Janney vs Yu Ying

[Anonymous]

My kid got accepted at both Janney and Yu ying. Do the two schools compare? We live in Nw, is Yu ying worth the 30 mn drive?

[Anonymous]

No. While Yu Ying sounds promising, it's new and the jury's still out. Janney is a K-5 school with active parent involvement and pretty decent test scores. I'd go with Janney.

[Anonymous]

How interested are you in the Chinese aspect? It is super hard to compare since the main thing that would even make Yu Ying worth the drive would be a strong interest and desire for language immersion--absent that I would choose Janney in a heartbeat. Why drive all the way across town otherwise? Unlike previous poster I don't think its as much a matter of the jury being out as it is about your desire for Mandarin immersion....

[Anonymous]

I too just got accepted into Yu Ying.....I am beyond excited for my child. No one should be answering this for you except for you....What is your value system? What do you want for your child?? People will tell you Janney in a heartbeat because it is "established". Another way to view Yu Ying is that it is imperative for Yu Ying to succeed because if they don't, they will lose their charter. With this in mind, there is fire and fresh energy to make Yu Ying a success. Another thing is that founders' children are attending Yu Ying. You know that the founding parents want the best for their kids. This is the best time to choose Yu Ying if that is what you want for your child.....Good luck in your very important decision!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live in Nw, is Yu ying worth the 30 mn drive?

Yowza! That's a lot to ask of a prek/K child (and parent).

All due respect to energy at Yu Ying (which sounds great, honestly), having worked with charters, independent and DCPS, I'd recommend that OP bear in mind that despite best intentions, new charters are inherently less stable in terms of funding (since they need private as well as public), space (often changes with enrollment and DC politics) and leadership. Charters, often like private, are usually "key man" dependent on founders due to specific nature of charter. Nothing against Yu Ying, it's just the nature of the charter industry. Just like DCPS and privates have their inherent issues.

In no way would I disway someone from immersion (I'm a fan and participant), and as promising and unique as Yu Ying is, it is still less than one school year old.

OP, if you're strongly drawn to Mandarin, this charter may be perfect for you.

But to paraphrase PP, make your choice based on your instincts, understanding of your child and an honest assessment of your personal risk tolerance and desire for involvement in a work-in-progress.

Again, no knock against Yu Ying per se. But new charters are essentially start-ups. Some will succeed spectacularly, some will flounder but turn around and some will crash and burn.

FWIW, I do hope Yu Ying succeeds as it does address part of the gap in public language and cultural school choices.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid got accepted at both Janney and Yu ying. Do the two schools compare? We live in Nw, is Yu ying worth the 30 mn drive?

Congratulations, OP! I am a Yu Ying parent and I could not be happier about this truly innovative school. They are both excellent, but very different kinds of schools. I am biased of course in Yu Ying's favor, but it seems to me you can try us for Pre-K and if you don't like it you can always switch back to Janney (by your description of the drive I'm guessing it's your in-bounds school). If you pass up Yu Ying, you won't get another chance: your child wouldn't be able to catch up on the language whereas a traditional school would always be waiting for you. Beginning Mandarin fluency at age 4? What an opportunity - think of the doors this will open.

Have you joined the Yu Ying Google group? You can do so from the schools website. I'm sure you'll be approved since your child has been accepted. We have a number of families whose in-bounds schools are in far NW (Janney, Lafayette, Murch) and have been making that drive all year (and are committed to making it in the future). You could ask about their commutes and how long it takes during what time of day. You can ask why they chose Yu Ying over their neighborhood schools despite the drive. You can also ask relevant questions about how they manage neighborhood friendships and playdates, etc. Who knows, you may even be able to car pool?

[Anonymous]

Check into Janney again, they are in a time of change right now. They will weather the storm b/c of the solid parent base, but the boat is going to be rocky for a while.

Get all info before choosing. Half hour drive ain't so bad is the school has its act together!

[Anonymous]

thank you very much for the very helpful answers. yes our inbound is janney and i was thinking along the same lines as one of you, try yu ying out and if it does not work out, just revert back to janney. i must confess the commute is scaring me but would love for my kid to be able to speak mandarin. the advice to check with other parents re playdates etc... from same neighborhood is dead on though. thanks a bunch again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Check into Janney again, they are in a time of change right now. They will weather the storm b/c of the solid parent base, but the boat is going to be rocky for a while.

Get all info before choosing. Half hour drive ain't so bad is the school has its act together!

What are the changes happening at Janney?

[Anonymous]

OP, do you have a neighborhood listserv? You might be able to ask questions in the forum as well. Good luck with your decision.

[Anonymous]

re changes at Janney. New construction likely in/for the next two years. Maybe a new principal as well -- there's a search in progress.

[Anonymous]

I agree with poster who suggests you try Yu Ying for a year and maybe more. If you took the time to apply then obviously you had some interest in the school. You live in Janney's area so if you don't like it you can always pull your little one out next year and put her in the neighborhood. At the preK or even K level, it's not going to hurt anything, esp. since you probably won't be able to get back in Yu Ying later.

And a 30 min. commute isn't bad at all. And now knowing you have many neighborhood parents that also send their children to Yu Ying makes it easier for carpools, playdates and stuff.

[Anonymous]

Re: 19:32's comment...

There's a search for a new principal at Janney? Did the current principal not pass her first year review?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:re changes at Janney. . . . Maybe a new principal as well -- there's a search in progress.

That's interesting news. I had heard the current (and new herself) principal wasn't stellar, but had not heard that replacing her was under consideration.

[Anonymous]

I've heard good things about her and that the review is still in progress. All the 1st year principals are being reviewed -- it's not a sign that there has been a problem.