Let's talk Second Tier Choices (PK specific, both PCS and DCPS)

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone. I've spent a lot of time going through the forum in the past few days, as I prep our cadre of PK3 applications for next year. I've found a lot of fantastic information on almost all of the schools on our list, especially the "great" ones. However, I'm conscious of the fact that there's no real choice in these matters--it's all up to the lottery, and so I'm not getting tied to any specific options until I know what those options might be. Just trying to cast a wide net.

My son will be entering PK3 next year, so I am specifically interested in ONLY PREK programs. Because of my husband's job, we know we will be leaving DC in two years, so I am less concerned about a school where he will stay "forever" than a school that we can be invested in immediately. From some of the discussions on here, that leads me to believe we might actually have some more options, because I am totally in favor of taking a chance on a newer school that's only serving younger students, or on a program that's just starting, or on a program that (as of yet) has only proved successful for the younger grades. We are involved parents looking to get involved in our school. We value free play, creative learning, and social atmosphere over an over-advanced preschool curriculum. That being said, my son is adventurous, bright, and already somewhat 'advanced' (what does that even mean in a 2-year-old?) because he's been in a montessori-method preschool this year. Mostly, I'm looking for a place for him to be happy, safe, have fun, and learn about the world around him, hopefully with warm and engaged teachers, a diverse student population, and a decent school structure that values parental involvement.

The list of best/most popular/hardest to get into/great schools seems to be fairly agreed upon, and I'm certainly applying to them (Stokes, EL Haynes, Two Rivers, Mundo Verde, Creative Minds, Bridges, Meridian, Peabody, Logan Montessori). What I'm most interested in is OTHER choices--places where parents of small kids are happy and fulfilled, but perhaps not the first tier. I'm especially interested in the schools that use Reggio-method, or have arts emphasis, as my son's very favorite thing above all others is art of any kind, and I think that might make sense for us.

We live in Ward 5 (Brookland) but are willing to go almost anywhere in the city. Of course, schools that don't snarl me in traffic each morning would be preferred, if possible.

So...opinions on second tier options? Just throwing some names out there--DC Prep, Friendship PCS, Imagine Hope, Potomac Lighthouse, WE Doar Jr, Shining Stars? Or in terms of DCPS--Ludlow-Taylor, Walker Jones, Takoma EC, Burroughs? I have already scanned the forum and read their reviews on greatschools, but I was hoping for some current feedback, as well as wondering what other parents are doing for your second-tier choices.

I appreciate your feedback. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I would certainly add Inspired Teaching in your mix for priorities!! Great school.

[Anonymous]

I've heard that Powell has awesome early childhood ed, and I know for a.fact that Barnard's younger grades are top-notch. I hear good things about HD Cooke as well. (Though we were shut out when we applied there for 2010-2011.)

[Anonymous]

Miner, Tyler (immersion and non-SI) and Payne - visit them, Appletree (it's a little more academic than you might like, but everything is geared to little ones and that is nice)

[Anonymous]

I was in your boat last year, and I think you may be over-thinking this.

I think just about all you can do is apply to charters (you seem to have them covered) and attend enough out-of-bounds DCPS open houses to know which 6 you want on your list. Save your self the trouble and apply to those relatively close to you. The ones to the West won't have spots anyway. And being in the neighborhood or close-by is a huge positive in terms of investment and community and quality of life.

Since you're only here for two years, I think you'll be happy and get a good experience for your son almost anywhere you mentioned. With DCPS schools in particular, the PS and PK involvement and demographics are not representative of the older grades (in better ways) because many people use PS and PK then bail on the rest of the school. So look at the early childhood classrooms in particularly, not larger school stats.

If involvement and lots of it is a big thing for you, sounds like you'd fit in well at a new charter, or a DCPS with significant needs.

That said, you won't get in everywhere, or even half of everywhere, so best to wait and see and THEN visit again to make a selection.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was in your boat last year, and I think you may be over-thinking this.

I think just about all you can do is apply to charters (you seem to have them covered) and attend enough out-of-bounds DCPS open houses to know which 6 you want on your list. Save your self the trouble and apply to those relatively close to you. The ones to the West won't have spots anyway. And being in the neighborhood or close-by is a huge positive in terms of investment and community and quality of life.

