when does dc offer free education for prek3?

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[Post New]04/08/2023 09:13
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Is that true it started this year?


Universal Pre-K (3 & 4) since 2009 in DC


No, it's not yet universal. From the MySchoolDC website regarding Pre-K 3 and 4:

"Families can apply to up to 12 schools on the My School DC application. However, there is no guarantee of a lottery match or waitlist offer."

Until recently, the were no Pre-K 3 options in Ward 3. Now there are some through CBOs.

Ward 3 schools don't meet all the demand for Pre-K 4 spots either.


While this is true, it is effectively universal because there are always PK spots available. They cannot guarantee your IB except in some circumstances and no one is guaranteed a spot in a specialty program like Montessori or immersion, but if you want a PK spot, you can find one. And as is appropriate, they are more plentiful in areas of town where income levels might make it hard to afford other childcare and where childcare options are more limited. Ward 3 parents could access PK in an adjacent Ward if they wanted to.

(My child attended PK in a Ward we don't live in, and not even one of the sought after charters -- we found a spot at a DCPS that had spots and it was a reasonable commute from our home and the quality was fantastic, so I speak from experience -- if you want free PK in DC, you can find it, and the quality is pretty universally high across the board).


To pretend that everyone could manage to get their 3 year-old across town during rush hour, while trying to care for other kids and get to work, is ridiculous. Glad it worked for you.

But the CBOs have greatly expanded spots, which is excellent.

Nonetheless, Pre-K is still not universal in that 3 and 4 year-olds are not required to attend.


Who said “across town”? A Ward 3 parent doesn’t have to drive to Brookland to get access to PK. If you lotteried for programs in NW that tend to have short waitlists (including Title 1 programs) you would almost certainly get something within a 20 minute drive. Many people lottery for programs near their work to ease that.

My child attended a PK program at a Title 1 school in another ward and it was wonderful. If a bit of a commute or attending a less desirable school is a deal breaker for you, I’m guessing you are not actually in need of free PK. Those are not obstacles to those of us who do in fact need free PK.
[Post New]04/08/2023 10:16
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Is that true it started this year?


Universal Pre-K (3 & 4) since 2009 in DC


No, it's not yet universal. From the MySchoolDC website regarding Pre-K 3 and 4:

"Families can apply to up to 12 schools on the My School DC application. However, there is no guarantee of a lottery match or waitlist offer."

Until recently, the were no Pre-K 3 options in Ward 3. Now there are some through CBOs.

Ward 3 schools don't meet all the demand for Pre-K 4 spots either.


While this is true, it is effectively universal because there are always PK spots available. They cannot guarantee your IB except in some circumstances and no one is guaranteed a spot in a specialty program like Montessori or immersion, but if you want a PK spot, you can find one. And as is appropriate, they are more plentiful in areas of town where income levels might make it hard to afford other childcare and where childcare options are more limited. Ward 3 parents could access PK in an adjacent Ward if they wanted to.

(My child attended PK in a Ward we don't live in, and not even one of the sought after charters -- we found a spot at a DCPS that had spots and it was a reasonable commute from our home and the quality was fantastic, so I speak from experience -- if you want free PK in DC, you can find it, and the quality is pretty universally high across the board).


To pretend that everyone could manage to get their 3 year-old across town during rush hour, while trying to care for other kids and get to work, is ridiculous. Glad it worked for you.

But the CBOs have greatly expanded spots, which is excellent.

Nonetheless, Pre-K is still not universal in that 3 and 4 year-olds are not required to attend.


Universal means available to all. Which it is. You mean mandatory which no it is not. There are plenty of PK3 programs close to W3 with spots every year. You just feel entitled to your IB school which you are not until K.
[Post New]04/08/2023 11:40
quote
Anonymous
Many people commute 20 minutes or more for the entirety of their children’s public school education in DC. Ward 3 parents need to get a grip.
[Post New]04/09/2023 08:40
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Is that true it started this year?


Universal Pre-K (3 & 4) since 2009 in DC


No, it's not yet universal. From the MySchoolDC website regarding Pre-K 3 and 4:

"Families can apply to up to 12 schools on the My School DC application. However, there is no guarantee of a lottery match or waitlist offer."

Until recently, the were no Pre-K 3 options in Ward 3. Now there are some through CBOs.

Ward 3 schools don't meet all the demand for Pre-K 4 spots either.


