Reply to Move to DC for free pK3

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]There are a handful of schools with guaranteed in bounds PK3 in DC, but by and large, they are not schools that middle-to-upper-middle class people feel comfortable sending their children above kindergarten. Otherwise, it's lottery until kindergarten. Your younger child would have sibling preference in the lottery for your older child's school, which is usually a strong indicator that they'll get in.

Also, the PP was correct to suggest that you consider other costs associated with it. Aftercare is available at most schools, and not all schools charge for aftercare. There are breaks when you will need to make childcare arrangements, but even factoring in those costs, it is still cheaper than daycare by a long stretch. [/quote]

But only if your rent is comparable right now (and I assume you're renting otherwise this would seem to make little sense).  Also factor in DC tax is higher than NoVA.  So you lose some money there too.  Depending on where you are in NoVA, rents (for places you'd find acceptable) in DC could easily exceed what you pay now, further eating into cost difference.  And what are you going to do for childcare for #2?  Being in DC may very well limit your childcare options, and centers tend to be a bit more expensive in DC than they are in NoVa.  Not by much, but that's another couple hundred.  Add it all up and even with free aftercare, you're possibly not coming out all that far ahead.  I have friends who considered this same option and the tax+rent difference wiped out virtually all the savings.  Facing #2 now, with #1 in a DC pre-K, we're actually looking to move out - going with an au pair or nanny will be cheaper (different degrees of cheaper of course) than 2 in a center or for the nanny not actually that much more expensive than DC infant care (for a spot we're not sure we can get) plus the aftercare + days off + breaks + summer camp expenses we will have.  And we definitely pay more in rent and taxes than we would in VA.  So basically it's a wash.  There have been some savings this past year - but again, factoring in school schedule care, rent differences and taxes, not nearly as much as you'd hope and certainly something that wouldn't have made it worth it had we not already been in DC.[/quote]

I think whether it's a wash or not is pretty situation-specific. We live in DC, rent, and sent DD to daycare until she was old enough to go to school. Daycare was $1500/mo. Her school is free. The only other expense that changed was that we did not need to buy diapers anymore because she was toilet trained. So for us, it was a savings of $36,000 in childcare alone.[/quote]

But what about the professional training days, holidays, and vacations? Presumably you have to pay something for child care on those days, which eats into that $36,000 savings to a certain extent. [/quote]

NP, and I have a flexible job and almost always am able to stay home with my kids on their days off.  I rarely pay for childcare on those days.

As far as summer camps, you can do it relatively cheaply in DC.  We have always done a mixture of DPR camps and other more expensive options and typically spend around $1500 per kid per summer.

For us, being in public school has saved us a ton of money overall.

OP-- just keep in mind that not all DCPS schools have PK3.  Make sure you research before you move.  And as a PP said-- it's too late for the next school year.  [/quote]

It may not be too late depending on where you move. Even after lottery, you can enter WL and jump everyone that is not IB on the wait list. You have to figure out which schools usually clear all IBs. You can also look into which schools have guaranteed entrance. [/quote]

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