Or me.

Anonymous wrote:This thread proves my suspicion that people who choose DCPS ps-3 are really trying to score free daycare and not an education/school/community.

Well, while it may be free daycare, it also is very early to KNOW with certainty what will be a lasting match for a 3 year old. I have no problem with parents trying on a preschool for size and then deciding for whatever reason (commute, the community, etc.) they want to switch.

I will likely apply to a couple, but as of now, I would like my child to stay at her current charter. As someone else mentioned, it is very easy to apply and then turn down the spot. The year is long, however, so it is hard to tell exactly what the situation will be with the current school in a few months. Even though I may end up going elsewhere, I did not choose the current preschool for free daycare. In fact, I don't think that there was any savings at all when lunches, afterschools, camps, and donations are taken into account. It is about trying to find a good fit as early as possible and not taking too many risks.

This thread proves my suspicion that people who choose DCPS ps-3 are really trying to score free daycare and not an education/school/community.

In response to questions about those who stuck it out and what the benefit might be: We've stuck it out in an ES all the way (currently 4th), with years that included a formative period, a interim principal, and two years with not such a great teacher. From our child's point of view, the benefit was continuity and commitment, with pretty much all the classmates still there because we kept each other on board. That means meaningful connections all around, which I think significantly accounts for our child's academic success. Our children by enlarge know the teachers they'll have and thereby get a head start on their next year. Indeed, it looks like all the classmates who've been at this school (whatever their IB/OOB status and, to the extent I can tell, their SES) since Kindergarten or earlier do well academically. Those who don't typically joined later or left and then came back. For us parents, it has meant some institutional knowledge that surpasses that of many parents and therefore here and there some say constant newcomers don't get. Also, the many hours others spend touring schools again and again, fretting over lottery results, then pondering and second-guessing, we spent at the beach and then preparing for school, having classmates and parents over for a summer get-together here and there, just plain relaxing.
I think school is a little like a second home, especially for children, but also for adults to some degree. So switching school is for them like moving once a year, not something that is beneficial I don't think.