Need preschool advice, just found out moving to DC in August
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Anonymous
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We just found out we will be moving back to the DC area in August. Have been on west coast for seven years, but lived in DC before and I am from NOVA so we are familiar with area, just not preschools. MY DS turns 3 in November and I am just now starting to look at childcare, which seems daunting given that many deadlines have passed. We haven't decided where we are living yet, main thing is that it is very easily bus or metro accessible to Foggy Bottom / Farragut West / Federal Triangle. We are worried we will rent a place and then have no childcare options, so I want to reach out to a few places ahead of time to see if there is any availability.
Ideally, childcare would be close to home and metro too. Suggestions for DC or very close in suburbs (i.e. Arlington, Takoma Park, Silver Spring) would be great! My DS has been in a nanny share and doesn't really like big or busy environments, like a larger center. We need full time care (830am to 430pm), prefer play-based, am open to Montessori, but the AMS approach more than AMI. Loving, caring environment with staff who are respected / treated well is very important. Thank you so much for offering any suggestions. Very, very much appreciated! |
Anonymous
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If he isn't going to be 3 until November, the majority of preschools wont take him until next year (not sure if that reassures or disappoints you!) For a 2 year old/young 3, you're looking at daycare.
I wouldn't worry too much. Figure out where you're living, and then find a daycare. It's not super intense in NoVA like in DC. |
Anonymous
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We love Wonders Early Learning — they have two centers, one right by the Bethesda Metro and one maybe a ten minute walk away on the other side of Wisconsin in Chevy Chase. It’s a nonprofit that uses a play-based model (Creative Curriculum) and has before and after care available so is perfect for working parents.
Good luck! |
Anonymous
| Bambini just opened a location at the Ronald Reagan building, that has its own Metro station entrance (Federal Triangle). |
Anonymous
Oh dear god, you know EXACTLY what OP is talking about. She's talking about a full day preschool. Yes, they exist. No, they are not daycare centers. OP - most people I know who live in DC have their children in a nanny share and got lucky with the preschool lottery. It sounds like the bet fit for you would be a nanny share + part-time/church-based preschool. |
Anonymous
| OP here - thanks for all the advice. Will look into the schools / childcare sites mentioned. We considered nanny share, but costs with p/t preschool and nanny would probably be too much for us unfortunately. We are also debating whether it makes sense to prioritize living in DC in order to do pre-k 3 lottery next year - but then there isn't even a guarantee you get into your local school until K. from how I understand it from limited research. |
Anonymous
| If you're downtown, some of the daycare centers have preschool curricula in their threes and fours rooms, and they often have openings (even for non-feds) as DC residents send their kids to DC preschool. I'd check the Smithsonian (SEEC), which has a fantastic program, as well as Commerce, DOJ, US Kids, and the Bright Horizons on Penn. IME, the centers sometimes have fewer kids in each classrooms and higher student-teacher ratios than some preschools. |
Fedmom2008
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Anonymous
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The suburbs aren't quite as cut throat for full day options. But the areas you are asking about cover a lot of ground.
We had neighbors who used The Rosslyn Children's Center and really liked it. Just one example in Arlington for you to check out. |
Anonymous
| Little Ambassadors Academy in Arlington is opening a new school. Call them to see if they have spots |
Anonymous
| If you're looking in the Silver Spring area, Evergreen School has a great Montessori program. More AMS than AMI. |
Anonymous
| OP - did you ever find a place? |