And let's be honest, Ward 3 schools don't offer PreK 3 or 4 spots typically for a very specific, unwritten reason. They don't want OOB kids to get into their school and not having PK 3 or 4 (or having just one class) allows them to do that.


I didn’t grow up in DC, and the concept of kids being able to attend schools they’re not specifically assigned to based on their residence is baffling to me. I’m not a fan of it.


Good to know, but no one GsAF.
[Post New]04/09/2023 08:45
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Many people commute 20 minutes or more for the entirety of their children’s public school education in DC. Ward 3 parents need to get a grip.


The commute isn't even the issue for them, not really. It's that they moved to Ward 3 in part to ensure their kids could go to schools where the vast majority of students were from high SES families, and they resent the idea that they would travel outside of Ward 3 for their kid to attend a more economically (and racially) diverse preschool. Like even the "HRCS" schools are more diverse than they would prefer, because anyone who does the lottery can get into them!

They want to send their kids to better schools (where better is defined as having wealthy families) than other people, and that includes for PK. Which is fine with me, knock yourselves out. But that's not the purpose of the universal PK program in the city and there are plenty of private PKs in Ward 3 to meet their needs.

If someone in Ward 3 can't afford private PK, you can bet they find a way to send their kid to one of the free programs. It's just that this is not usually the complaint of Ward 3 parents when it comes to availability of free PK in their Ward.
[Post New]04/09/2023 08:49
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Is that true it started this year?


Universal Pre-K (3 & 4) since 2009 in DC


No, it's not yet universal. From the MySchoolDC website regarding Pre-K 3 and 4:

"Families can apply to up to 12 schools on the My School DC application. However, there is no guarantee of a lottery match or waitlist offer."

Until recently, the were no Pre-K 3 options in Ward 3. Now there are some through CBOs.

Ward 3 schools don't meet all the demand for Pre-K 4 spots either.


And let's be honest, Ward 3 schools don't offer PreK 3 or 4 spots typically for a very specific, unwritten reason. They don't want OOB kids to get into their school and not having PK 3 or 4 (or having just one class) allows them to do that.


I didn’t grow up in DC, and the concept of kids being able to attend schools they’re not specifically assigned to based on their residence is baffling to me. I’m not a fan of it.


Good to know, but no one GsAF.


DC’s system has certainly put you in a terrific mood.
[Post New]04/09/2023 08:49
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Is that true it started this year?


Universal Pre-K (3 & 4) since 2009 in DC


No, it's not yet universal. From the MySchoolDC website regarding Pre-K 3 and 4:

"Families can apply to up to 12 schools on the My School DC application. However, there is no guarantee of a lottery match or waitlist offer."

Until recently, the were no Pre-K 3 options in Ward 3. Now there are some through CBOs.

Ward 3 schools don't meet all the demand for Pre-K 4 spots either.


And let's be honest, Ward 3 schools don't offer PreK 3 or 4 spots typically for a very specific, unwritten reason. They don't want OOB kids to get into their school and not having PK 3 or 4 (or having just one class) allows them to do that.


I didn’t grow up in DC, and the concept of kids being able to attend schools they’re not specifically assigned to based on their residence is baffling to me. I’m not a fan of it.


It’s not really that unusual. Not from DC and where I grew up most kids went to their IB but had OOB options too. I was under the impression that’s pretty typical.
[Post New]04/09/2023 09:44
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Is that true it started this year?


Universal Pre-K (3 & 4) since 2009 in DC


No, it's not yet universal. From the MySchoolDC website regarding Pre-K 3 and 4:

"Families can apply to up to 12 schools on the My School DC application. However, there is no guarantee of a lottery match or waitlist offer."

Until recently, the were no Pre-K 3 options in Ward 3. Now there are some through CBOs.

Ward 3 schools don't meet all the demand for Pre-K 4 spots either.


And let's be honest, Ward 3 schools don't offer PreK 3 or 4 spots typically for a very specific, unwritten reason. They don't want OOB kids to get into their school and not having PK 3 or 4 (or having just one class) allows them to do that.


I didn’t grow up in DC, and the concept of kids being able to attend schools they’re not specifically assigned to based on their residence is baffling to me. I’m not a fan of it.


Why is that baffling? You are guaranteed your IB school starting in K. What’s wrong with kids from other neighborhoods coming to your school? Certain areas of the city are not as diverse as others. This promotes opportunity and diversity.
[Post New]04/09/2023 10:10
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Is that true it started this year?


