Feeder preschools for Sidwell, Beauvior and GDS?

[Anonymous]

I would appreciate any information about what the primary feeder preschools are for Sidwell, Beauvior and Georgetown Day School.

We are considering relocating to DC in the late spring/early summer and need as much information ASAP in order to get our child enrolled in preschool for the fall of 2008.

Also, any information about the culture of the preschools (or common wisdom that we might not otherwise have access to) would be great.

Thanks so much!

[Anonymous]

There are no feeder preschools like you might find in NYC or the Bay area. However, a few that you might want to consider are National Child Research Center (NCRC), Outdoor Nursery School, St. John's Episcopal Preschool, Little Folks and St. Columba's. These are all great in terms of culture, success in providing the right learning environment for preschoolers, and success in sending some (not all) kids to the schools you named.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the response. In terms of the culture of the preschools you mentioned, we are a two-mom family - would some of these be a better fit for our family than others?

[Anonymous]

Also, does anyone know the website for the Outdoor Nursery School? I have been trying to google it to no avail.

Someone also mentioned School for Friends preschool to us - any thoughts on it (particularly in terms of its success it sending children to the ongoing schools mentioned)?

Thanks so much!

[Anonymous]

There are no feeders, persay, but the types of families that send their kkids to certain preschools usually also end up at some good privates.

School for Friends is an amazing school and you would fit right in, being a 2 mom household. I've never met a group of parents more open and welcome - and it's incredibly diverse (not just on skin color, but family make up of single moms, 2 dads, 2 moms, grandparents, economic, lots of siblings, only children, international, etc) It's a great community. Contact them soon for next fall.

Kids from SfF go on to Sidwell, Lowell, GDS, charter schools, public schools, Catholic schools. Most stay in the city and this is a huge attraction to us because we all think the same way about raising kids in the city. It's very progressive and inclusive.

St Alban's ECC is also great, but the list is so long (they do 1st come 1st serve rolling admissions)

[Anonymous]

Thanks - very helpful. I actually contacted School for Friends last night and already heard back this morning (signed us up for an upcoming school tour). Luckily, most of the schools in DC seem to have application deadlines that are later than they are here in NYC. Whew. That said, I've got a lot of footwork to do in the next week or two

[Anonymous]

I've got to say, the whole notion of "feeder schools" makes my skin crawl, as does the idea that there are parents out there looking for them. What about just looking for a great school that fits your philosophy and your child's learning style (and not incidentally involves a livable commute)? Are you interested in Reggio Emilia schools (St John's), play-based schools (St Columba's, NCRC), Montessori schools (Franklin), or what? What would be most convenient: Dupont Circle/Kalorama (SfF), Georgetown (St John's), Chevy Chase (Outdoor)? Children from a broad range of preschools end up at the most competitive independent schools, and while it is true that higher numbers from, say, NCRC, do so, that may be for reasons that do not apply to your family (e.g., the parents are alumni of those schools).

[Anonymous]

I am the original poster. I understand your sentiment.

However, we are relocating from NYC where there is a very rigid (although not formally recognized) process. The Preschool Directors of various preschools have relationships with the Admissions staff at the ongoing schools and make or break a well-qualified child's chances of getting in. Here, it is all about relationships. You can have a child with 99%ile scores on the IQ tests who will have minimal chance of being admitted to a number of given ("top tier") schools unless that child has a good recommendation from one of a select number of connected PSD's. It's even more complicated than that, but that's the simplified version.

Given that DC is also a very relationship-based community, I posted to gather information about the process there. As in any location, there are often "rules" or facts that are well-recognized by those who live there but not formerly acknowledged in any reference materials.

[Anonymous]

I am the 10:28 poster, and I appreciate your explanation. I don't think the process is as well-institutionalized here as in New York. If connections between preschools and K-8 or K-12 schools are your highest priority, I would focus on NCRC. I believe it is the only preschool that is a member of the local association of independent schools, which means that its admissions director meets with admissions directors from the other member institutions throughout the year. It also seems to be very focused on outplacement: i.e., the director meets with every leaving family going through the application process. However, as I said, children from many different preschools get into the top independent schools, and frankly, as a two-mom family, you probably have something of an advantage in this process. So, perhaps the more important piece of advice is to relax a little. Life here may not be as strenuous as life in New York!

[Anonymous]

I've heard that School for Friends is great (although not necessarily a "feeder" to Sidwell), but I would ask how many spots are available before applying. When we applied, the school bylaws required it to accept all siblings, which meant that there were no spots for new families. (That did not, however, prevent the school from accepting our application fee.) I believe there was some thought of changing the bylaws at the time, but I don't know whether or not they have done so.

[Anonymous]

Thanks to you both.

Hmmmmm.... relaxing a little bit? What a concept!

[Anonymous]

I think most of the preschools mentioned accept all siblings and they all have many more people applying than are accepted. From what I recall, SFF accepted only one or two nonsiblings last year. So you probably need to make the rounds and apply to several schools. As many previous posters have mentioned, there are alot of preschools in NW DC that send kids to private schools in this area and I don't think there is a particular pattern of feeder preschools.

[Anonymous]

You might check out Lowell School. Their pre-primary program is excellent (after 3rd grade I would say they aren't as rigorous as Sidwell, etc.). But the school is a very inclusive community and actually lists the number of gay and lesbian parents on their website. http://www.lowellschool.org/about_our_school/diversity_families.aspx

[Anonymous]

In defense of SfF, last year was an anomaly in that the 2 y.o. classroom received applications from enough siblings to fill the room. SfF could not have known that each and every family would accept the spot and therefore was obligated to go through the same admission process that they do every year-which includes application fees. You really can't fault them for that. Also, the three other classes did have spots and placed new families.

It really is a great place and a testament to how wonderful it is that so many families decide to return. I doubt that as many siblings could even exist as did last year as there are only 50 families at any one time with kids attending the school, so don't let that put you off applying.

[Anonymous]

When our preschool expects to be oversubscribed for a particular class, it stops taking applications. I think it would be nice if more schools followed this policy so that parents have a better idea of where they stand.