Sounds like a repeat of last year's summer Buff and Scrub when private construction companies and contractors donated materials and labor to fix some schools. Recall a WP article a while back saying companies were more skeptical this year of increased request.

Just checked DCPS site and the reform recap letter from Fenty's office (it's quite a long list, hmmm) says there are 10 more companies this year and $15K per school for facilities from this initiative. Guess they've done a lot of recruiting.

http://www.k12.dc.us/File.aspx?id=3

I realize it's still early in reforms, but do any DCPS parents have initial impressions or anecdotes they could share on reforms? Any comments on proposed budgets? Do they look realistic and priortized appropriately? Any good teachers leaving?

We are weighing public vs private vs charter options, so candid feedback would be helpful.

There's a good reason to read the paper today if you find media coverage of tragedies overwhelming. Front page of the Post article on women's roles in Rwanda post-genocide. Yes, there is a first-hand account of the horror from a mother. But you don't need to read that paragraph (toward the end) to appreciate the larger, more universal topic of women's roles as survivors. Something that is not frequently reported on but is a crucial part in understanding human events, IMHO. Maybe more people reading and commenting on these types of articles, as opposed to gory/voyerustic ones, will help encourage the media to create more of these stories. I know, naive thought. But it seemed appropriate/balanced to me to place an article about survival of past tragedies next to reports of current ones.

OP - is there a special ed/behavioral specialist at the school? Maybe asking to speak with that person along with the teacher would be helpful for both sides.

We had lots of "he said/teacher said" things with my little brother who is on the extreme end of ADHD spectrum. Brining in the specialist was a real help to our family and his teachers in dealing with unpredictable and disturbing incidents.

My understanding is that if a specialist even suspects there was a teacher problem this time (bad day or not), they are legally required as an advocate of your child to formally report it up the chain of command to the principal. Not sure that's the case around here. Probably worth checking.

Hang in there.

OK, so it's good to hear the Consumer Product Safety Commission is trying to keep lead off the shelves. But - uh - what's up with the product announced below? At first it seemed like it must have been a Colbert Report-type spoof on lead scares, a satire of stereotypes, or an April Fool's Day email floating around the internet. Nope. It's for real folks.

Curious if anyone had actually seen these things in a store.

FUNTASTIC Recalls Fake Teeth Due To Violation of Lead Paint Standard
Name of Product: Hillbilly Teeth
Units: About 26,000
Importer: FUNTASTIC, of Houston, Texas
Hazard: The gray surface paint on the teeth contains excessive levels of lead, violating the federal lead paint standard.
Incidents/Injuries: None reported.
Description: This recall involves a 2-pack fake Hillbilly Teeth with item # 2657. The item number is printed on the packaging. The gums are brown and the teeth are yellow.
Sold at: Grocery, Drug, Convenience, and Mass retailers nationwide from March 2005 through March 2008 for about $2.

Great question!!!

Anyone know if the changes will include vending machines? (The bane of my existence as an after-school tutor.)

And does anyone know this group? http://www.actionforhealthykids.org/state_profile.php?state=DC

Anonymous wrote:It went like this: I saw her at a funeral-we were talking about her going back to work after the baby, her long commute (77 miles one way), and I felt really bad for her. It's then I said, don't buy a monitor, I'll get you one. Fast forward a month later-I sent her the link to the monitor we have, and she wrote back, something about infrared red...then she sent another email that it had negative reviews, then something else...by that time, I was pissed. And-she knows my husband has $$$, and believe me, he doesn't throw it around, but they know his real estate holdings and that he trades...and I know that they struggle. My husband thinks that she knows we can afford the color...I just don't know. This person isn't a close friend, but a friend of the family.

Concur with gift card. And here's a suggestion to get out of the how much to give awkwardness. Contact family who know her, or others you think might be in a similar situation with her, and offer to combine funds and make a gift from "our family".

I've found group gifts are win-win when I've been both gift giver and recipient.

OP - Very nice of you to show such generosity and parental advice on a monitor.

