Pre-K 3: Free in DC, but seems like a real lack of schools, especially in NW!

[Anonymous]

Comminikids is great. Check it out!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ward 3, y’all gettin played. No summer school programs, no charters, no PS-3, no outdoor pools, and overcrowded MS/HS schools with kids from all eight wards. Keep sending in those taxes though!

Love,

The Rest of the City

Summers are for traveling and being at home doing nothing. Don't care about any of the charters. Went to see something Latin on military road many many years ago, what a dump it was.
We have a heated pool that opens mid May and is 2 minute walk from our front door.
Hardy is hardly overcrowded and DC thrives in crowds.
Getting a tax refund yet again. All I paid comes back and more. Oh, and other kids had people waiting to sign them up for summer program located in another DCPS.
We will skip Europe this year but will definitely go next year.
Going nowhere from ward 3.

Tax refund...Umm...didn't know people still got those...at least if they make money

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ward 3, y’all gettin played. No summer school programs, no charters, no PS-3, no outdoor pools, and overcrowded MS/HS schools with kids from all eight wards. Keep sending in those taxes though!

Love,

The Rest of the City

Summers are for traveling and being at home doing nothing. Don't care about any of the charters. Went to see something Latin on military road many many years ago, what a dump it was.
We have a heated pool that opens mid May and is 2 minute walk from our front door.
Hardy is hardly overcrowded and DC thrives in crowds.
Getting a tax refund yet again. All I paid comes back and more. Oh, and other kids had people waiting to sign them up for summer program located in another DCPS.
We will skip Europe this year but will definitely go next year.
Going nowhere from ward 3.

O-P-U-L-E-N-C-E: Opulence! You own everything. Everything is yours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ward 3, y’all gettin played. No summer school programs, no charters, no PS-3, no outdoor pools, and overcrowded MS/HS schools with kids from all eight wards. Keep sending in those taxes though!

Love,

The Rest of the City

Summers are for traveling and being at home doing nothing. Don't care about any of the charters. Went to see something Latin on military road many many years ago, what a dump it was.
We have a heated pool that opens mid May and is 2 minute walk from our front door.
Hardy is hardly overcrowded and DC thrives in crowds.
Getting a tax refund yet again. All I paid comes back and more. Oh, and other kids had people waiting to sign them up for summer program located in another DCPS.
We will skip Europe this year but will definitely go next year.
Going nowhere from ward 3.

It wouldn't be DCUM without a post reeking of privilege and lacking self-awareness.

-Ward 4 parent who is thrilled not to have to interact with many Ward 3 parents like PP.

Don't worry Ward 4 Parent, Ward 3 up there is probably a poser with a hideous LV knockoff bag and here's how I know:

1.) Europe is SO basic
2.) Real ballers don't get that excited about tax refunds

Actually it's ward 4 that is causing the problems the by right feeders are overloading the system. If you took those away people would be screaming racist. It's only a matter of time though. Chocolate city days are numbered and we can finally have some competence in government. So ticked Cantana didn't win the next Cantana will though. Even yall can admit Bowser is a Barry in a skirt.

[Anonymous]

Ok, but Ward 3 kids can go to preschool in not ward 3 schools, right?
I have worked at a few schools in NE and they always have free spots.

Op, are you willing to take your kid to a school off of Benning Road?

[Anonymous]

There's no free PK-3 and limited PK-4 (space allowing - not by right) in Ward 3 because the funding to start PK in DC (law passed in 2008) was funded in part with federal funding from Head Start targeted to better education for low income children. Ten years ago virtually all schools EOTP were majority low income.

That said, the time may be coming that DC has the income to fund universal PK3. One could also fairly comment that the lack of PK3 in Ward 3 means PK3 spots EOTP are taken by families who will leave later for their in bounds school. There aren't sufficient seats to meet the demand for PK in all locations, but meanwhile home prices and taxes mean DC's revenue is going up, up, up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok, but Ward 3 kids can go to preschool in not ward 3 schools, right?
I have worked at a few schools in NE and they always have free spots.