Since you're only here for two years, I think you'll be happy and get a good experience for your son almost anywhere you mentioned. With DCPS schools in particular, the PS and PK involvement and demographics are not representative of the older grades (in better ways) because many people use PS and PK then bail on the rest of the school. So look at the early childhood classrooms in particularly, not larger school stats.

If involvement and lots of it is a big thing for you, sounds like you'd fit in well at a new charter, or a DCPS with significant needs.

That said, you won't get in everywhere, or even half of everywhere, so best to wait and see and THEN visit again to make a selection.

I agree completely with this poster, especially this comment: Since you're only here for two years, I think you'll be happy and get a good experience for your son almost anywhere you mentioned.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks everyone! And to the two PPs, I'm sorry if it comes off as over-thinking or over-planning. I've seen a couple of posters eaten alive on here for not providing enough background info, so perhaps I overcompensated. I just want to make sure I'm not leaving any rocks unturned, especially in terms of the DCPS lottery. Your suggestions and advice are greatly appreciated--keep them coming!

[Anonymous]

Absolutely Walker Jones if you're not going to stay past prek 4. The reggio program for the little ones is great.

[Anonymous]

For DCPS check out J.O Wilson for Tools of the Mind curriculum. For charters, look at Mary McLeod Bethune in Brookland for Spanish immersion.

[Anonymous]

Question for OP and others: What prompts you to rank Meridian as "first tier"? There have been some very enthusiastic postings on here about Meridian, which is great, but I'm trying to understand what drives the enthusiasm other than location.

I live in ward one and would love another viable option nearby, so I'm not trying to bash the school -- just trying to understand what folks see as Meridian's selling points. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Your situation (no long term prospect but absolutely want a place) screams for placing your DCPS in-boundary option on the list somewhere. Unless that school has no PS3 or is hugely sought after, it'll be your best bet. And DCPS early childhood programs are really good, pretty much no matter the school. In fact, I think that, at the early childhood level, a DCPS second tier early childhood choice will be less likely to disappoint than a charter second tier choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi everyone. I've spent a lot of time going through the forum in the past few days, as I prep our cadre of PK3 applications for next year. I've found a lot of fantastic information on almost all of the schools on our list, especially the "great" ones. However, I'm conscious of the fact that there's no real choice in these matters--it's all up to the lottery, and so I'm not getting tied to any specific options until I know what those options might be. Just trying to cast a wide net.

My son will be entering PK3 next year, so I am specifically interested in ONLY PREK programs. Because of my husband's job, we know we will be leaving DC in two years, so I am less concerned about a school where he will stay "forever" than a school that we can be invested in immediately. From some of the discussions on here, that leads me to believe we might actually have some more options, because I am totally in favor of taking a chance on a newer school that's only serving younger students, or on a program that's just starting, or on a program that (as of yet) has only proved successful for the younger grades. We are involved parents looking to get involved in our school. We value free play, creative learning, and social atmosphere over an over-advanced preschool curriculum. That being said, my son is adventurous, bright, and already somewhat 'advanced' (what does that even mean in a 2-year-old?) because he's been in a montessori-method preschool this year. Mostly, I'm looking for a place for him to be happy, safe, have fun, and learn about the world around him, hopefully with warm and engaged teachers, a diverse student population, and a decent school structure that values parental involvement.

The list of best/most popular/hardest to get into/great schools seems to be fairly agreed upon, and I'm certainly applying to them (Stokes, EL Haynes, Two Rivers, Mundo Verde, Creative Minds, Bridges, Meridian, Peabody, Logan Montessori). What I'm most interested in is OTHER choices--places where parents of small kids are happy and fulfilled, but perhaps not the first tier. I'm especially interested in the schools that use Reggio-method, or have arts emphasis, as my son's very favorite thing above all others is art of any kind, and I think that might make sense for us.

We live in Ward 5 (Brookland) but are willing to go almost anywhere in the city. Of course, schools that don't snarl me in traffic each morning would be preferred, if possible.

