DCPS prek3 v. staying in daycare

[Anonymous]

My child will turn 3 at the end of September (so would start PK3 before she turns 3). We did the lottery and got a spot at our IB school for PK3. This is not a school we would expect to stay at long-term, but the ECE program is supposed to be good. Our center, where we have been very happy, also has a PK3 program. We are deciding whether to take the DCPS spot or stay in the daycare for at least one more year. Here are some of the factors we are weighing, but I am curious if there is something else we should be taking into consideration?

- Convenience: our neighborhood school isn't all that convenient in terms of drop-off and pick-up; the daycare center is more convenient. Also, school would require us to arrange/pay for before and aftercare as well as summer camps.
- Age/maturity of child: she's a bright kid, but she'll be young for the class and I have concerns about a child so young being in too rigid or "academic" of an environment too soon. She's generally well-behaved.
- Outdoor time--the center is required to take the kids out twice a day for nearly an hour, and has a private playground as well as nearby parks; I doubt my kid will get that much recess at school, and I think physical activity for kids is really important.
- Programming--the center follows a play-based curriculum (Creative Curriculum). The school does Tools of the Mind. The center does a lot of field trips to museums and other things like plays or the Zoo. They learn things like letters, numbers, writing, science, etc. The lead teachers have bachelor's degrees in ECE. I think their curriculum is age-appropriate, and they have special activities like Power Tots, language, music and dance, etc. I've spoken with the director and I really like her approach and think we are on the same page about what is appropriate for kids this age. I don't know as much about the DCPS, obviously. I've been told by parents who've been through the PK3 and PK4 program at daycare that their children were prepared for Kindergarten.
-Continuity--we like the center and our kid has been there for two years now. The teachers are warm and affectionate. I worry about moving her from a place where she is happy to a new place that we expect to leave in a year or two.
-Size--the daycare class is smaller (12 kids). There are two teachers for 12 kids.

Right now, we are leaning towards staying at daycare (cost is manageable) because it's more convenient, a smaller class, and we're happy with the center and the expected programming, as well as the balance of formal instruction and playing. We will reevaluate when PK4 rolls around. Is there something important that we're not thinking about?

[Anonymous]

Sounds like an easy choice to me: stay where you are!

[Anonymous]

What daycare is it? I ask because we're looking for a daycare center (currently in a nanny share) after striking out for PK3.

[Anonymous]

Stay in daycare. My child's environment was most important to me, so we paid for Pre-K 3 until we got into an excellent longterm DC option. If we hadn't we would have remained at the other school. Never chose the option just because it is "free".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What daycare is it? I ask because we're looking for a daycare center (currently in a nanny share) after striking out for PK3.

Commerce. You might check to see if they have spots, since some do open up as a result of DC kids leaving for public preschool. We've been really happy there.

[Anonymous]

If cost is manageable, stay where you are.

[Anonymous]

Are you sure the class size will remain smaller? Won't it go up at 3?

[Anonymous]

I think it sounds like an obvious choice for you to stay at Commerce. The only factor I would consider is whether or not you have investigated the 3's and 4's rooms at Commerce. I don't know anything about this center- but we were in a downtown fed center and vastly more satisfied with the 2's class than the 3's class. Virtually all of my child's classmates left to go to PK-3 or for other options, and the older kids programming was much much weaker.

[Anonymous]

We are in the Commerce 3s class and happy. I think there are 15 kids in he class but I could easily be wrong. Either way there are 2 really great teachers.

[Anonymous]

Another Preschool option for those not happy with their lottery luck is First Baptist CDC in Dupont. Their 3-4 teachers are fantastic. Low ratios, and are always playing and exploring outside and around the neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

DOL has a great PreK program as well.