Op, are you willing to take your kid to a school off of Benning Road?

And then people complain when those families move back to their IB after preK.

[Anonymous]

No. We won’t complain. We get $$ fir your kid enrolling.
Bring em’ in.
No one thinks you’ll stay

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's no free PK-3 and limited PK-4 (space allowing - not by right) in Ward 3 because the funding to start PK in DC (law passed in 2008) was funded in part with federal funding from Head Start targeted to better education for low income children. Ten years ago virtually all schools EOTP were majority low income.

That said, the time may be coming that DC has the income to fund universal PK3. One could also fairly comment that the lack of PK3 in Ward 3 means PK3 spots EOTP are taken by families who will leave later for their in bounds school. There aren't sufficient seats to meet the demand for PK in all locations, but meanwhile home prices and taxes mean DC's revenue is going up, up, up.

DC's revenue is down this year, in part due to the shutdown. If you want PK3 in WOTP schools are you going to build additions to them (which costs a lot and takes away from the playing field and your kids will spend years in the swing space at Meyer) or are you going to shrink the boundaries so fewer people have rights to the more crowded schools WOTP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sending the middle schoolers at Adams to MacFarland and the middle schoolers at Francis Stevens to Cardozo would open up probably 15 more classrooms WOTP that could be used for PK, and better utilize the under-enrolled schools.

Moving art instruction in-house at the schools currently served by Fillmore would allow several more classrooms there.

Wards 2 and 3 just need to decide which they prefer and start lobbying for whatever they decide. Parents of 1 and 2 year olds would like there to be 20 more PK classrooms near them, and it can be done with minimal capital investment. Parents of older kids like Fillmore and their current assigned middle and high school. And the parents of older kids are easier to organize because they can work through existing PTAs and they aren't exhausted by taking care of babies. So it's a hard fight for the parents of younger kids to win. But it could easily be done if there were the will among constituents.

This is a dumb argument - Maybe when your kids are babies you think a year's worth of preschool is a big deal, but trust me that once your kids are actually in the school you will see that overcrowding, no lunch rooms, 27 kids in a class, no available seats in key high school classes, eating lunch at 10 a.m., overworked school counselors, classes too big for a teacher to adequately give written feedback, etc. etc. is a far far bigger deal. You want free PK3? It's all yours if you are willing to drive a couple of miles. Save your advocacy energy for the bigger challenges to come.

+1

I think the research is pretty consistent that PK3 provides marginal benefits for MC/UMC kids who are already exposed to language, museums, music, etc. It is a low priority because it doesn't provide much bang for the buck among that population. And because the real issues WOTP are related to overcrowding. Ward 3 has decided which it prefers--it prefers no PK3 in exchange for more space for K-5. No one cares except parents of toddlers, and they soon become parents of not-toddlers and don't care anymore.

+1, from a Ward 3 parent of a middle schooler and a high schooler. I cannot get worked up over the lack of preK 3 in upper NW. in fact, I have always thought that preK 3 and 4 was DCPS’s secret weapon in pulling educated families into struggling schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sending the middle schoolers at Adams to MacFarland and the middle schoolers at Francis Stevens to Cardozo would open up probably 15 more classrooms WOTP that could be used for PK, and better utilize the under-enrolled schools.

Moving art instruction in-house at the schools currently served by Fillmore would allow several more classrooms there.

Wards 2 and 3 just need to decide which they prefer and start lobbying for whatever they decide. Parents of 1 and 2 year olds would like there to be 20 more PK classrooms near them, and it can be done with minimal capital investment. Parents of older kids like Fillmore and their current assigned middle and high school. And the parents of older kids are easier to organize because they can work through existing PTAs and they aren't exhausted by taking care of babies. So it's a hard fight for the parents of younger kids to win. But it could easily be done if there were the will among constituents.

