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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=hahmad][quote=Anonymous]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/

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I've heard a lot of good things about McLean Gardens. Is this like an apartment complex or a neighborhood cz I was told to live there but wasn't sure where there exactly referred to. Would this be a good option if I'm commuting to WHC?[/quote]

McLean Gardens is a lovely community of apartments and townhouses that's on Wisconsin Ave. in one of the wealthiest parts of DC.  It would be a great place to raise a kid!

But, and I'm coming at this from my perspective as a single parent who works a job that can't be done at home, it's also a commute that's often 30 minutes but can easily be an hour.

If I was the single parent of a 3 year old, I would want to set up my lifestyle so that I was minimizing other things that pulled time away from my child, and I would look at other, also wonderful neighborhoods that are much closer to WHC, and that didn't require me to pass through neighborhoods like Columbia Heights which often have a lot of traffic congestion.  I'm the one who suggested the area around John Lewis, but I'd also look in Brookland and surrounding areas, but that's because I'm someone who really values outdoor time with kids, and likes neighborhoods with a little more green space.  If you want a more urban dense feeling the neighborhoods on the Eastern side of Columbia Heights, where you don't have to drive through Columbia Heights are also great convenient options.

I'll also say that if I was in that position, and had the option of a childcare center, rather than a school, that didn't have a before school/school day/aftercare model, and didn't have summer and spring break etc . . . to figure out, I'd do that.  Fewer transitions, more consistency, longer nap so that my kid is awake for time with me, etc . . . would all be reasons.  Yes, it would cost more, but not hugely more because before care, aftercare, and winter, spring and summer camps cost a lot too.  Scrilli is a great suggestion if you choose Brookland.  There are lots of other great options too, depending on where you settle.  I'd also check out the La Petite center that's on the Veteran's Hospital campus, right next to WHC.  I don't know if it's good, but the location can't be beat.

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Honestly, Columbia Heights traffic is fine as long as you aren’t driving right past the Target.  Traffic is much worse in Brookland trying to cross one of the bridges over the metro line.  Trust me, I am in both locations every day.

Plus, if you live in Colombia Heights you can just take the shuttle to WHC or walk.   It is by far the simplest most convenient location for a single parent working at WHC that wanted to maximize their time with their kid.  Get a PK spot at Raymond or CentroNia call it a day. [/quote]

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