Preschool Admissions
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
We applied to a few preschools in the NW DC area for the 2014-2015 academic year. (Our son will be 2.5 in the fall.)
My understanding was that the schools have some sort of agreement that they will all send their acceptance letters in early March; however, over the weekend, Franklin Montessori (Forest Hills) sent us a postcard that our son has been accepted but that we needed to reply with our intent (and deposit, if we intend to enroll) by Feb. 21 which is well before we would hear back from the other schools. Franklin is a great option for us but it's not our #1 choice. Did a similar situation happen to any of you? Is it worth asking Franklin for more time? Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! |
Anonymous
| I was not aware there was some sort of agreement. I thought they all ended up on that date because it was before the preschool lottery. |
Anonymous
| I'm sure there's no agreement. What body would enforce such an agreement? |
Anonymous
| Most of the schools all do send them out over the same few days. Franklin is rolling admission though, which means first-come, first-served. The problem is that they require a pretty hefty deposit to hold your spot, but it's due before you find out from the other schools. |
Anonymous
| I am sure there is no agreement as they make money off deposits. We paid a deposit to hold a space and then went elsewhere. |
Anonymous
Exactly. It works so that you have to send in your deposit to secure a spot at each place by, say March 1st. Then, after NOT getting deposits they open up spots for wait listed by say, April 1st. So people pay for their "safety" then something else opens up by other people NOT sending in their deposits... Signed, Lost a deposit or two |
Anonymous
|
DC JCC is doing this for the upcoming school year. All returning students deposits were due today. Or you could pay half today and half by like March 14. That constittutes two months of tuition. But they chose March 14 on purpose, so it is two weeks before the DCPS lottery results are announced.
Even more frustrating is the language you commit to when you sign the contract, saying you will pay for the spot for the entire year if you back out. I understand it is a business, but we will not be returning our son for the final year. We were really put off by the language and timing. And if we don't get into PK4 for our IB school, we will figure it out then. But I'm not turning over $3500 in deposits and committing to pay the entire year. I understand how they need the commitments for staffing and other purposes, but it just feels wrong and not a way to encourage young families to stay with the program. My guess is the upper management of the JCC would be upset if it really understood the financial here. Not everyone can just toss their money away. It's a shame b/c it is a great program. But with the fees for aftercare beginning next year for all families, the JCC has begun competiting with private schools and not with the public schools it should be competing with. |
Anonymous
| Franklin does this to force you to commit before you hear from the other ones in my opinion. Hard place to be in...I might talk to Franklin and ask what their situation is in terms of slots, etc. We went to Franklin for one year, and I applied really late in the year (like April) and still got a spot. So it might not be full at this point and you might be able to wait to hear from others. |
Anonymous
| The schools in the older age ranges have an agreement like this - one for catholic schools and one for non through the association of independent schools. It keeps schools from doing exactly what Franklin seems to be - trying to get you to attend or just plunk down a deposit even if they aren't your first choice. Uncool. |
Anonymous
| There is an association that once was called the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington (AISGW). It has a new name now. All the schools who are part of this network agree to standardize thinks like acceptance letters. It's a wide network and almost all of the big-name schools in the metro area are involved. |
Anonymous
| I am sure, you can get in to any preschool you like at any point before September. Schools just like keep on your toes to make it like hard to get in. |
Anonymous
+1 We made the same decision for the exact same reasons. We don't have the money to throw away and didn't want to be a part of a school that was okay with that tactic. It seemed malicious. |
Anonymous
Are you new to DC? This just isn't the case. |
Anonymous
| Yes there exists agreements between the schools as well as community networking groups for Directors to discuss these topics such as start dates and admission dates |
Anonymous
|
I think it is worth at least asking - if they say no then you need to decide if you are ok with potentially loosing your money, or if you want to go out on a limb and wait it out for your top school. I do know that it is possible to get off wait lists at top schools - we were wait listed at St. Columba's last year and I followed up relentlessly because it was our top choice. We ended up getting in and I couldn't be happier.
And slightly off topic, it's frustrating that the lottery results are so late this year. In 2 years time when it's time for my #2 to attend DCPS we won't know if we got a PK-4 spot before we have to commit to St. C. I am guessing we will take a leap of faith and hope that with a sibling advantage we get in. St. Columba's used to time their results with the lottery, but this year they aren't because they lottery is so late. Good luck, op. It's a stressful situation to be in! |