This is a dumb argument - Maybe when your kids are babies you think a year's worth of preschool is a big deal, but trust me that once your kids are actually in the school you will see that overcrowding, no lunch rooms, 27 kids in a class, no available seats in key high school classes, eating lunch at 10 a.m., overworked school counselors, classes too big for a teacher to adequately give written feedback, etc. etc. is a far far bigger deal. You want free PK3? It's all yours if you are willing to drive a couple of miles. Save your advocacy energy for the bigger challenges to come.

+1

I think the research is pretty consistent that PK3 provides marginal benefits for MC/UMC kids who are already exposed to language, museums, music, etc. It is a low priority because it doesn't provide much bang for the buck among that population. And because the real issues WOTP are related to overcrowding. Ward 3 has decided which it prefers--it prefers no PK3 in exchange for more space for K-5. No one cares except parents of toddlers, and they soon become parents of not-toddlers and don't care anymore.

+1, from a Ward 3 parent of a middle schooler and a high schooler. I cannot get worked up over the lack of preK 3 in upper NW. in fact, I have always thought that preK 3 and 4 was DCPS’s secret weapon in pulling educated families into struggling schools.

This. Yes these families may leave, but meanwhile they are doing a lot of work and donating/raising a lot. Guess what, low-income families change schools sometimes too! There is no guarantee anyone will stay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's no free PK-3 and limited PK-4 (space allowing - not by right) in Ward 3 because the funding to start PK in DC (law passed in 2008) was funded in part with federal funding from Head Start targeted to better education for low income children. Ten years ago virtually all schools EOTP were majority low income.

That said, the time may be coming that DC has the income to fund universal PK3. One could also fairly comment that the lack of PK3 in Ward 3 means PK3 spots EOTP are taken by families who will leave later for their in bounds school. There aren't sufficient seats to meet the demand for PK in all locations, but meanwhile home prices and taxes mean DC's revenue is going up, up, up.

DC's revenue is down this year, in part due to the shutdown. If you want PK3 in WOTP schools are you going to build additions to them (which costs a lot and takes away from the playing field and your kids will spend years in the swing space at Meyer) or are you going to shrink the boundaries so fewer people have rights to the more crowded schools WOTP?

I'm not endorsing any particular plan. The overcrowding indicates schools need to expand or additional schools should be built or both. There are also not a sufficient number of PK spots across the city to meet demand. The government shutdown this year is but a blip on the 20 year trend of housing, property and income taxes in DC. The population increases combined with redevelopment and infill development of many parts of the city mean there are far more properties and incomes being taxed and at a much higher rate. The trend is still up, up, up over the long term. At some point the city can decide it can afford more schools or expand access to preschool and as a city we can likely afford it. Certainly the renovation and construction of schools all over the city could have never happened in the DC of the 1990s (for example - Roosevelt, Dunbar, Burroughs, MacFarland, DCI, Powell - these are just a few I can think of that combines are probably a $1 billion investment). In the 1990s the city could barely get the garbage picked up and even stopped recycling due to cost...not our world anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. We won’t complain. We get $$ fir your kid enrolling.
Bring em’ in.
No one thinks you’ll stay

Yes, you do. Search this forum; it comes up every year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sending the middle schoolers at Adams to MacFarland and the middle schoolers at Francis Stevens to Cardozo would open up probably 15 more classrooms WOTP that could be used for PK, and better utilize the under-enrolled schools.

Moving art instruction in-house at the schools currently served by Fillmore would allow several more classrooms there.

Wards 2 and 3 just need to decide which they prefer and start lobbying for whatever they decide. Parents of 1 and 2 year olds would like there to be 20 more PK classrooms near them, and it can be done with minimal capital investment. Parents of older kids like Fillmore and their current assigned middle and high school. And the parents of older kids are easier to organize because they can work through existing PTAs and they aren't exhausted by taking care of babies. So it's a hard fight for the parents of younger kids to win. But it could easily be done if there were the will among constituents.