PP w/50 bibs - I hear you! Ironically we found we NEEDED more bibs for our 2 reflux babies.

FYI-there's a charter school recruitment fair this Saturday.

Not sure what schools will be there. Given the limited public school choices in DC (unfortunately), it may be a good opportunity to learn about charter options. Here's the info:

Recruitment Fair
Sat Mar 29 from 10:00am-4:00pm
Kennedy Recreation Center
1401 7th St NW
Metro: Convention Center/Shaw

Full disclosure: I have volunteered for a charter middle school for about a year. IMO there are pluses and minuses of charters and the charter system - like all schools. And I'll be very direct, these are inner-city public schools in that they reflect the majority of DC's demographics. If your ideal of a school is Murch or NCRC, then a charter school may not be for you. Just my opinon - not intended to be offensive or judgemental in any way.

If you're interested, here are some reasons we applied to charter preschools.
small classrooms
cultural diversity of STAFF as well as families
language development expertise
pre-school/early childhood focus
proximity to public transportation

Hope this is helpful!

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps the ergo works better on older children. Because it received accolades from so many moms, I also bought mine with the infant insert when my son was 6 weeks. I squeezed the poor into the ergo like he was a little taco and he shrieked loud enough to wake the dead. I figured neither he nor I were used to it so perhaps we just needed to acclimate. I tried the ergo again everyday for a week, and my son was so scared at the sight of it that I think had he been able to walk, he would have just run away from home. What is more, when I did manage to get him in the taco position, poor baby was simmering in it. The insert definitely was not breathable. Instead of him looking all cuddly and comfortable, it really looked like a twisted version of Ann Geddes' nightmare calendar pose. So I watched the DVD that came with the packaging again hoping that perhaps I was doing something wrong. Funny how in the video, the dad inserts the happy into the ergo with such ease; or how the mom on the video demonstrated the contorted bouncing-child-to-the-back with such grace. Maybe it's because I'm horribly uncoordinate and my son is an overactive child who swings his arms and his legs all over the place, but I think the only way I can get my baby to look as content as the kids in the video is if I sedate him with laughing gas before I place him in the ergo. When all was said and done, we ended up returning the ergo and purchased the Baby Bjorn active vent carrier; pricey but we've been really happy with it.

LOVE THIS POST! Thank you for helping me realize I am not a complete buffoon. (I gave mine away...supposedly out of generosity, but actually out of shame.)

Supposedly all kids recognize skin color differences around the pre-school age. How to deal with it? Like everything else in parenting, there's no one or easy answer. I applaud parents for noticing and trying to deal with this issue.

However, I think I'm a bit of a contrarian when it comes to using terms like "color blind" or "color doesn't matter". (I think I posted about this before...sorry if it's repetitive.)

Saying you are "color blind" or telling your child that they should "not see color" can be very confusing to children. It can unintentionally send a message that something obvious that a child can't change about themselves needs to be overlooked. So contrary to one's best intentions, a child might feel invisible rather than appreciated.

Anyway, enough negative stuff, below are two sites that have many different perspectives on race and childrearing. Figured it wouldn't hurt to share some resources.

http://www.antiracistparent.com/

http://www.mavinfoundation.org/

Hope this post comes across as constructive!

Sibley was great for me. But I've only had one pregnancy and it was planned twin c-section at full term. Depite being bumped about 9 hours due to 2 emergencies, everyone was really helpful.

Here's the long story, if anyone is interested. Sounds like HC is more popular.

My OB has privileges at Sibley and got my 2nd choice doc as well. Pre-op nurse was a dream - kind of like Santa Claus, he's a grandfather (yes, a guy) and very soothing. I'd never had surgery.

Post-op nurses seemed really responsive and understood how clueless and on the edge of a breakdown I was. So they actually prompted me for meds. Didn't do well on meds, so OB got a nurse to out of her way - I mean past her shift - to get a hot water bottle-type thing for pain relief (apparently a big deal?).

Maybe it was because my room was right across from the station, or having twins, or jsut looking so pathetic, but nurses always seemed to be there.

