At our former school which is heavily Title 1 (financial need) a lot of families use the before care program - you pay a little bit so that you can drop off your kid early and go to work, and the kids can eat breakfast at school. Same for pickup - there is aftercare you can pay for until 6 pm sharp, it is very affordable at $10 per day, and you can get assistance if you qualify financially. You are on your own for transportation. Some people share duties with their spouse or carpool with other parents. Unless your child has special needs. Barnard Elementary has a special thing (grant, or # of students or something) this year where aftercare was FREE. Not is unusual though. You can also hire a sitter just to drop off or pick up your kid. When I was in high school I made a little extra money to watch a first grader in the morning and we walked to school together. His parents were well off, they just had early work schedules. He was adorable and I enjoyed that job. They gave me something like $35 a week.

Anonymous wrote:Our kid will be going to a public school 1st grade. I am a working mom. How does the school buses work? Is there such thing as school buses?

No school buses. If you choose not to go to your nearby neighborhood school, you need to figure out how to get your child there and back each day. Good luck.

DCPS operates on a 'neighborhood' school model in which every child goes to school close to home. Hence, no buses. However with so many kids in charters or attending OOB schools you will find lots of kids being driven, on Metro buses and the Metro itself. Children can get subsidized Metro cards and free bus passes to get to/from school. Most of the yellow DCPS school buses you see are carrying children who are getting special education services in another neighborhood or jurisdiction.

No school busses. You get your kid to elementary school on your own/carpool. Starting in middle school, there are often dedicated public busses that run from IB neighborhoods to the schools.

Our kid will be going to a public school 1st grade. I am a working mom. How does the school buses work? Is there such thing as school buses?