Please help us--where to send child with significant health problem?
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Anonymous
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Hi there,
my wife just got a job in DC that starts next month (very exciting for her, and for all of us, but a big unexpected change!) Our older daughters are ten and eight and do great in their current public school (we'd love suggestions of neighborhoods with solid public schools tho!) However, our six year old, rising first grader, has OI, aka brittle bone disease. She has one of the relatively less severe versions but she has still had 28 fractures in her short life. She is also absurdly smart, very small for her age, and depending on her current break status may require a variety of adaptations in a classroom--she might be a wheelchair for part of the year, or a walker; she can't reach what most other kids her age can...that sort of thing. We tried public for K and it was a disaster quickly, despite everyone's best intentions. Just too many bodies in the room for her to maneuver, not enough accessibility, she's currently reading on a fifth grade level and does long division better than our third grader...We put her in a small nurturing private school where the teachers could more easily accommodate her (and I came in frequently to set things up, etc). We are looking for something similar in the DC area and are lucky enough to have grandparents who will help kick in whatever FA doesnt cover. Ideally we would like to have a little more academics. We aren't fans of the current "kids must read in kindergarten or else!" idea...but our daughter DOES read, and she wants to learn/explore more. Any suggestions? Thanks! |
Anonymous
| What is your housing budget OP? |
Anonymous
| Our plan is to rent at first... |
Anonymous
| Sorry, and we would prefer about 2500/month max. |
Anonymous
| A close family member has oi. Siblings actually so two of them. They are teens now and doing great. I wish your family luck, it can be a challenging disease. |
Anonymous
$2500 is going to be tough for good schools in a solid neighborhood. You are probably going to need to up your budget to $3500-$4000. |
Anonymous
| Ok, with that budget I would suggest Kensington/Silver Spring or Takoma and sending your DD with OI to Grace Episcopal or Christ Episcopal. |
Anonymous
Or green acres. |
Anonymous
+1 OP - would you be able to up your rental budget a bit. I'm not sure where you are moving from, but DC area housing is rather expensive. In order to be in a really good public school district you may need to up the budget. |
Anonymous
| Sounds like OP is looking for a private. Consider Brookewood in Kensington, MD. It's small and all girl. |
Anonymous
Not to rehash the constant DCUM debate, but this depends on what you mean by "good." Many here define good to mean "surrounded exclusively by high income peers" whereas others are willing to accept a mix (and the resulting lower median test scores at the school), but still find school with excellent teachers, responsive administrators, and nurturing environments. At your budget, I'd look at Takoma Park, Kensington, and Silver Spring in Maryland. I'll let someone else speak for Virginia. |
Anonymous
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OP, best of luck. My DH had a brother (now deceased) and two sisters with OI. They grew up in an emerging market country and school was out of the question for them, as was the kind of medical care necessary to allow OI children to function well. DH taught them to read and do math. One sister is super intelligent and intellectually curious--always a treat to talk to her.
If she is very gifted I am wondering if the Nysmith School in Virginia would be interested? It is a private school for gifted children, and I know they offer scholarships. Your DD's circumstances might warrant at least a partial one. Perhaps others with more knowledge of Nysmith could chime in. |
Anonymous
| If you live in Maryland (Rockville/Bethesda), Feynman school might be a good option. |
Anonymous
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OP, my heart goes out to you. That sounds like a challenging disease to manage.
I would post your question in the special needs forum, where the parents are very knowledgeable about which schools really deliver on promises of accommodation, All the best to your family. Q |
Anonymous
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Lower Montgomery County, so other kids can be in good public schools, and then look at Lowell, Green Acres, or possibly Grace. Or in DC, Sheridan or GDS (and for now before they eventually consolidate the campuses together, the LS and MS are near the Chain Bridge, so at GDS could also live in McLean and send the other kids to good Fairfax County schools)
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