Unfortunately our pedi did not haver privileges and the neo-natal from G'town disappeared post birth! One baby's release from "special care" nursery was delayd 24 hours due to circumsion mixup!!! Nurses figured it out (of course), got the signatures and helped a very pissed of DH get the baby home even though he had nothing but a car seat during his visit. Nurses turned shirts into little leggings and got a gazillion blankets for car seat. It was like something from a movie. You could tell the nurses were pissed at the pedis too.

Needless to say, can't say enough about nurses and my delivery OBs.

Not sure this helps. Maybe I don't remember a lot, but in general it felt like things went really well at Sibley.

1. Hank's Oyster Bar in Dupont Circle - close to Nat'l Geographic frog exhibit. Giant boxes of Goldfish crackers. Good bloody marys. Amazing lobster roll and fried shrimp.

2. Urbana in Dupont at Palomar Hotel. Seriously - if you want non-spaghettie Italian, it's in a hotel so they're used to families, have high chairs, good brunch, and not super costly last time we went. Especially if you go off hours (meaning before it flips to a night spot). Every time we've been with toddler twins, it's been such a nice break. The hotel is "dog-friendly" if you're out on a walk and want to grab wood oven pizza (appetizer size) and some Italian wine.

3. Malaysia Kopitiam at 19th & M. Next to a strip club, but don't let that deter you. YUMMY! More of a beer than wine place, but nice change of cuisine. Get Peggy's Cutlet. Also Burma in Chinatown has tasty alternative to traditional chinese food.

4. Leopold's in Cady's Alley in G'town. Honest! Sure, it's near all the swanky design shops, but they are SO nice with families. Skinny french fries, pastries, salad, Austrian entrees (schnitzel!), outdoor patio, low maintenance decor (we've left many a mess without complaints or sneers). There always seem to be at least one stroller - or 5 in summer - and quite a few highchairs. WINE LIST ROCKS. And the elderflower martini. And the spaetzle. (Can you tell I like it?)

This is not a discussion topic in the traditional sense, but as you may have seen in the news, hundreds of people including many families with children need urgent help right here in DC. (One woman was 9 months pregnant - due date is today! Wash Post article)

3 Ways to Help

1. Offer your cash donations via our website http://www.mtpmainstreet.org/donations

2. Neighbors' Consejo is taking food and clothing donations at 3118 16th St, NW. Reach Evar Sandoval at (202) 234-6855 for details.

3. Emergency cash donations are also being collected at Pfeiffer's Hardware, 3219 Mt. Pleasant St, NW. Make checks payable to the Columbia Heights/Shaw Family Support Collaborative. http://www.pfeiffershardware.com

Anonymous wrote:DC has some advantages but I'm not sure I "fit in" with the culture here and especially worry that my child will be brought up here.

Not feeling comfortable after many years in any location sounds like a very important reason to think of moving. In DC of course, if by culture you mean the political, professional, and intense social atmosphere, well - guess we all know that's not going to change much.

But for our family, the ethnic/socio-economic/international cultural aspects of the District are much of what keeps us in the 202. We're not in politics or government, so we don't really deal with that part of DC's culture.

Most importantly for us, we're fortunate that all of our local family and support network is in 202 (+2 aunts in Bethesda) and moving nearby has secured our twins spaces in our school of choice. Which just happens to be public. And now with the new Target in Columbia Heights just walking distance to our house, I'll NEVER leave!

OP - hope you feel good about whatever decision you make. It's bound to be the right one for your family.

Hyde ES in Georgetown? In Adams Morgan/Columbia Heights there is Capital City public charter school. Lottery like everywhere else, but couldn't hurt to apply, right? Good luck. Things will work out.

Both OP and SurelyYouNest are my HEROES!

I wish I had each post on my (work-issued) BlackBerry while in the hospital the night before my scheduled c-section. (Not scheduled around work, breech twins. Not that I need to justify anything. :wink

These should be copied to the Expecting forum ASAP!

Now where's the "not guilty" manifesto for dads?