I was going to suggest Discovery Early Learning Centers in Poolesville, MD. They are play based and very, very good.

There are lots of places in the area where you can just move in and the public schools will be good/excellent all the way through. Many of those places are also really expensive.

I don't know your housing budget, but if I had your wish list plus $1 million to buy a house, I'd look at the neighborhood around BCC High School. Very solid school pyramid, but more walkable/urban and racially and culturally diverse than the other schools in the area.

I'm sure other folks will weigh in with Virginia suggestions. If you wanted to live in DC proper and again wanted guaranteed solid schools through HS, I'd look in AU Park or Upper NW. You lose a ton of racial and particularly socioeconomic diversity at the elementary school level, though. Oh, and it's also about $1 million to buy.

I don't have that kind of money, personally, but shared your desire for walkability and friendly neighbors and also wanted an easy commute by Metro into the city, so chose downtown Silver Spring.

Anonymous wrote:WHere in the DC area are you moving to? That would help with suggestions.

I've been informed that I should start with neighborhood and build from there. So I'm going to head to the 'Real Estate' forum and post in there to get neighborhood suggestions. I didn't realize it at the time but my question is premature.

WHere in the DC area are you moving to? That would help with suggestions.

Anonymous wrote:What are you looking for in a neighborhood? Price range? Bedrooms? Walkability? Excellent public schools?

We would be renting initially, and we've designated $3,000/month as our budget. I would love to have access to great public schools! But coming from Chicago it seems so bizarre. Here there is a small percentage of super top quality public schools scattered throughout the city, so the approach is very much 'get into the school first (which is an ordeal in and of itself) and then let everything else (neighborhood/job/etc) follow'. So it's kind of weird to me (which is sad...) to envision a neighborhood where all I have to do is move there and the schools are great.

As far as neighborhood. Ideal for us is something culturally diverse, child-friendly with lots of local business, green space and friendly neighbors. I'm not concerned about being in a particular socioeconomic strata, but obviously it needs to be a safe community with good quality schools. Any suggestions?

What is TJ?

And this is a lot to mull over. Perhaps I should start with neighborhood and go from there? If I start with neighborhood can I be confident that I'll find good schools nearby?

TJ is Thomas Jefferson, an extremely competitive and prestigious public magnet high school in Northern Virginia.

A lot of what you are looking for in a preschool is relatively common here, where many highly educated parents are looking for an edge on private school admissions with a super high quality preschool. I'm pretty confident that you could find *something* pretty much anywhere, particularly if you are looking in a neighborhood with other highly educated, tightly wound, parents who want an A+ preschool experience.

What are you looking for in a neighborhood? Price range? Bedrooms? Walkability? Excellent public schools?

I can't imagine a school with a 4 month wait list unless someone takes pity on you and lets you jump the queue. I mean, we were on a list for 3 years for one well-regarded childcare center. By the time they called us, we were well settled into another program.

But I really strongly agree with PP about choosing where you want to live based on factors other than preschool, unless you are 100% committed to going private.

Anonymous wrote:This is really short sighted in Fairfax County. Pre-school is 2 years. FCPS is 13, and in many cases can provide a better education than privates. And different parts of the county have very different vibes, and parents with very different priorities. You really don't want to limit yourself to schools and neighborhoods. that are a bad fit in your quest for the perfect preschool experience. There are lots of high quality preschools, and you can find one in any area affluent enough to have really good schools.

So, start with your housing budget and tell us what you want out of your child's ES/MS/HS experience. The absolute best academics, with a push for AAP admittance and culminating in TJ? A more well rounded community experience (but still strong schools)? Would you be comfortable in a neighborhood where social status is very important, and all the moms SAH, live in 2 million dollar houses and wear full makeup to daily yoga? Or are you a professional, who want to be around other dual professional families? Do you really want urban and walkable? Or a more suburban feel with sidewalks and traditional neighborhoods? Even if location doesn't matter, the answer to these questions do.

What is TJ?

And this is a lot to mull over. Perhaps I should start with neighborhood and go from there? If I start with neighborhood can I be confident that I'll find good schools nearby?

Thank you for the responses thus far!!! Is there such a thing as a DC area school that is good quality and not hard to get into/with a long waiting list? It's not as competitive here in Chicago. My kids' school is awesome and we were only on the waiting list 4 months for my son and about a month for my daughter. Is it practical to think that could happen in the DC area?

donewithchicago wrote:We're totally flexible with housing because we work from home. I'm inclined to move close to whatever preschool we select.

This is really short sighted in Fairfax County. Pre-school is 2 years. FCPS is 13, and in many cases can provide a better education than privates. And different parts of the county have very different vibes, and parents with very different priorities. You really don't want to limit yourself to schools and neighborhoods. that are a bad fit in your quest for the perfect preschool experience. There are lots of high quality preschools, and you can find one in any area affluent enough to have really good schools.

So, start with your housing budget and tell us what you want out of your child's ES/MS/HS experience. The absolute best academics, with a push for AAP admittance and culminating in TJ? A more well rounded community experience (but still strong schools)? Would you be comfortable in a neighborhood where social status is very important, and all the moms SAH, live in 2 million dollar houses and wear full makeup to daily yoga? Or are you a professional, who want to be around other dual professional families? Do you really want urban and walkable? Or a more suburban feel with sidewalks and traditional neighborhoods? Even if location doesn't matter, the answer to these questions do.

NCRC and Little Folks are both non-religious, play-based, and send lots of kids to competitive private schools. Both are also among the most expensive and hardest to get into. Other similar options I'm aware of would be CCBC and the River School. CCBC isn't as expensive as the others I've mentioned but is well-regarded by private schools and well-liked by parents and kids.

Try Country Day in McLean, Va.

We're totally flexible with housing because we work from home. I'm inclined to move close to whatever preschool we select.

You need to provide the location of your housing.

Hello everyone,

This is my first time posting in this forum but I'm sure it won't be my last. My husband and I are relocating to the DC area from Chicago and our main concern is finding a preschool/daycare for our children.

Our 3 and a half year old son is currently at a full-time, play-based preschool with an engaging curriculum (lots of art and STEM) and a record of prepping its students for top elementary schools, both public and private. The student/teacher ratio for his classroom is between 1:6 and 1:7. We are paying about $1,760 a month for 5 days a week.

Our daughter is at the same school full time, but in their toddler/daycare program. She is 15 months old. The ratio in her classroom is 1:4 and we are paying about $2,100 for 5 days a week.

Basically I am looking for something comparable. We are non-religious, but will tolerate a religious school if the belief system is way in the background and not incorporated into the curriculum. We have no clue what neighborhood we'll end up in, so it doesn't matter where the school is located. We are self-employed and work from home, so commute isn't as big a concern.

I know the DMV area is more expensive than Chicago, and we can expand our education budget by up to 50% if necessary.

Can you please point me in a good direction here. I've been doing searches on my own and I'm thoroughly overwhelmed. It seems the DC area has way more preschools per square mile than Chicago (I don't know this for sure but it certainly seems that way.) Additionally there is far more diversity in the approaches and philosophies, and it's making things hard to wade through.

Oh, another concern is waiting lists. It seems a lot of good schools have super long waiting lists. Any recommendations or general advice is appreciated!