Ample supply of furnished places available on the Hill -- often Foreign Service families; I think furnished rentals are pretty common in DC in general because of that (+ military, world bank, foreign diplos, IMF, etc). FWIW, I love Dupont Circle, but I think the Hill has a way more family friendly/community vibe; 90% of folks you see walking around will have at least one child (and possibly a dog) with them. |
I live in AU Park, near Tenley Metro, and am a former Hill staffer with lots of friends living there. While the neighborhoods are 30+ minutes apart and very different, I'd vote for either something in upper NW DC along the red line (Dupont, Woodley, Cleveland Park, Tenley/AU/Friendship Hts) OR Capitol Hill area. All of these neighborhoods are filled with families/kids/preschools and have easy access to museums, memorials and all of DC. |
I'm in Adams Morgan right now with a 3.5 y old and it's kinda amazing! we are either a 10 min walk to a kalorama playground, or a 10 min to the zoo. There's also Walter Pierce park, and Marie Reed's playgrounds are open after 6 pm and on weekends and they are so fun. Lots of little kids in the neighborhood. Story time at Mt Pleasant library. Music lessons, short bus ride to Wilson Aquatic center (dc pools - indoor and outdoor, are free to DC residents) during the cold months, and there's a children's pool in Adams Morgan during the summer, or you can drive/take a bus to the giant Francis pool in West End during the summer. Halloween on Lanier street. Lantern festival in Mt. Pleasant! Kicks are For Kids Soccer. We actually rarely go to museums as are always busy doing neighborhood things. |
Adams Morgan is fine with kids, but the fact you’re naming particular playgrounds 10 minutes away is what makes it different than the Hill. We have at least 10 within a 15 minute walk from our house in the close in NE Hill. |
I’m PP. I think probably to his life overall, there’s going to be a greater benefit to learning how to work with peers than behave in a museum. But you should be able to take care of that with either a play-based co-op or Mommy & Me Montessori/Waldorf (although his age could be a factor?). |
Agree the year before would be good to have him in a program. There are programs here but I have found DC childcare priced insanely high compared to where we were.
I would say go younger because at the late end of 3 my kids really started needing more social interaction with peers and consistent play dates with familiar friends. Before that, they didn’t care and would happily tag along with anything. |