Pre-K 3: Free in DC, but seems like a real lack of schools, especially in NW!

[Anonymous]

Free Prek was NEVER meant for those who can afford daycare. It was meant for those in need. Now can you work the system and lottery in to one outside your Ward 3/4? Sure. And if you really need it, you should by all means. But please stop acting like you deserve a spot somewhere because you pay taxes. We all do. But some residents have greater needs than others, and their children are being left behind. We need THOSE kids in the system early. That how free preK started.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Free Prek was NEVER meant for those who can afford daycare. It was meant for those in need. Now can you work the system and lottery in to one outside your Ward 3/4? Sure. And if you really need it, you should by all means. But please stop acting like you deserve a spot somewhere because you pay taxes. We all do. But some residents have greater needs than others, and their children are being left behind. We need THOSE kids in the system early. That how free preK started.

If free PK was never meant for those who can afford daycare, that was a BIG BIG error.

Because free PK has been able to drive a change DCPS needed: getting lots of kids from all socioeconomic statuses into the same PK programs.
We should look beyond our noses at the big picture - free PK has been incredibly good for DCPS, for poor families and wealthy families alike.

(That said, I wouldn't mind if DC used a scale graduated by income to charge wealthy families for PK slots, say capped at $8k/yr. A ton of families would still do it and it would raise revenue. That also raises some equity issues in schools, so perhaps a more indirect payment would be better, but the general idea is ok.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Free Prek was NEVER meant for those who can afford daycare. It was meant for those in need. Now can you work the system and lottery in to one outside your Ward 3/4? Sure. And if you really need it, you should by all means. But please stop acting like you deserve a spot somewhere because you pay taxes. We all do. But some residents have greater needs than others, and their children are being left behind. We need THOSE kids in the system early. That how free preK started.

If free PK was never meant for those who can afford daycare, that was a BIG BIG error.

Because free PK has been able to drive a change DCPS needed: getting lots of kids from all socioeconomic statuses into the same PK programs.
We should look beyond our noses at the big picture - free PK has been incredibly good for DCPS, for poor families and wealthy families alike.

(That said, I wouldn't mind if DC used a scale graduated by income to charge wealthy families for PK slots, say capped at $8k/yr. A ton of families would still do it and it would raise revenue. That also raises some equity issues in schools, so perhaps a more indirect payment would be better, but the general idea is ok.)

Hell dc only charges 10k for high school if you live outside the district.