Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: In reality, many people do not get a spot in a location they are willing to commute to, or at a school they are willing to attend. So they pay for private preschool or daycare, just like most people in this country.

Last year (2019 lottery), myschooldc reported that there were 5,708 PK3 lottery applications. Overall enrollment for PK3, according to the enrollment audit, was 5,800 kids. There are definitely kids who enroll in available PK3 seats who didn't apply through the initial lottery. And there are few PK3 seats WOTP.

But the contention that MANY don't get a spot in a location they are willing to commute to seems quite overstated... unless your bubble is entirely your WOTP neighbors.

The 300 kid discrepancy could be IEP placements?

I live in upper NW DC. We got a spot we were willing to drive to.

I think the issue is that the city tours universal, free preschool! And that makes it seem like it’s available to everyone at every school.

They just say free PK for select neighborhoods and select students! Everyone gets what is and isn’t a budget priority. But no one will feel misled when the discover it’s not really universal.

Because just like everything in life you get what you pay for. All my friends who brag about how much they save and then spend every min of the party/BBQ/brunch complaining about the location/commute or the unwashed masses.

It is sort of like all of the people who brag about their home’s appreciation out of one side of their mouth while bitching about the perils of homesteading before the neighborhood is ready. I rather just pay a premium and get premium situations. 200% when it comes to the kids, good enough isn’t really that good. Maybe if we had less money but then we would move.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: In reality, many people do not get a spot in a location they are willing to commute to, or at a school they are willing to attend. So they pay for private preschool or daycare, just like most people in this country.

Last year (2019 lottery), myschooldc reported that there were 5,708 PK3 lottery applications. Overall enrollment for PK3, according to the enrollment audit, was 5,800 kids. There are definitely kids who enroll in available PK3 seats who didn't apply through the initial lottery. And there are few PK3 seats WOTP.

But the contention that MANY don't get a spot in a location they are willing to commute to seems quite overstated... unless your bubble is entirely your WOTP neighbors.

I think probably that "many" was exactly that, re: WOTP....

The rest of us mostly DO get a spot in PK3, somewhere we are happy with for at least the PK years, if not our actual IB school.

Personally I was quite happy with our EOTP one-star PK3. We're still there for first grade now. But if you add up the number of people who don't even lottery for PK3 because they understand they have no chance anywhere they could drive to, I think "many" is a fair descriptor. Several hundred people is "many" people to me. Now, it isn't "most". Most people do get a spot they are willing to enroll in.

I actually only know about two people who are not sending their child to PK3 in either a charter or DCPS, EOTP, because they didn't like their results. But they were more than happy to go to a local private school anyway. Vast majority do get something, just not in the WOTP community which is overly represented on this board.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: In reality, many people do not get a spot in a location they are willing to commute to, or at a school they are willing to attend. So they pay for private preschool or daycare, just like most people in this country.

Last year (2019 lottery), myschooldc reported that there were 5,708 PK3 lottery applications. Overall enrollment for PK3, according to the enrollment audit, was 5,800 kids. There are definitely kids who enroll in available PK3 seats who didn't apply through the initial lottery. And there are few PK3 seats WOTP.

But the contention that MANY don't get a spot in a location they are willing to commute to seems quite overstated... unless your bubble is entirely your WOTP neighbors.

I think probably that "many" was exactly that, re: WOTP....

The rest of us mostly DO get a spot in PK3, somewhere we are happy with for at least the PK years, if not our actual IB school.

Personally I was quite happy with our EOTP one-star PK3. We're still there for first grade now. But if you add up the number of people who don't even lottery for PK3 because they understand they have no chance anywhere they could drive to, I think "many" is a fair descriptor. Several hundred people is "many" people to me. Now, it isn't "most". Most people do get a spot they are willing to enroll in.

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks for the info. I'm new here so I was confused about why PK3 options were only popping up on one side of the map.

It also sounds like all PK applications have to apply to the lottery? So that implies that you may not get a PK spot in your inbound school? Is that right?

If you are WOTP - and do not have sibling preference, your chance for most schools is about 50% of getting into your neighborhood school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: In reality, many people do not get a spot in a location they are willing to commute to, or at a school they are willing to attend. So they pay for private preschool or daycare, just like most people in this country.

Last year (2019 lottery), myschooldc reported that there were 5,708 PK3 lottery applications. Overall enrollment for PK3, according to the enrollment audit, was 5,800 kids. There are definitely kids who enroll in available PK3 seats who didn't apply through the initial lottery. And there are few PK3 seats WOTP.

But the contention that MANY don't get a spot in a location they are willing to commute to seems quite overstated... unless your bubble is entirely your WOTP neighbors.

I think probably that "many" was exactly that, re: WOTP....

The rest of us mostly DO get a spot in PK3, somewhere we are happy with for at least the PK years, if not our actual IB school.

Anonymous wrote: In reality, many people do not get a spot in a location they are willing to commute to, or at a school they are willing to attend. So they pay for private preschool or daycare, just like most people in this country.

Last year (2019 lottery), myschooldc reported that there were 5,708 PK3 lottery applications. Overall enrollment for PK3, according to the enrollment audit, was 5,800 kids. There are definitely kids who enroll in available PK3 seats who didn't apply through the initial lottery. And there are few PK3 seats WOTP.

But the contention that MANY don't get a spot in a location they are willing to commute to seems quite overstated... unless your bubble is entirely your WOTP neighbors.

Doesn't Hyde-Addison have PK3?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks for the info. I'm new here so I was confused about why PK3 options were only popping up on one side of the map.

It also sounds like all PK applications have to apply to the lottery? So that implies that you may not get a PK spot in your inbound school? Is that right?

Yup. Many don’t.

Yes. In theory there are enough spots for everyone who wants one. In reality, many people do not get a spot in a location they are willing to commute to, or at a school they are willing to attend. So they pay for private preschool or daycare, just like most people in this country.

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks for the info. I'm new here so I was confused about why PK3 options were only popping up on one side of the map.

It also sounds like all PK applications have to apply to the lottery? So that implies that you may not get a PK spot in your inbound school? Is that right?

Yup. Many don’t.

OP here - thanks for the info. I'm new here so I was confused about why PK3 options were only popping up on one side of the map.

It also sounds like all PK applications have to apply to the lottery? So that implies that you may not get a PK spot in your inbound school? Is that right?

Nope. PS-3 basically is DC's version of Head Start, and no schools WOTP receive or received Head Start funds so no PS-3.

None of the schools have room for PS-3 anyway.

Because providing free preschool to mostly wealthy kids is not a budget priority. And because the school buildings are so crowded that PK3 classrooms had to be taken for other uses.

There are a few freestanding preschools like Communikids in Tenleytown.

Are there no public Pre-K3s west of Rock Cree Park? Why is that?