Sidwell Pre-K Feeders

[Anonymous]

New poster here. No need to be snarky. If you don't want to apply to a playgroup then don't apply - you don't have to pick on those that do.

There are three major playgroups in DC: Intown, Blue Igloo, and Little Graces. Intown has been around about 35-40 years, Blue Igloo about 12-15 years, and Little Graces about 3 years. If you live in Georgetown, go for the first two. If Kent is more convenient, look at Little Graces. The significant differences: Intown starts at 1 year old and has a drop-off program and more age-oriented programming for the 2 year olds. Blue Igloo starts at 6 months old and has no drop-off. Both run M-F mornings during the school year and run a June camp. Little Graces has the option of fewer than 5 days a week and is for-profit. The others are non profits. Intown is licensed by the city. The others are not.

They all provide moms and toddlers with great fun and a welcoming community, but I don't think they will provide an advantage when it comes to preschool admissions.

[Anonymous]

As evidenced by the previous posters, it's well known that you'd have a better shot at getting into Sidwell if you went to a specific nursery school

That was never actually proffered, because it's not true. There are no feeder preschools to Sidwell per se. Really.

[Anonymous]

While there are no feeders in the NYC sense, it does seem to be true that Sidwell enrolls more kids from some preschools than others. What it is difficult to know is whether that is because those kids attend those schools (causation) or because the same kinds of kids are likely to enroll in both Little Folks/NCRC/etc. and Sidwell (correlation).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New poster here. No need to be snarky. If you don't want to apply to a playgroup then don't apply - you don't have to pick on those that do.

There are three major playgroups in DC: Intown, Blue Igloo, and Little Graces. Intown has been around about 35-40 years, Blue Igloo about 12-15 years, and Little Graces about 3 years. If you live in Georgetown, go for the first two. If Kent is more convenient, look at Little Graces. The significant differences: Intown starts at 1 year old and has a drop-off program and more age-oriented programming for the 2 year olds. Blue Igloo starts at 6 months old and has no drop-off. Both run M-F mornings during the school year and run a June camp. Little Graces has the option of fewer than 5 days a week and is for-profit. The others are non profits. Intown is licensed by the city. The others are not.

They all provide moms and toddlers with great fun and a welcoming community, but I don't think they will provide an advantage when it comes to preschool admissions.

Just to clarify -- Little Graces also runs a June camp and has age-oriented sessions in a seperate room for the 2 year olds, without caregivers and the younger children.

[Anonymous]

Just curious...what is your ultimate goal from sending your child to Sidwell?
The BEST education?..or the best chance of admission to Harvard? and is Sidwell the best thing for your child or for YOU?

Signed,

child of hyper-competitive parent who made it to an Ivy but paid a high price with therapy costs later on

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just curious...what is your ultimate goal from sending your child to Sidwell?
The BEST education?..or the best chance of admission to Harvard? and is Sidwell the best thing for your child or for YOU?

Signed,

child of hyper-competitive parent who made it to an Ivy but paid a high price with therapy costs later on

Actually I'd prefer Yale. And it's not about competition.

[Anonymous]

New poster here. That's it. I'm immediately tracking my son into rodeo clown college. Seems saner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New poster here. That's it. I'm immediately tracking my son into rodeo clown college. Seems saner.

Those programs are hyper-competitive. My DC went through months of private tutoring on barrel exercises and we never got off the waitlist. Without wealth and connections, you have no shot. Also, I've heard the minimum WPPSI score for most of those programs is above 90th percentile.

[Anonymous]

I am a new poster on this thread but I am always amazed when I see a topic that may be of interest to me....I click...and I see one or two helpful responses...mixed in with a bunch of negative condescending remarks. If you dont have the answer to the post, DONT POST!! Why beat up the person for asking? I agree with the PP that DCUM is full of snobs...but so is DC, I am used to that. But I know we are raising a generation of obnoxious, self-righteous, entitled bullies - and posters on DCUM are creating them.

This was a new mom seeking answers....geez!!

[Anonymous]

PP here....but the Rodeo post is hilarious.....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just curious...what is your ultimate goal from sending your child to Sidwell?
The BEST education?..or the best chance of admission to Harvard? and is Sidwell the best thing for your child or for YOU?

Signed,

child of hyper-competitive parent who made it to an Ivy but paid a high price with therapy costs later on

My parents always made education a priority (eg: moving to specific school districts even though we could have afford a bigger/nice house elsewhere) and as a result I made it into an Ivy and I'm grateful for that education. No therapy needed here.

[Anonymous]

That my child has a love of learning - we are in our 2nd year and thus far the school is meeting our goals. My child loves the school, her teachers, her friends - so happy parent here.

Anonymous wrote:Just curious...what is your ultimate goal from sending your child to Sidwell?
The BEST education?..or the best chance of admission to Harvard? and is Sidwell the best thing for your child or for YOU?

Signed,

child of hyper-competitive parent who made it to an Ivy but paid a high price with therapy costs later on

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That my child has a love of learning - we are in our 2nd year and thus far the school is meeting our goals. My child loves the school, her teachers, her friends - so happy parent here.

Anonymous wrote:Just curious...what is your ultimate goal from sending your child to Sidwell?
The BEST education?..or the best chance of admission to Harvard? and is Sidwell the best thing for your child or for YOU?

Signed,

child of hyper-competitive parent who made it to an Ivy but paid a high price with therapy costs later on

which school are you at?

[Anonymous]

OP, short answer is caveat emptor. If anyone tells you it's an "advantage" to go to a certain place for pre-pre-K, they are likely kidding themselves or seeking to heighten the perception of the exclusivity of their school. Sad, but true.

There's a reason that School for Friends, a Quaker school, proactively tells people it is not a feeder to Sidwell. Seeking out exmission options before your kid is potty trained is a pretty good indicator of a parent under stress from percieved peer pressure and the general hype of DC.

Try not to let the pressure get to you. Your child will likely be fine no matter where they end up and even if they never see Sasha on the playground.

For SAH or flexible working hours parents, consider the coop playgroups-preschools run by DC DPR. Good way to meet other families beyond just drop off and pickup.

(Gotta love clown school. DCUM is a good place to lighten up once in a while.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That my child has a love of learning - we are in our 2nd year and thus far the school is meeting our goals. My child loves the school, her teachers, her friends - so happy parent here.

Anonymous wrote:Just curious...what is your ultimate goal from sending your child to Sidwell?
The BEST education?..or the best chance of admission to Harvard? and is Sidwell the best thing for your child or for YOU?

Signed,

child of hyper-competitive parent who made it to an Ivy but paid a high price with therapy costs later on

which school are you at?

public.