Top private (Sidwell, GDS) versus top public (JKLM) for early years: what are the differences?

[Anonymous]

Also note that on top of that $40K, you will be expected to donate...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In terms of admissions? Or in some other sense? If admissions, you can't count on GDS or Sidwell or JKLM OOB.

I though OP had been accepted at one or more of the privates, and was trying to determine whether to send her child. Her alternative was to move inbounds to one of the M schools. But maybe I got it wrong.

Hi PP, you are right. DC has been accepted to a Big 3 and we are considering as an alternative to move to be IB for a top public school. Nevertheless, as other posters have suggested there are other reasons why we are currently not considering charter schools.

First, let me start saying that I think they are good alternatives, but giving our current priorities they are not necessarily for us.

That said, I think, after visiting several charters -the ones already mentioned: Yu Ying, Two Rivers, Mundo Verde, Creative Minds plus LAMB- that the only one we might consider [b]-and with a lot of hesitation- is[/b] Yu Ying. The reason, acceptable academics -DC CAS, parents feedback-, creative thinking stimulation with an inquiry-based curricula, International Baccalaureate and, above all: Mandarin immersion. We considered LAMB a year ago -not anymore. The reason for not considering the other charters: most of them, in our opinion, are not "consolidated" alternatives. We have seen, for example, grammatical mistakes in some of the Spanish immersion schools, lack of teaching resources in others, and/or we believe that their curriculum / philosophy has not been fully tested yet.

As I said before, we believe they are nice options, but giving our current priorities they are not necessarily for us.

Could you please expand on what your hesitations are re: Yu Ying? Thanks in advance.

Hi! Well, first let me say that Yu Ying is our top choice in the Lottery and that I have not experienced the school from the inside, so basically is an "outsider's" perception.
The hesitation comes from the fact that I think YY is a less consolidated option (i.e. growing pains, more to prove) and that I didn't have the feeling that the teaching philosophy was so stimulating and comprehensive on the early years as the other alternatives we are considering. I didn't love the facilities either.
That said, the Mandarin immersion is a "deal maker". Seriously, I think that is an amazing opportunity for our DC. On the minus side, I questioned myself how I could facilitate the learning experience of my DC if I do not speak Mandarin. Another thing that puzzles me is if a Mandarin environment could put a lot (too much) pressure on my DC.
Hope its helpful.
Best.

Thank you very much. Your post was indeed helpful.

[Anonymous]

Does WIS not have Mandarin?

[Anonymous]

OP, if you decline the private, be sure to tell them your decision was based on financial reasons if you plan to reapply for middle school or higher grades.