Thanks for the input everyone!

Based on Metro access to Fed Center SW/L’Enfant (Google Maps cut down the list 🙃) here’s what I’m thinking…

DC Bilingual
Bruce-Monroe
Chislom/Tyler
Marie Reed
Powell (gambling on IB)
Mundo Verde P St
Stokes East End
Global Citizens
Houston

(Non Lottery) Centro Nia
Barb Chambers
Rosemount

Anything else I missed/something I should cut? Thank you!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your budget and max commute time is also hugely relevant to schools in DC.

Very true. Our HHI will probably be about 175k, so we're not going to be able to afford an expensive area. Looking at rent prices compared to our mortgage (we bought in 2020) is killing me. 😵‍💫

The first step is to figure out your housing needs and budget, then figure out what schools to target based on those. Are you planning on a second child? Would a 2 bedroom condo work or do you want/need a house? Do you want a pathway that goes through high school or are you okay with the uncertainty of the lottery? Just DC or Maryland and Virginia? If so, how far out into the suburbs would work? There are many Spanish immersion options in Montgomery Co MD schools as well.

Thanks. We’re hoping for a second, but that’s probably not likely if we have to move to the area. We used to live in Silver Spring and would be open to moving to MD after preschool…their programs don’t start until kindergarten, correct? We don’t have a long-term plan, since the goal is to move back whenever he can find another remote position.

Some schools in Montgomery County have pre-k based on need. You should call them and ask questions. My child is in private spanish immersion pre-k but a classmate attends MCPS pre-k for half the day and then is bused to the immersion pre-k.

Anonymous wrote:Check out Powell

Looking at the waitlist data, it seems like Powell, Cleveland, and Houston are the safest…at least in the previous year, all other DCPS slots were taken by siblings.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We didn’t get a PK3 DCPS or charter Spanish immersion spot (although we focused on the ones everyone does and would have gotten a spot if we applied to others). We ended up at a CBO (Communikids) and love it! It’s play based, very loving teachers, and just a great option to have. Make sure you go to the websites of the CBOs you are interested now to see what their application/lottery deadlines are now, don’t wait until after lottery results come out as that is when everyone else will be applying too

Good point. Thank you!

+1

We bombed the lottery in pre-k and did a pandemic year at CommuniKids. A lot more opportunities open up in K including guaranteed in-boundary options.

Anonymous wrote:We didn’t get a PK3 DCPS or charter Spanish immersion spot (although we focused on the ones everyone does and would have gotten a spot if we applied to others). We ended up at a CBO (Communikids) and love it! It’s play based, very loving teachers, and just a great option to have. Make sure you go to the websites of the CBOs you are interested now to see what their application/lottery deadlines are now, don’t wait until after lottery results come out as that is when everyone else will be applying too

Good point. Thank you!

We didn’t get a PK3 DCPS or charter Spanish immersion spot (although we focused on the ones everyone does and would have gotten a spot if we applied to others). We ended up at a CBO (Communikids) and love it! It’s play based, very loving teachers, and just a great option to have. Make sure you go to the websites of the CBOs you are interested now to see what their application/lottery deadlines are now, don’t wait until after lottery results come out as that is when everyone else will be applying too

Check out Powell

I would recommend DCPS if you think your child could benefit from an IEP, as all charters do SPED a little differently. You can contact DCPS Early Stages, which manages SPED for preK, to learn more about eval and they may also be able to help you with school placement outside of the lottery, but dual-language might be harder to accommodate in that case. There are many strong DCPS preK programs that prioritize social-emotional support though, so hopefully your kid will be supported at any school. If your budget and schedule allow, you might also consider coming to DC to visit some of the schools you're thinking about ahead of the lottery deadline? There are lots of open houses in Jan/Feb.

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, follow up question…my son has strong expressive language yet has social-emotional/behavioral needs.

He seemed to become more aggressive during transitions and during open gym at daycare (it could be because it’s the end of the day, but he never had a formal functional behavioral analysis completed before he was dismissed. He can attend age-appropriately and did not qualify for early intervention due to lack of developmental delays.

Do the charters provide sufficient behavioral support, or will he be better off at a DCPS school?

It varies really widely, I don't think anyone can tell you charters in general are enough. And all DCPS are not the same either, a lot depends on the approach the principal takes.

Do you think he will qualify for an IEP? How is receptive language?

Sorry, follow up question…my son has strong expressive language yet has social-emotional/behavioral needs.

He seemed to become more aggressive during transitions and during open gym at daycare (it could be because it’s the end of the day, but he never had a formal functional behavioral analysis completed before he was dismissed. He can attend age-appropriately and did not qualify for early intervention due to lack of developmental delays.

Do the charters provide sufficient behavioral support, or will he be better off at a DCPS school?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your budget and max commute time is also hugely relevant to schools in DC.

Very true. Our HHI will probably be about 175k, so we're not going to be able to afford an expensive area. Looking at rent prices compared to our mortgage (we bought in 2020) is killing me. 😵‍💫

The first step is to figure out your housing needs and budget, then figure out what schools to target based on those. Are you planning on a second child? Would a 2 bedroom condo work or do you want/need a house? Do you want a pathway that goes through high school or are you okay with the uncertainty of the lottery? Just DC or Maryland and Virginia? If so, how far out into the suburbs would work? There are many Spanish immersion options in Montgomery Co MD schools as well.

Thanks. We’re hoping for a second, but that’s probably not likely if we have to move to the area. We used to live in Silver Spring and would be open to moving to MD after preschool…their programs don’t start until kindergarten, correct? We don’t have a long-term plan, since the goal is to move back whenever he can find another remote position.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your budget and max commute time is also hugely relevant to schools in DC.

Very true. Our HHI will probably be about 175k, so we're not going to be able to afford an expensive area. Looking at rent prices compared to our mortgage (we bought in 2020) is killing me. 😵‍💫

The first step is to figure out your housing needs and budget, then figure out what schools to target based on those. Are you planning on a second child? Would a 2 bedroom condo work or do you want/need a house? Do you want a pathway that goes through high school or are you okay with the uncertainty of the lottery? Just DC or Maryland and Virginia? If so, how far out into the suburbs would work? There are many Spanish immersion options in Montgomery Co MD schools as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would just try to be in bounds for Oyster

Thats only guaranteed for kindergarten. Isn't it pretty easy to get into Mundo Verde nowadays?

It is... And there are many reasons for that. However I do know a bunch of people who went to MV and then were able to lottery into Oyster in mid elementary because their kids knew Spanish. So that's a path.

You can’t get into Oyster in mid elementary. Look at the waitlist data. Plus the middle school/high school feed from immersion charters to DCI is much better then Adams which only ends in 8th.

Just a note though that (for either charter or DCPS) you'll need to be able to provide DC residency when you enroll. The enrollment period starts in April, and if you get a spot in the initial lottery pull, I believe enrollment concludes the very beginning of May. Of course, enrollment continues over the summer for people offered spots off the WL, but there's a high likelihood you'll need to enroll (and show DC residency) before the end of this school year.

Look at Petworth (more affordable neighborhood and near yellow/green) and Bruce Monroe!