Single Mom Relocated and Looking for Great DC Schools....Please help!!

[Mom2EE]

I am a single mom just relocated from Atlanta, and seeking a great school for my 1st grade son and Prek daughter. My son was in the gifted program and reads on a 4th grade level. I would like a school where they can attend together. I understand most Charter schools don't accept mid year placement. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!!

[Anonymous]

Which section of the city do you currently live. The school for which your children are zoned will depend on where in the city you reside for DCPS. There are some charter schools, not the top choices, that may still have openings. Also, PK is not guaranteed in D.C. The PK selections are all lottery.

[Anonymous]

I just moved on Monday. Staying with a friend in NE DC. I work in VA. Planning on getting a place in the area of the school I choose. Since school starts on Jan. 4th, I have a sense of urgency. I don't want them out of school more than a few days.

[Anonymous]

If you are working in VA maybe you should try living in Arlington?

[Anonymous]

The good public schools are in NW DC. Help me out with the usual suspects, DCUMs. There's Oyster, Mann, Janney, Murch, Lafayette, Hyde, Stoddert, Eaton... any others that aren't springing to mind? Some people like the Peabody/Watkins cluster on Capitol Hill. Several other schools are benefiting from renewed neighborhood attention, too, and have a devoted (or at least vocal) following.

Gifted education is a tough one around here. The schools named above will do more than most for high achievers, but local politics takes aim at anything that can be conceived of as elitist, so unfortunately, there's no official accommodation for students working significantly above grade level.

What is your budget for housing and what are your requirements? Since you're interested in DC schools, it sounds like you'd prefer to live in the city even though you work in VA. Is this the case?

[Anonymous]

Call the schools listed above and ask if there is any room in pre-K for an in boundary child before you choose where to live. It's possible that even if the pre-K classes were full in Sept, that someone has left. However, unlike K and up, you are not guaranteed a space in pre-K -- hence the need to call first. Your 1st grader will be automatically get in to your in boundary school. There should be someone in the school offices today -- but they will probably leave early. Also to consider is whether you need after care and if there are any openings.

You might also consider Shepherd Elementary. It's possible that your children could get admitted out of boundary there, which would give you more flexibility on where to live. The school has had some bumps in the past, but things seem to have stabilized with the current principal.

[Anonymous]

Especially if it's near where you work, take a hard look at Falls Church City (*not* the "Falls Church" area of Fairfax County) -- excellent schools all the way through HS. (As other posters have mentioned, preK is likely to be tricky anywhere this late in the year.) If you're set on the District and can handle it financially, think about Georgetown -- Hyde is a Reading & Writing Workshop school that does differentiated instruction at least as well as any other DCPS elementary school, and the commute to Virginia should be pretty easy.

[Anonymous]

If I were in your shoes I'd look for a place in Arlington. Why do you want to live in DC?

[Anonymous]

I really like my NW DC school and I'd recommend Arlington too. There were some nice apartments (with pools!) that a few single mom friends lived in, sliding scale rent depending on income. One was near 395 & Glebe. Friends live in Falls Church City and also speak very highly of it. Make life easy and find a place near your work with a good school. Traffic in this area is horrible, maximize your time with your kids instead of time in the car. Taxes are also lower in VA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really like my NW DC school and I'd recommend Arlington too. There were some nice apartments (with pools!) that a few single mom friends lived in, sliding scale rent depending on income. One was near 395 & Glebe. Friends live in Falls Church City and also speak very highly of it. Make life easy and find a place near your work with a good school. Traffic in this area is horrible, maximize your time with your kids instead of time in the car. Taxes are also lower in VA.

Another single mom here. I'd love to know more about these apartments that charge based on a sliding scale.

[Anonymous]

The 2 moms I knew who had that deal have moved out of the area to be closer to family. I think they had googled it or seen it listed in the paper that way. There is a building in Adams Morgan that also had income adjusted rent. The apartments that they had were nice, both had parking and a pool, pools are not that uncommon in Arlington.

From a financial, commuting, tax and education standpoint VA would seem like the best choice. If you have a friend on the Hill you could zip over on 395.

[Anonymous]

Here is some info on low and moderate income housing in Arlington, you might also want to check the county website. I know a family that lived in such housing while the dad was in DC doing work on his PhD. It was not luxurious but it was perfectly nice and also safe. The demand might be higher these days.
http://ahcinc.org/documents/finalpdffromGlobal.pdf

I remember that MC had a similar program. There were some older garden style apartments that were low and moderate income housing.

[Anonymous]

Thanks PP. I didn't have any idea that such apts existed. Very helpful and I'll post the info in the single moms forum too.

[Anonymous]

I was a single mom in DC and it took a long time to find the ropes and make a great life for my child (I did in the end, but I had a job where I could leave at 3:30 and easily juggle juggle). If I were to do it again, starting fresh, I would have settled in Arlington near a great school with great before and after care. There are also lots of young families in Arlington AND lots of singles if you are looking to meet up. Probably the single guys I met in Arlington (when I was a single mom) were a lot more suitable for dating than the ones I met in pubs in Adams Morgan. A vast generalization, but as a single mom a 9 to 5 Virginia guy was far more likely to go the distance for my child and me than a Mt. Pleasant group home pan pipe player--though I dated a few. (Personal bias creeping in here - I lean towards conservative and my dating life in DC was rather fun but comical; I finally had to import a husband more up my ideological alley).
In DC I did have great luck with a couple of Upper NW public elementaries, and there are always small and thus affordable places to live nearby these in the city. I also found amazing community and network, just through daily life in the city and being open to the unlikely friendships like a 24 year old single parent friends with a 54 year old single parent.... some of my closest friends today. If I were to live in VA, I would have looked for a place with some community structures --parks, libraries, restaurant row, shopping--so as not to sort of sink into anonymity. Networking and community and just having someone to turn to are so important to the single parent family
I do think DC offers this, or at least did to me. Still - I think you can find it in 'pockets' in VA. and for logistical reasons DC just does not sound like the best choice for you. I can't imagine leaving my child in a DC school for the day and commuting to VA. without a great backup plan (friend to do pickup etc.). DC schools close on a dime with snow, get the word out poorly, after-care of differing quality rises and falls by the day...no. Better, as a single mom, to work close to home and child's school UNLESS you have great back up. Otherwise you are just piling on stress. Single motherhood is already an adventure in optimism and luck without piling on stress--minimize it anywhere you can, especially in this crazy town. Good luck! We ended up having a wonderful experience, and I hope you and your children do as well, each and every day. Merry Christmas!

[Anonymous]

Where in Arlington will you be working? Maybe someone could suggest a neighborhood based on that. The Arlington schools are excellent. You can drive into DC whenever you want to in just a few minutes, agree with PP that it makes more sense to base your life near work, where the schools are also quite good. DC is not known for any kind of gifted program and your child sounds quite advanced. There is also a NoVA mom list, people might even be able to suggest particular buildings or schools based on your work locations. Re: pre-K child, a friend mentioned a public Montessori option that had a sliding scale tuition and affordable before/after care. Not sure if DC has changed, but when my kids were in DC elementary, the aftercare didn't even start until late October. Things like that just run better in VA.