I really have no clue what i'm doing-5 or more questions inside

[Anonymous]

DCUM -First time mom here so hang in there with me.

I applied this morning for the PREK4 lottery and just grabbed 5 schools (listed below in rank order). I didn't look any anything other than the map and my commute.

I have no clue what I'm doing. The lottery seems like a nightmare and the information is overwhelming. I've been on every topic possible on this board.

my inbound (IB) is Ludlow-Taylor. So I put that as my first choice. I didn't look at ratings or titles or satisfaction. Should I?

Then in the following rank order:
school within school (sws)
Stevens early learning center
Brent elementary
Peabody elementary
Maury elementary

my commute is Cap Hill (Maryland Avenue to Foggy bottom). No car- bus and train for us. I'm a single mom, in essence, and separating from my foreign service partner who is overseas.

Questions:

1. Am I being too selective based upon commute or should I open it to more choices?
2. What is everyone looking for in a school? Does it matter that it's Reggio based? Is this good or what? Are there other learning options I should look at? my son has never been in a montessori so I'm not sure what's important at 4. All I know is he likes to be read to, he loves his toys, and enjoys talking. He's very independent (helps with washing clothes for example) and we are little just a little bit of math (addition only). But can't draw a circle or use scissors for example. Favorite question is why or what is that? Should I be looking at something else?
3. Do PARCC scores matter? I assume they do but if your child can't get into that school, then what really matters?
4. I didn't attend any open houses. What should I do now?
5. Did anyone get into a CBO school? if so what are your thoughts/opinions/advice?


Essentially I'm in a financial battle with partner over daycare so I need to get rid of that expense.

[Anonymous]

The lottery is not a nightmare. Don't get overwhelmed - just do some legwork. I'd start by looking at the data on how many kids get into each school. It's not very likely that you're going to get into Brent/Peabody/Maury not being in-bounds. You might look into some other choices if you really need to stop paying daycare. Especially if you remember that Ludlow-Taylor is your by-right school starting in K.

[Anonymous]

You won’t get into Brent, Peabody or Maury OOB. You need some safety schools. Maybe Miner? People seem to like the early childhood there, although I’m not sure it works with your commute. Capitol Hill Montessori went deep in their wait list last year. Are you looking for something for the year only until you enroll in Ludlow-Taylor for k?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You won’t get into Brent, Peabody or Maury OOB. You need some safety schools. Maybe Miner? People seem to like the early childhood there, although I’m not sure it works with your commute. Capitol Hill Montessori went deep in their wait list last year. Are you looking for something for the year only until you enroll in Ludlow-Taylor for k?

Essentially yes. What does it mean a safety school? Should I go back and add a few more and how do I know they are safety schools? What am I looking for?

[Anonymous]

OP, don't forget to list Ludlow Taylor! I would list in 2nd behind SWS personally. (LT is our IB also). I'm not sure of which safety schools to add but maybe JO Wilson? Its close by and good for the early years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You won’t get into Brent, Peabody or Maury OOB. You need some safety schools. Maybe Miner? People seem to like the early childhood there, although I’m not sure it works with your commute. Capitol Hill Montessori went deep in their wait list last year. Are you looking for something for the year only until you enroll in Ludlow-Taylor for k?

Essentially yes. What does it mean a safety school? Should I go back and add a few more and how do I know they are safety schools? What am I looking for?

A school that is not oversubscribed for preschool. Brent, Peabody and Maury turn away children each year who live inside the boundary, so there is no chance a child will get in from out of the boundary.

If you enter your address here - http://find.myschooldc.org/ - it will show you what schools are closest to you that have preschool

If you look at these two tools

DCPS initial wait lists - shows who got in and what preferences they had (in-bounds, out of bounds, sibling). https://enrolldcps.dc.gov/node/61

This tool shows how many seats were offered at all schools, and how many got into the wait list by different dates (the number is cumulative) https://public.tableau.com/profile/aaron2446#!/vizhome/MSDCSeatsandWaitlistOfferData/MSDCPublicDisplay

Hope t his helps

[Anonymous]

Close this browser NOW. If you are overwhelmed and under-educated on the process then DCUM is not your friend. Go to myschooldc and watch the videos and red the information. It is actually quite good. Then look at the school specific data and understand what PARCC is and decide for yourself if it matters to you.

I get you are scared. But you need to take ownership of this process. And for heaven's sake, do not abdicate to DCUM! That's just crazy.