Universal Pre-K (3 & 4) since 2009 in DC


No, it's not yet universal. From the MySchoolDC website regarding Pre-K 3 and 4:

"Families can apply to up to 12 schools on the My School DC application. However, there is no guarantee of a lottery match or waitlist offer."

Until recently, the were no Pre-K 3 options in Ward 3. Now there are some through CBOs.

Ward 3 schools don't meet all the demand for Pre-K 4 spots either.


And let's be honest, Ward 3 schools don't offer PreK 3 or 4 spots typically for a very specific, unwritten reason. They don't want OOB kids to get into their school and not having PK 3 or 4 (or having just one class) allows them to do that.


I didn’t grow up in DC, and the concept of kids being able to attend schools they’re not specifically assigned to based on their residence is baffling to me. I’m not a fan of it.


Did you grow up in a semi-autonomous city-state with a population of 700k people and economic and cultural diversity that very few jurisdictions in the US have to address? I mean, if you grew up in NYC or SF you'd have seen this. So, yeah, your suburban Omaha school system was different.
[Post New]04/09/2023 10:45
quote
1SWMom
Member Location: SW Waterfront
Offline
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Is that true it started this year?


Universal Pre-K (3 & 4) since 2009 in DC


No, it's not yet universal. From the MySchoolDC website regarding Pre-K 3 and 4:

"Families can apply to up to 12 schools on the My School DC application. However, there is no guarantee of a lottery match or waitlist offer."

Until recently, the were no Pre-K 3 options in Ward 3. Now there are some through CBOs.

Ward 3 schools don't meet all the demand for Pre-K 4 spots either.


While this is true, it is effectively universal because there are always PK spots available. They cannot guarantee your IB except in some circumstances and no one is guaranteed a spot in a specialty program like Montessori or immersion, but if you want a PK spot, you can find one. And as is appropriate, they are more plentiful in areas of town where income levels might make it hard to afford other childcare and where childcare options are more limited. Ward 3 parents could access PK in an adjacent Ward if they wanted to.

(My child attended PK in a Ward we don't live in, and not even one of the sought after charters -- we found a spot at a DCPS that had spots and it was a reasonable commute from our home and the quality was fantastic, so I speak from experience -- if you want free PK in DC, you can find it, and the quality is pretty universally high across the board).


To pretend that everyone could manage to get their 3 year-old across town during rush hour, while trying to care for other kids and get to work, is ridiculous. Glad it worked for you.

But the CBOs have greatly expanded spots, which is excellent.

Nonetheless, Pre-K is still not universal in that 3 and 4 year-olds are not required to attend.


You chose to live in ward 3.

And chose to keep adding kids, the system is supposed to just accomadate all of this, people are ridiculously entitled.
[Post New]04/09/2023 22:45
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Is that true it started this year?


Universal Pre-K (3 & 4) since 2009 in DC


No, it's not yet universal. From the MySchoolDC website regarding Pre-K 3 and 4:

"Families can apply to up to 12 schools on the My School DC application. However, there is no guarantee of a lottery match or waitlist offer."

Until recently, the were no Pre-K 3 options in Ward 3. Now there are some through CBOs.

Ward 3 schools don't meet all the demand for Pre-K 4 spots either.


While this is true, it is effectively universal because there are always PK spots available. They cannot guarantee your IB except in some circumstances and no one is guaranteed a spot in a specialty program like Montessori or immersion, but if you want a PK spot, you can find one. And as is appropriate, they are more plentiful in areas of town where income levels might make it hard to afford other childcare and where childcare options are more limited. Ward 3 parents could access PK in an adjacent Ward if they wanted to.

(My child attended PK in a Ward we don't live in, and not even one of the sought after charters -- we found a spot at a DCPS that had spots and it was a reasonable commute from our home and the quality was fantastic, so I speak from experience -- if you want free PK in DC, you can find it, and the quality is pretty universally high across the board).


To pretend that everyone could manage to get their 3 year-old across town during rush hour, while trying to care for other kids and get to work, is ridiculous. Glad it worked for you.

But the CBOs have greatly expanded spots, which is excellent.

Nonetheless, Pre-K is still not universal in that 3 and 4 year-olds are not required to attend.


It is considered universal because all DC residents have access (no income limitations) and because there are more spots than there are kids who apply. It's not mandatory, but that's different.
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