Relocating to DC with young Children

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ps DC is a GREAT place to raise young children. You will enjoy it.

Capitol Hill is filled with kids and parents and many other neighborhoods are great too.

Prioritize short commute (really. It’s so important.) and schools.

DC is a great place to raise young children if you have enough money to live in a safe neighborhood with good schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I realize if you're a realtor you won't want to give this advice, but if someone I cared about was moving to DC I would definitely tell them to rent first and get the lay of the land. Figure out more about commuting patterns, if they liked their jobs here, the various schools and districts, and stuff outside of school or work like houses of worship and kids' activities. Different people are going to like different parts of the DC area and it's hard to know that at first. Transfer costs for selling in DC are too high to make buying and selling a good idea.

I second this!

I did this! Highly recommend it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ps DC is a GREAT place to raise young children. You will enjoy it.

Capitol Hill is filled with kids and parents and many other neighborhoods are great too.

Prioritize short commute (really. It’s so important.) and schools.

DC is a great place to raise young children if you have enough money to live in a safe neighborhood with good schools.

I mean, Cap Hill is a fine place for couples with newborns. I have never heard of DC families with grade school children MOVING INTO cap hill. Families typically leave. Everyone knows it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ps DC is a GREAT place to raise young children. You will enjoy it.

Capitol Hill is filled with kids and parents and many other neighborhoods are great too.

Prioritize short commute (really. It’s so important.) and schools.

DC is a great place to raise young children if you have enough money to live in a safe neighborhood with good schools.

I mean, Cap Hill is a fine place for couples with newborns. I have never heard of DC families with grade school children MOVING INTO cap hill. Families typically leave. Everyone knows it.

This is not true anymore. Yes some leave but most are staying and making it work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ps DC is a GREAT place to raise young children. You will enjoy it.

Capitol Hill is filled with kids and parents and many other neighborhoods are great too.

Prioritize short commute (really. It’s so important.) and schools.

DC is a great place to raise young children if you have enough money to live in a safe neighborhood with good schools.

I mean, Cap Hill is a fine place for couples with newborns. I have never heard of DC families with grade school children MOVING INTO cap hill. Families typically leave. Everyone knows it.

This is not true anymore. Yes some leave but most are staying and making it work.

Private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ps DC is a GREAT place to raise young children. You will enjoy it.

Capitol Hill is filled with kids and parents and many other neighborhoods are great too.

Prioritize short commute (really. It’s so important.) and schools.

DC is a great place to raise young children if you have enough money to live in a safe neighborhood with good schools.

I mean, Cap Hill is a fine place for couples with newborns. I have never heard of DC families with grade school children MOVING INTO cap hill. Families typically leave. Everyone knows it.

This is not true anymore. Yes some leave but most are staying and making it work.

Private.

We live on the hill and LOVE it. Have been here since before our 2 started school...oldest is now in 5th and we are fine at our charter through 8th. BUT there is one IB-right middle school that is acceptable and no acceptable by feeder-right high schools here, so you are left with test-in public, charter, or private after 8th, and sometimes after 4th. We are unsure what we will do but are hoping to be able to stay put. The other good option is NW in a Deal/Wilson feeder. The schools are strong but its more expensive and the feel is more suburban.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ps DC is a GREAT place to raise young children. You will enjoy it.

Capitol Hill is filled with kids and parents and many other neighborhoods are great too.

Prioritize short commute (really. It’s so important.) and schools.

DC is a great place to raise young children if you have enough money to live in a safe neighborhood with good schools.

I mean, Cap Hill is a fine place for couples with newborns. I have never heard of DC families with grade school children MOVING INTO cap hill. Families typically leave. Everyone knows it.

This is not true anymore. Yes some leave but most are staying and making it work.

Private.

We live on the hill and LOVE it. Have been here since before our 2 started school...oldest is now in 5th and we are fine at our charter through 8th. BUT there is one IB-right middle school that is acceptable and no acceptable by feeder-right high schools here, so you are left with test-in public, charter, or private after 8th, and sometimes after 4th. We are unsure what we will do but are hoping to be able to stay put. The other good option is NW in a Deal/Wilson feeder. The schools are strong but its more expensive and the feel is more suburban.

Of course Latin and BASIS have historically served as Cap Hill middle schools.... There are more would be Brent 5th graders at BASIS this year than at Brent.

[Anonymous]

LOTS of different kinds of families and lots middle class families have made a home and AA life in DC for generations. We are transplants but the idea of NW or the hill beings the only nice safe neighborhoods is hilarious to me. We are NE family (and no not brookland either) and have had a really good experience thus far. Many of our neighbors have been around a long time in the last 2-5-10 years more new neighbors many with young families have moved in as well. It is definitely a interesting mix of people at the rec and walking about.
DC can be a great place to live but it depends on what kind of lifestyle you want. It isn't going to be cheap no matter where you rent or buy. But there are tons of safe neighborhoods to select from if you are fine with diversity, investment in neighborhood schools and/or lottery or some folks go private or home school.
If you are going to flip out if a package gets stolen off your porch or your car gets broken into, your kids see a homeless person, you are not a fan of diversity, some amount of community/school turn over when transplant families leave, , the city is not for you. If you want something family friendly that is free or low cost always happening somewhere in the city (even if it pushes you outside your comfort zone), crazy hot summers, and some of the best neighbors in any city you might just be a good fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ps DC is a GREAT place to raise young children. You will enjoy it.

