Anonymous wrote:Unquestionably, the process becomes harder the longer you wait….even more so at the schools you listed.

Ok, thank you very much for that.

Anonymous wrote:Can you afford the private for the extra years? If so, why not just apply? It is difficult to gauge if you would have a better chance as it really depends on what availability they have to take students.

Thanks for the reply. We probably could afford it (although of course it would be nice to avoid paying for those years) but I'd like all three to be at the same school, which would only happen if we stayed through 5th, and also I think it would be better for him not to leave midway through elementary. I wasn't sure if there was more demand in 6th bc a lot of public school kids try to move to private then.

We have three kids and are happy at our DCPS Elementary. The oldest is in third grade and I'd like to move to private -- GDS / Maret / Sidwell -- for middle and high school. Ideally, he'd stay at our public elementary school through fifth grade, but is it risky to wait to apply to privates until 6th grade? As in, if we know we want to be in private by middle school, are his chances for admission much better in fourth grade than sixth grade? He's a good student, will likely do pretty well w interviews, teacher recommendations, that kind of thing. But also, who knows how these decisions are made. Thanks so much for any advice.

Thank you for all the advice and please keep it coming!
We're in Tokyo, where schools are closed but most parks are open and restrictions are somewhat less strict. We're still social distancing and hoping things don't get worse here.. Anyway, I really appreciate the insight into DC life these days, look forward to being there.

Hi,

We were supposed to move to DC next month, with 2 yo, 4.5yo and one on the way (due in August)... but are now considering delaying til the move til the fall. What is it like for parents of small kids, with parks, etc closed? And I know it's impossible to predict but any idea if summer camps will be open? School in the fall?
(And how are hospitals for giving birth now / expected to be this summer?)

We're in a country that hasn't been hit quite as hard and restrictions are a little looser, at least for now.. but I am anxious to get back home.

Thank you!!

We're moving to DC from overseas and our oldest will start kindergarten in the fall. We also have a 2 year old and one on the way.

We're looking at rentals in Murch and Eaton districts (there aren't many!) and I wondered if anyone had thoughts on those schools and neighborhoods. We can't visit ahead of time unfortunately -- too far away.

My biggest concern about Eaton is that it's in a transitional space until the new facility is built. How is that for the kids? And other general thoughts about the quality of the school?

My concern with Murch is that it's big - do kids get the attention they need and can it be overwhelming for the smaller ones?

Then on neighborhoods, Cleveland Park seems like it might have more commercial activity and is slightly easier for commuting downtown, but Forest Hills seems like it has a few interesting spots and a nice community vibe overall (although I'm a little worried about moving somewhere too suburban..) Do people have strong opinions about either place?

Thanks so much for your thoughts!!