Pre-school advice

[Anonymous]

We are a multi-lingual family who will be applying to pre-schools for our daughter this year. Being new to this process, we hear a lot about the advantage of diversity. Does anyone have advice on how to play up our multi-lingual / multi-cultural background? Should we be subtle or more direct about highlighting this? Thank you

[Anonymous]

I thought most area preschools operated via wait lists and sibling/church priority, etc. Are you talking about private school preschools? I didn't realize the children had to actually "apply" like they were trying to get into college....

[Anonymous]

Yes. Sorry for the confusion. I'm referring to private pre-schools in DC. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Ummm, I am not flaming you, seriously OP. But EVERYONE in this damn city is multi-lingual/multi-cultural. Seriously. The four Irish Catholic families all send their kids to the Catholic schools and the rest of us fools duke it out to prove how different we are. PLEASE. You will make a fool of yourself. Although, if you are devoutly Muslim, people may notice that...

[Anonymous]

For the sake of clarification, I am Lebanese and my husband is Turkish. Between the two of us we speak Arabic, French, Turkish and English. Our daughter understands all four languages. I was just hoping to get to some helpful advice from this forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ummm, I am not flaming you, seriously OP. But EVERYONE in this damn city is multi-lingual/multi-cultural. Seriously. The four Irish Catholic families all send their kids to the Catholic schools and the rest of us fools duke it out to prove how different we are. PLEASE. You will make a fool of yourself. Although, if you are devoutly Muslim, people may notice that...

Thank you! I needed a good laugh tonight!

Between this and the Ivy League thread, I think DCUM has summed up this town pretty well tonight.

[Anonymous]

You may want to post your inquiry in the independent schools thread if you are seeking advice on applying to private pre-schools.

[Anonymous]

Many private school application forms ask about languages spoken at home. Or you can put it in your personal statement. Not sure how much it matters at the preschool level though.

[Anonymous]

A lot of schools do give a lot of credit to diversity so I would emphasize the languages spoken at home and the multi-culturalism that you could bring into the classroom. Also, look into washington international school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the sake of clarification, I am Lebanese and my husband is Turkish. Between the two of us we speak Arabic, French, Turkish and English. Our daughter understands all four languages. I was just hoping to get to some helpful advice from this forum.

I would be direct about it - but not obnoxious. Detail the information on the application - and leave it at that unless there is a specific reason to bring it into conversation at the interview. For instance, if you are applying to Aidan Montessori, you might want to mention that the Chinese language aspect of the school appeals to your family since your daughter is being raised in a multilingual and multicultural environment, etc. Also, be sure to let the schools know - say it outright - that you and your partner are going to become active and contributing members to the preschool community. GL!

[Anonymous]

Actually, my children attended one of the top private preschools in DC and the director definitely likes families with multi-cultural backgrounds and multiple languages spoken in the home. It will be apparent in your interview and there is a place for languages on your application.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought most area preschools operated via wait lists and sibling/church priority, etc. Are you talking about private school preschools? I didn't realize the children had to actually "apply" like they were trying to get into college....

All the best preschools in DC have an application process and its super competitive. Yes, there are priority candidates (sibs, church members, alum) but no slots are guaranteed. Where do you live that this is not the case?

[Anonymous]

It is simply not the case that "all the best preschools" have are super competitive. There are plenty of fantastic preschools that are not competitive at all. For example, several synagogues in the area have top notch preschools that take kids on a first come, first serve (with preference for siblings and synagogue members) basis. There are others as well. Frankly, it amazes me that anyone would choose to go through this madness over a two year old when there are terrific alternatives that are much more welcoming.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for all of the helpful advice.

[Anonymous]

My child attends a DC preschool (considered competetive) where I KNOW they seek out multicultural backgrounds. Find a way to sneak it into your conversations at open houses and tours.