Capitol Hill is filled with kids and parents and many other neighborhoods are great too.

Prioritize short commute (really. It’s so important.) and schools.

DC is a great place to raise young children if you have enough money to live in a safe neighborhood with good schools.

I mean, Cap Hill is a fine place for couples with newborns. I have never heard of DC families with grade school children MOVING INTO cap hill. Families typically leave. Everyone knows it.

This is not true anymore. Yes some leave but most are staying and making it work.

Private.

BS.

No need for private for us, even though we could afford it. Our kids walked to our neighborhood public school for elementary and our oldest will graduate from charter school in two years. They love living in DC and love their school. When we visit friends in the suburbs they enjoy the visit, but they say they wouldn't want to live out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To help we would need your budget, priorities (free preschool vs strong schools later on), commuting concerns, and whether you are considering the suburbs. Also, where are you coming from? Do you want a similar vibe?

+1.

Also what are your kid's specific SN? Do they need supports in a gen ed environment, or do they need self-contained classrooms? Some DCPS elementary schools are designed to accommodate specific disabilities. As a parent of SN kids, I can tell you that it will be MUCH easier for you to live close to those specific schools. Some of them are good schools in their own right, so all your kids could go there if you're in bounds.

You should know that most charter schools do a horrific job with special needs. The HRC's are some of the worst offenders with violating laws. Also, one problem with charter schools is that kids commute from all over DC so parents have to plan for and drive around for play dates. It's better to just move in bounds for a good DCPS that can accommodate your kids' special needs. Then they'll have neighborhood friends, short commute to school, and life will just be easier (assuming you can afford it - this is why we need the info pp requested).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To help we would need your budget, priorities (free preschool vs strong schools later on), commuting concerns, and whether you are considering the suburbs. Also, where are you coming from? Do you want a similar vibe?

+1.

Also what are your kid's specific SN? Do they need supports in a gen ed environment, or do they need self-contained classrooms? Some DCPS elementary schools are designed to accommodate specific disabilities. As a parent of SN kids, I can tell you that it will be MUCH easier for you to live close to those specific schools. Some of them are good schools in their own right, so all your kids could go there if you're in bounds.

You should know that most charter schools do a horrific job with special needs. The HRC's are some of the worst offenders with violating laws. Also, one problem with charter schools is that kids commute from all over DC so parents have to plan for and drive around for play dates. It's better to just move in bounds for a good DCPS that can accommodate your kids' special needs. Then they'll have neighborhood friends, short commute to school, and life will just be easier (assuming you can afford it - this is why we need the info pp requested).

Not our experience at all. Our dcps certainly did what the IEP said but the teacher were either fresh out of school and lacking experience to navigate the system and different needs. Or ready to retire and didn't have a lot of interest in trying to things. It is often a fight to get your child resources no matter what school you attend in dc.
I know a lot of dual language schools are not great with IEPs and special needs. But that might be resources for dual language SPED teachers.
But there are charters and HRC that do just fine with IEPs and SPED students. I can't quite figure out why the rumors or idea that no schools other than dcps or a different district can provide iep services. I guess maybe some higher income families have unreasonable standards for a school... Or maybe just very specific needs that are not being met. Idk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ps DC is a GREAT place to raise young children. You will enjoy it.

Capitol Hill is filled with kids and parents and many other neighborhoods are great too.

Prioritize short commute (really. It’s so important.) and schools.

DC is a great place to raise young children if you have enough money to live in a safe neighborhood with good schools.

I mean, Cap Hill is a fine place for couples with newborns. I have never heard of DC families with grade school children MOVING INTO cap hill. Families typically leave. Everyone knows it.

This is not true anymore. Yes some leave but most are staying and making it work.

Private.

BS.

No need for private for us, even though we could afford it. Our kids walked to our neighborhood public school for elementary and our oldest will graduate from charter school in two years. They love living in DC and love their school. When we visit friends in the suburbs they enjoy the visit, but they say they wouldn't want to live out there.

Wow! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

[Anonymous]

If you are going to get offended maybe stick to the NOVA board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are going to get offended maybe stick to the NOVA board.

Seriously. Why troll the DC board if you don't want to hear that people are happy with DC schools?

-someone who moved from the suburbs and loves our neighborhood school (Deal feeder).

[Anonymous]

Attempting to justify their commute I'd guess. Living in DC, I've never gone to the Nova or MD boards but damn do they troll here nonstop.