Recommendation for new and overwhelmed 16th St. Heights Mom

[Anonymous]

Just moved in the area with our 2-year old and am looking into applying for pre-schools/day-cares nearby to start between now and next fall. Do you have any recommendations for 16th St. Heights, Columbia Heights, Petworth, or anything along 16th St.?

Here is what I've come up with so far:
LAMB
Amazing Life Games
Bridges
Capital City
EL Haynes
Appletree
Bright Start


Thank you!

[Anonymous]

When does your child turn 3? That's important to know.
Look also at Temple Sinai Nursery and the Gan at Adas Israel. You don't need to be Jewish to attend these synagogue preschools that have programs for 2s (and 3s).

[Anonymous]

Cap City is expanding I believe to PS-3 next year but is moving to a different location. Bridges is also expanding to kindergarten (and eventually to 5th) so they may also move. The decision to allow their charter to expand to K-5 is up before the Board in Jan. A reminder that they are changing their PS-3 cutoff from Dec 31 to Sep 30 for the next school year. I don't recall if I saw Centro Nia or Appletree.

[Anonymous]

DC Parks & Recs has co-op preschools for kids 18 months + (some are 2 + ) at various locations around the city. You can call around and see if there is a mid-year opening - or start in the fall.

[Anonymous]

Mundo Verde will be located at Cap City Upper School location in Columbia Heights next school year if your child will be 3 and you are interested in bilingual education.

[Anonymous]

we have our kid at a place called David's Stars in Adams Morgan. Spanish all day.

[Anonymous]

If your kid is 3 before Sept. 30, 2012, you can put him or her in a preschool (denoted PS in most materials rather than PK, which means it's for four year-olds). Most of the schools east of Rock Creek Park, e.g., near 16th Street Heights, have a preschool program.

Some DC Public Schools with PS vaguely near 16th Street Heights:

Bancroft (some form of Spanish & English dual language program, large low-income student body but also a small middle class component of student body)

Powell (somehow seems shunned by yuppies to date; had a writeup on its Tools of the Mind program in the Post, overwhelmingly poor and Salvadoran, to the exclusion of much else; even if they didn't do "dual immersion-Spanish" they'd have to, given the 66% ESL rates in the school.)

West (many anecdotes are positive but test scores aren't great; 67% low income, 67% black, 25% hispanic, 6% white)

Barnard (test scores are continually great, school is 56% black, 38% hispanic, 3% white, not a particularly convenient commute from some parts of 16th St Hts)

Depending on how you commute, some other DCPS could be convenient, such as Cooke (south), Reed (south), or Shepherd (north).

With regard to the schools you mentioned:
LAMB (great reputation, also has a reputation of being impossible to lottery into)
Amazing Life Games (I think they are very co-op oriented)
Bridges
Capital City (good school setup overall, big lottery choice, but if you can get in you're pretty much set long-term. unfortunately just took steps to move to an out-of-the way location from a ridiculously convenient one)
EL Haynes (ditto for Cap City, except that it has a pretty accessible location)
Appletree (good reputation, but unlike all of these other schools, you'll be playing the lottery game the next year as it's just PS)
Bright Start (no idea)

You can also check the Great Schools DC School Chooser for some lists of schools. Each has its address and Ward (16th St Hts is Ward 4) though very little of the data there is for entering grades.

[Anonymous]

OP Here -- thank you so much for your input. DD turns 3 in early September so she should be able to qualify for preschools. Any other recommendations out there would be MUCH appreciated! Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Highly recommend Bridges, it's a REALLY a good school!! Attend an open house to get a feel for the school. Lottery/waitlist has always moved fast over the summer (well into the 100s) because others get into long term solutions. However, with it exapanding, you can expect that to change. Shepherd doesn't start until PK4, but what is your neighborhood school?

[Anonymous]

OP, check the DCUM preschool and daycare forum for additional options in case you don't get into any of the "popular" charter or DCPS near you. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

www.inspiredteachingschool.org

We love it!

[Anonymous]

Here are the factors you need to consider

DCPS has PK3 and 4 but they are by lottery and you are not guaranteed a slot at a neighborhood school. The most desirable schools are hard to get into and you most likely will not know until August if you have a lottery number over 20. You must apply through the lottery process in late January

Charter schools are publicly funded but allowed to run their own admission process, for desirable schools usually a lottery. Similar issues on timing to the desirable DCPS schools. Call the schools to get the information and confirm on website.

You do not say where you are from, but many folks have a bit a sticker shock when the see the price for private child care. So the public options can be a life saver.

Consider your commute carefully, there are some pretty awful bottlenecks and may or may not be before care.

Kindergarten into a desirable school may also require a lottery if you don't get in at the PK level. For the most desirable schools there just won't be slots because sibling preference will take that slot. Ask the school how many they accepted last year to get a sense.

Test scores are often a proxy for SES and the rich poor gap in this city is extreme. That said it unfortunately affects opportunities for enrichment versus remediation in most schools. However when you look at what most of us are saying about schools have a salt shaker, we are a neurotic bunch and anonymity can make some of us frankly sound like wackos. Ultimately a lot depends on what your child will need and their personality.

These websites can also be helpful.


http://downtowndckids.org/charters-which-are-the-best

http://downtowndckids.org/charter-schools-introduction

http://downtowndckids.org/introduction-to-dcps-the-process

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Highly recommend Bridges, it's a REALLY a good school!! Attend an open house to get a feel for the school. Lottery/waitlist has always moved fast over the summer (well into the 100s) because others get into long term solutions. However, with it exapanding, you can expect that to change. Shepherd doesn't start until PK4, but what is your neighborhood school?

Agreed. It has a great reputation, but ending at PreK is a major down-side. Assuming they can change their charter, it will probably affect the acceptance ratios.

[Anonymous]

Mundo Verde will be at 16th & Park.

[Anonymous]

Happy to email with you about options. I live in 16th Street Heights and we have a babysitting coop and we also have an active parks group--Friends of 16th Street Heights Parks. Feel free to email me at [e-mail].

Thanks!