Anonymous wrote:Your 3 to needs time with her peers and to play with things like play doh, and being outside. She doesn’t need pre literacy skills. I would move and just find a good daycare.

+1. I'd probably stay in DC to try to get free PreK and save money. None of the learning matters. They just need to socialize.

Your 3 to needs time with her peers and to play with things like play doh, and being outside. She doesn’t need pre literacy skills. I would move and just find a good daycare.

can you pick a bunch of schools for your lottery list that are easy logistically? We went that route (living in Petworth - between publics and charters) and stayed in DC for three more years of Pre-K between our two kids. It's a big chunk of change if you can skip spending it! Do check out aftercare options: we were at a charter where aftercare was need-based, so wasn't exactly free (but less than the private preschool we were at to start with)

You can still choose private PK even if you live in DC.

So stay in DC, enter the lottery, and if you don't get a spot in a school you find acceptable, choose whatever private PK you would choose if you were in MD.

Anonymous wrote:Hello! I have a 2 year old who will be 3 by next fall and therefore eligible for the DC Pre-K3 lottery; we currently live in DC. Our current apartment lease is up in December, and we'll have the opportunity to move anywhere in the great DMV area (husband's work is in Maryland, so prefer to stay between DC and MD). If we stay in DC, we could save a lot of money on child care through the lottery, but I'm concerned - we won't necessarily get our top choice, and what we do get may require a significant commute. My priority is making sure my daughter gets great care including pre-literacy and numeracy, socialization, social-emotional learning, and stimulating outdoor time, but the most important thing is the quality of and connection to teachers. How much should being within DC be a priority, given the cost savings, or should we really consider being in Montgomery County or elsewhere to ensure good care, choice, and minimize commute time?

For DC PK-3, you will most likely get into your inbounds school or a charter. Remember that there is no inbounds PK-3 west of Rock Creek Park in DC so you can't move anywhere in DC if you want to be guaranteed a PK-3 spot.

If you most important thing is quality of and connection with teachers, this will be tough to guarantee through the lottery. It seems you would be better off selecting a preschool on your own where you can do rigorous vetting based on your needs.

Hello! I have a 2 year old who will be 3 by next fall and therefore eligible for the DC Pre-K3 lottery; we currently live in DC. Our current apartment lease is up in December, and we'll have the opportunity to move anywhere in the great DMV area (husband's work is in Maryland, so prefer to stay between DC and MD). If we stay in DC, we could save a lot of money on child care through the lottery, but I'm concerned - we won't necessarily get our top choice, and what we do get may require a significant commute. My priority is making sure my daughter gets great care including pre-literacy and numeracy, socialization, social-emotional learning, and stimulating outdoor time, but the most important thing is the quality of and connection to teachers. How much should being within DC be a priority, given the cost savings, or should we really consider being in Montgomery County or elsewhere to ensure good care, choice, and minimize commute time?