[Anonymous]

Add Appletree Lincoln Park. Appletree only has preschool BUT getting in would achieve your goal of escaping preschool.

[Anonymous]

You don't have time to stress about it and most schools are fine for preK. Your list is fine, except you should know that School Within School will be in a temporary location that is out of the way for you for part of next year, so unless you really love the school I'd put it lower on your list.

Last year about half the in-bound kids without siblings who applied to Ludlow-Taylor and didn't match somewhere higher up on their list got a spot in the initial lottery drawing. Some more likely got in off the waitlist as the spring and summer went on.

If your lottery results aren't good enough for Ludlow-Taylor, they probably aren't going to get you into the other schools on your list (except maybe Stevens...it's new and nobody really knows, but since it's downtown I think a lot of people will apply and few will get in).

So you need to decide if there are any other schools you'd prefer to keeping your kid where he is, and if so list them below the schools you already listed. Appletree Lincoln Park is an obvious choice. Appletree Southwest is on your way to work (it's near L'Enfant Plaza) and it's reopening this year so your odds of getting in are better. Other possibilities if the commutes would work for you: Payne, Center City Capitol Hill, Friendship Chamberlain, Amidon-Bowen, Digital Pioneers Academy.

It sounds like your kid will do fine anywhere. Curriculum matters, but it doesn't matter more than having a less-stressed parent.

PARCC scores matter a little, but they mostly reflect the racial and economic demographics of a school. You can look at the subtest scores to see how kids of your kid's sex/race/non-at-risk status fare at given schools but know the scores can change a lot year to year. And if you are planning to go to Ludlow-Taylor as soon as you get in, then I wouldn't worry about PARCC scores at other schools at all because you won't be there in testing grades.

CBO schools are nice but none are on your way to work. If commute and reduced stress are important to you and you can afford to keep paying for daycare if you don't get in anywhere close to your home or office, I'd do that.

[Anonymous]

Digital Pioneers is a middle school!

[Anonymous]

^ ignore digital pioneers as it doesn't have PK. Other advice still holds up!

[Anonymous]

Safeties are harder and harder to find. Try Browne, Wheatley, Walker-Jones, and Friendship Armstrong. And KIPP schools.

[Anonymous]

Hey neighbor! You’ll be fine. I think your list is mostly OK, just a bit wasteful of spots. If LT is truly your first choice—and I think it’s a good one!—leave it in first. SWS is where my kids went. It’s great, though the school is moving for a couple of years while the building is renovated. Don’t let that stop you. There’ll be a bus. After that, there’s no point in listing Brent or Maury or probably even Peabody. They haven’t taken anyone out of bounds in many many years. Here are a few more to consider:
Cap Hill Montessori at Logan. Right down the street from you!
Two Rivers. Both locations. Great school, goes through 8th grade.
Appletree at Lincoln Park. Only buys you a year, though.
Miner. I’ve heard great things about their early childhood ed. I think your kid would be happy there.
And then there are the other charters a little further afield. Yu Ying has a bus from LT, if you’ve ever had a hankering for Chinese immersion. My friends have liked it a lot for their kids.
I have friends who like Creative Minds and Inspired Teaching. Not sure how hard they are to do by transit but my friend commutes to the former by bike.

Good luck! We’ve been extremely happy with our kids’ public educations in DC.

[Anonymous]

My kid is currently in PK4 at L-T and we love it. Yes, list some safeties underneath it, but L-T is a great choice.

[Anonymous]

Trust me as someone on the Hill in bounds for Maury. All of the DCPS preK on the Hill are really hard to get into. Rank LT first if you are happy with it and commute is important. SWS might not be the greatest commute as it’ll be in a swing space further East from you. Maury, Brent, and Peabody are a zero chance if enrollments follow the same pattern. Payne, Tyler, Wilson, and Miner don’t let many kids out of bounds and many times only after waitlisting, but are possible with a good draw. If you NEED a slot be sure to list Appletree Oklahoma Avenue (you can also list Appletree Lincoln Park and while easier to get into then the public’s still not a guarantee). One of the only schools that had slots for everyone last year/went through their whole waitlist. Stevens isn’t open yet and will be really competitive because quite a few seats are going to be set aside for at risk students leaving fewer general seats. Good news there is there are no preferences other than at risk so again with a good draw, who knows?