So...opinions on second tier options? Just throwing some names out there--DC Prep, Friendship PCS, Imagine Hope, Potomac Lighthouse, WE Doar Jr, Shining Stars? Or in terms of DCPS--Ludlow-Taylor, Walker Jones, Takoma EC, Burroughs? I have already scanned the forum and read their reviews on greatschools, but I was hoping for some current feedback, as well as wondering what other parents are doing for your second-tier choices.

I appreciate your feedback. Thanks!

Not sure about Meridian, but otherwise a solid list. I'd Appletree, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi everyone. I've spent a lot of time going through the forum in the past few days, as I prep our cadre of PK3 applications for next year. I've found a lot of fantastic information on almost all of the schools on our list, especially the "great" ones. However, I'm conscious of the fact that there's no real choice in these matters--it's all up to the lottery, and so I'm not getting tied to any specific options until I know what those options might be. Just trying to cast a wide net.

My son will be entering PK3 next year, so I am specifically interested in ONLY PREK programs. Because of my husband's job, we know we will be leaving DC in two years, so I am less concerned about a school where he will stay "forever" than a school that we can be invested in immediately. From some of the discussions on here, that leads me to believe we might actually have some more options, because I am totally in favor of taking a chance on a newer school that's only serving younger students, or on a program that's just starting, or on a program that (as of yet) has only proved successful for the younger grades. We are involved parents looking to get involved in our school. We value free play, creative learning, and social atmosphere over an over-advanced preschool curriculum. That being said, my son is adventurous, bright, and already somewhat 'advanced' (what does that even mean in a 2-year-old?) because he's been in a montessori-method preschool this year. Mostly, I'm looking for a place for him to be happy, safe, have fun, and learn about the world around him, hopefully with warm and engaged teachers, a diverse student population, and a decent school structure that values parental involvement.

The list of best/most popular/hardest to get into/great schools seems to be fairly agreed upon, and I'm certainly applying to them (Stokes, EL Haynes, Two Rivers, Mundo Verde, Creative Minds, Bridges, Meridian, Peabody, Logan Montessori). What I'm most interested in is OTHER choices--places where parents of small kids are happy and fulfilled, but perhaps not the first tier. I'm especially interested in the schools that use Reggio-method, or have arts emphasis, as my son's very favorite thing above all others is art of any kind, and I think that might make sense for us.

We live in Ward 5 (Brookland) but are willing to go almost anywhere in the city. Of course, schools that don't snarl me in traffic each morning would be preferred, if possible.

So...opinions on second tier options? Just throwing some names out there--DC Prep, Friendship PCS, Imagine Hope, Potomac Lighthouse, WE Doar Jr, Shining Stars? Or in terms of DCPS--Ludlow-Taylor, Walker Jones, Takoma EC, Burroughs? I have already scanned the forum and read their reviews on greatschools, but I was hoping for some current feedback, as well as wondering what other parents are doing for your second-tier choices.

I appreciate your feedback. Thanks!

Not sure about Meridian, but otherwise a solid list. I'd Appletree, though.

add Appletree, though.

[Anonymous]

Could also consider a good private pre-school (of which there are many near you) and re-apply next year to your list, but also schools like YY, Sela, etc. that start at pre-K 4.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Question for OP and others: What prompts you to rank Meridian as "first tier"? There have been some very enthusiastic postings on here about Meridian, which is great, but I'm trying to understand what drives the enthusiasm other than location.

I live in ward one and would love another viable option nearby, so I'm not trying to bash the school -- just trying to understand what folks see as Meridian's selling points. Thanks.

Unvarnished points, as I see them:
1. New location is great.
2. Scores are good.
3. Scores are good, even when school is has a VERY high percentage of economically disadvantaged students.
4. 2011 OSSE NCLB data show 1 of 56 students in 3rd grade is not economically disadvantaged. Class conflict may be a concern for your middle-class child.
5. 70% black, 30% Hispanic. White/non-Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander enrollment at ZERO in 3rd grade, per 2011 OSSE NCLB data. Define what diversity means to you.
6. Very polished at Charter Expo, according to writers on DCUM.
7. I haven’t seen anyone here state different basic facts at the PS-3, PK-4 or K grades, the main entering years. I would be interested to see more.

Clearly they're doing a lot of things right. Whether they are the right school for you is a different question.