Anonymous wrote:So, if you actually mean you are going to be working at WHC or any of the medical facilities in that vicinity then that is very different than working in Columbia Heights.

You might want to get a two bedroom at The Cloisters apartment complex in Brookland. It's a large complex and there are usually openings.
I've been in those apartments and they are fine. There is parking right there which you will need because walking to your job will be difficult even though those apartments are very close to the hospitals as the crow flies. Also, you will need to drive your kid to school.

In that case there are MANY excellent pre-schools nearby. Both public and private. It may be too late to get into one for this year, but it may not be!

Go for the easiest to get into schools if saving on tuition is your highest priority.

For this year get on the list now for: Shining Stars Montessori, SELA, Bridges, Two Rivers, Creative Minds, Lee Montessori, all of the Apple Tree Schools (These are easier to get into because they are just pre-school). I would actually be surprised if, even at the end of those lists you didn't get into one of those schools by September.

For the PK4 year if you aren't happy yet with your school, Inspired Teaching is a great option. Also add Yu Ying, Lee Montessori and any others you'll have heard good things about by that time. As well as perhaps Bunker Hill Elementary and any other DCPS schools that you can make work with your commute.

Another option is to rent a whole house in Riggs Park or North Michigan Park. You would have a relatively easy commute to the hospitals, many charter schools nearby and a yard, which I know is a big plus with a pre-schooler. The rents there can be similar to many apartments and you get a whole house. Also, there is a library, several playgrounds and several grocery stores in walking distance, with another grocery soon to come.

A private option many locals attend for PK3 if they don't get in elsewhere is Scrilli School. Or you could just get a nanny for this year. Lots to explore in the city for your nanny and child.

Anonymous wrote:I would 100 percent do McLean Gardens. Use the free Communikids or St Alban’s this next year, then you can try to lottery for Eaton for prek 4 with inboundary preference, and be at a great spot for K if you’re still here.

So many little kid amenities are concentrated in upper NW, and that complex is right next to the new Wegmans and close to the Cathedral Commons strip of restaurants and shops. Columbia Heights is just tougher with littles, and Petworth / Brightwood has seen a troubling crime surge.

To be clear — the free early education that DC offers isn’t just through the lottery. It is also extended to commercial programs that function like a combo of preschool and daycare. That’s Communikids and St Albans and others. You can find the list here

https://www.myschooldc.org/find-schools/school-options-outside-my-school-dc/

Anonymous wrote:OP, tell us which hospital. I can't think of a hospital in Columbia Heights so your advice is confusing. That's why people are suggesting Eaton and Murch - you just have to go down Adams Mill and you are there in Columbia Heights!

Anonymous wrote:You should also consider whether schools you’re looking at have before and/or aftercare, if that’s something you’ll need. And if it’s free or at a cost.