Moving to DC and VERY concerned about preschool

[brooksari]

We might be moving to DC this spring from NYC and won't know for sure for several weeks, at the earliest. Our girls are 4yo and 2yo, and I'm really concerned about finding a preschool for them.

Because we don't even know if we're moving or not, we don't know yet which part of the DC area we would be moving to.

Any tips or advice or words of wisdom for a very anxious mom? Are there certain neighborhoods that are better than others for late preschool admissions? Are we in big trouble?

Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

It's hard to advise without knowing more. What kind of preschool interests you? In the city or the suburbs? Free public preK (available only in DC, not in the suburbs, as far as I can tell)? Religiously-affiliated preschool? Language immersion? Montessori? Do you need to send both kids the same place (Many programs don't accept young 2s)? Full day or mornings only?

[brooksari]

We prefer a non-religious school. I'd prefer to have both kids in the same program. Full day would be preferable for the 4yo, but I'll take what we can get. I'd prefer to be in the city, but I understand that a lot of this may be easier if we were in the burbs. Basically, our options are open here -- and this is all happening very quickly, and we don't know much about DC at all.

Ask me anything about NYC preschools, and I promise I wouldn't sound nearly so clueless as I do about DC ones.

[Anonymous]

Many schools have openings for exactly your situation -- folks who move into town from wherever. Your girls will have somewhere to go! The nonreligious schools are pricey in comparison to the part time playbased schools that are typically affiliated with churches, but if you're coming from NYC, you shouldnt have too much sticker shock.

[Anonymous]

My question would be, what do you want to do when your 4-year-old starts kindergarten (if you'd still be in DC then)? I'd focus my neighborhood search on elementary schools (if you'd be doing public school) and then apply to preschools in those areas. And of course your price range for housing might then come into play, and where you'd be commuting to, etc.

[Anonymous]

You will find some of the best preschools in the country in DC. You probably have missed most of the tours and some of the deadlines but you should still apply. The list changes when tuition becomes due. Often times moms change their mind about the youngest and sometimes children are not potty trained. Call the schools and tell them your situation. Let us know what kind of school you are looking for.

[Anonymous]

Would you be looking to start as soon as you arrive in the spring, or are you looking for next fall?

[Anonymous]

We moved to DC last summer from FL, and I understand your concern. Much of your search will depend on how long you plan on staying in DC--just one year or a long time? If the latter, then I agree with PPs about finding a home in a location where you want your 4 year old to attend K. If just one year, I would try to take advantage of the city and find a school in the district or close in.

I would also not rule out the religiously affiliated schools--given the diversity in DC, most religiously affiliated schools offer "religion-light" and you will find students from a wide variety of religions even at religiously affiliated preschools. More practically, given the limited number of spots at many schools, you ought to cast your net as wide as possible.

[brooksari]

Thanks, everyone. To clarify -- we want a preschool for the fall, not for the spring. (We're going to finish the school year here.) And we plan on staying in DC for two years.

The poster who moved to DC from FL -- Can you point me to any resources that helped you with your move? Am curious if there's some kind of one-stop resource out there for families with kids relocating to DC.

It's hard to figure out where to live when I don't know anything about the schools there. Is a google search the best way to figure out where the preschools are? So overwhelmed.

[Anonymous]

So where do you want your daughter to go to kindergarten? In DC? MD or VA? Public or private?

[brooksari]

Either in DC or MD.

[Anonymous]

and do you want full day coverage for both kids or just morning or half-day preschool, how many days a week, etc.

[brooksari]

I'll take whatever I can get, obviously. But ideally I'd like full days for my 4yo and just a few days a week half-days for my little one.

[Anonymous]

FL poster here. DCUM is the best source, believe it or not, to learn about preschools in DC and close-in MD. However, I would take everything you read here with a HUGE grain of salt! Also, you should be aware of how quickly dated some of these posts become as a result of changes in staff and preschool directors. If you do a search on preschools here, you will find a lot.

That being said, these are the schools we looked at:

1) Bright Horizons--DH is a fed employee, and we looked at the Just Us Kids, Fingerprints, and a few others. They are virtually all NAEYC accredited. In the end, given how active DS is, we found the physical spaces for these schools too confining. There is a federal gov't childcare website that has all of these schools listed.

2) School for Friends in Dupont/Kalorama. This would be a great option if you can get in because it's close to Woodley Park, where you could rent a place in boundary for Oyster Elementary.

3) DC JCC. In spite of some negative posts on DCUM, we really ended up liking this school--and we aren't even Jewish! The parents who actually send there kids love it.

4) Franklin Montessori on Connecticut. This came highly recommended, but by the time we actually got off the waitlist we had already accepted at another preschool.

5) Broadcasters in Van Ness. Very nice little preschool with very experienced teachers. Couldn't get off the waitlist.

6) St. John's in Georgetown. Fabulous, highly regarded Reggio program, but again, tiny program with a long wait list.

We found out we were moving to DC in April--so we were way past the deadlines for many of these schools. You are in a much better boat since admissions usually end in January/February and should mail in apps ASAP explaining your situation.

Good luck!

[brooksari]

Many thanks, FL mom. My dh will be a fed employee, too. I didn't know that Bright Horizons was option -- and that it had preschool programs. (I thought it was just day care.) That's definitely something I will look at. (It may be a decent option for my 2yo dd.)

Another question -- Do you like DC?

Many thanks.