This is a dumb argument - Maybe when your kids are babies you think a year's worth of preschool is a big deal, but trust me that once your kids are actually in the school you will see that overcrowding, no lunch rooms, 27 kids in a class, no available seats in key high school classes, eating lunch at 10 a.m., overworked school counselors, classes too big for a teacher to adequately give written feedback, etc. etc. is a far far bigger deal. You want free PK3? It's all yours if you are willing to drive a couple of miles. Save your advocacy energy for the bigger challenges to come.

+1

I think the research is pretty consistent that PK3 provides marginal benefits for MC/UMC kids who are already exposed to language, museums, music, etc. It is a low priority because it doesn't provide much bang for the buck among that population. And because the real issues WOTP are related to overcrowding. Ward 3 has decided which it prefers--it prefers no PK3 in exchange for more space for K-5. No one cares except parents of toddlers, and they soon become parents of not-toddlers and don't care anymore.

+1, from a Ward 3 parent of a middle schooler and a high schooler. I cannot get worked up over the lack of preK 3 in upper NW. in fact, I have always thought that preK 3 and 4 was DCPS’s secret weapon in pulling educated families into struggling schools.

Can’t get worked up? You realize the cost of center based private PK3 is about $24,000/year in Ward 3. And the value of that money 15 years later is equivalent to a free year of college education. But that does not get you worked up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sending the middle schoolers at Adams to MacFarland and the middle schoolers at Francis Stevens to Cardozo would open up probably 15 more classrooms WOTP that could be used for PK, and better utilize the under-enrolled schools.

Moving art instruction in-house at the schools currently served by Fillmore would allow several more classrooms there.

Wards 2 and 3 just need to decide which they prefer and start lobbying for whatever they decide. Parents of 1 and 2 year olds would like there to be 20 more PK classrooms near them, and it can be done with minimal capital investment. Parents of older kids like Fillmore and their current assigned middle and high school. And the parents of older kids are easier to organize because they can work through existing PTAs and they aren't exhausted by taking care of babies. So it's a hard fight for the parents of younger kids to win. But it could easily be done if there were the will among constituents.

This is a dumb argument - Maybe when your kids are babies you think a year's worth of preschool is a big deal, but trust me that once your kids are actually in the school you will see that overcrowding, no lunch rooms, 27 kids in a class, no available seats in key high school classes, eating lunch at 10 a.m., overworked school counselors, classes too big for a teacher to adequately give written feedback, etc. etc. is a far far bigger deal. You want free PK3? It's all yours if you are willing to drive a couple of miles. Save your advocacy energy for the bigger challenges to come.

+1

I think the research is pretty consistent that PK3 provides marginal benefits for MC/UMC kids who are already exposed to language, museums, music, etc. It is a low priority because it doesn't provide much bang for the buck among that population. And because the real issues WOTP are related to overcrowding. Ward 3 has decided which it prefers--it prefers no PK3 in exchange for more space for K-5. No one cares except parents of toddlers, and they soon become parents of not-toddlers and don't care anymore.

+1, from a Ward 3 parent of a middle schooler and a high schooler. I cannot get worked up over the lack of preK 3 in upper NW. in fact, I have always thought that preK 3 and 4 was DCPS’s secret weapon in pulling educated families into struggling schools.

Can’t get worked up? You realize the cost of center based private PK3 is about $24,000/year in Ward 3. And the value of that money 15 years later is equivalent to a free year of college education. But that does not get you worked up?

Nope. I paid for PK3. So did everyone in MoCo and NoVa who needed PK3, given that neither county has free PK (outside of programs for low-income families). Ward 3 families have options, including commuting to free PK3 or paying for preschool or daycare. In terms of the list of where I think DC needs to devote resources, there are a million things above free PK3 for Ward 3 families.