who yes has somw special needs. Which is why we are working with the schools resources to try to make it work. But it isn't about what I want or what the school wants it comes down to what works best for our kids needs. Which is why i asked for help in finding information on schools that might be a better fit in the future. BTW, no we didn't do daycare before because it cost more than I earned. Not all families with a stay at home parent are rolling in money! But thanks for the assumptions!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Langley has a lot of active play-- a nice playground, the rec center, and a program called Playworks that ensures active play and social skills development at recess. Also Langley has two gyms and separate cafeteria and auditorium, so there are no schedule conflicts for active playtime when it rains or other events are happening. The gyms are for PE, recess, and aftercare, nothing else.

Thanks for the information we will check it out. A school with more movement and playtime would go a long way!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a child at Breakthrough and I think you are on the right track focusing on Montessori. There is a major focus on building practical and social skills and the class spends over an hour outside every day. Children are free to move around the classroom and encouraged to do things independently, which has been great for my child.

I do agree with PPs that if you are taking a PK3 spot you need to be committed to full time school. The transition can seem daunting until you go through it, but your child will adjust.

Thanks for the information on Breakthrough. We are on their wait list but I don't imagine we have a real chance until next year's lottery. And no worries we are going full-time until/if we decide to pull our prk3 from this school. It isn't a bad school we like the school and staff. We are in a little bit of a different situation than a average student might be. Thanks for the information.

[Anonymous]

Takoma has 30 minutes of recess in the middle of the day, and another 20-30 minutes at the end of the day as well. And both PE and dance as specials.