Anonymous wrote:I have a child at Breakthrough and I think you are on the right track focusing on Montessori. There is a major focus on building practical and social skills and the class spends over an hour outside every day. Children are free to move around the classroom and encouraged to do things independently, which has been great for my child.

I do agree with PPs that if you are taking a PK3 spot you need to be committed to full time school. The transition can seem daunting until you go through it, but your child will adjust.

Anonymous wrote:Langley has a lot of active play-- a nice playground, the rec center, and a program called Playworks that ensures active play and social skills development at recess. Also Langley has two gyms and separate cafeteria and auditorium, so there are no schedule conflicts for active playtime when it rains or other events are happening. The gyms are for PE, recess, and aftercare, nothing else.

Anonymous wrote:Please realize that parents who hold their kids out a lot because of transition (i.e. Only sending a few times a week) are not only taking spots for kids who WANT to go every day BUT also hurt schools and their tier rating because of attendance.
What did you do before 3? Obviously you could afford daycare or whatever you did prior to 3, and if you have the flexibility of picking up midday or part time than you CAN afford something that a lot of parents cannot (who not only need their kids in school all day but also need before/aftercare).

I'm sorry but I have zero sympathy for you. No one is promised pk3 or 4. And, there are not enough pk3/pk4 spots available for those who want one. If you don't want to commit to a full day experience than wait to lottery for another year and let someone who is willing that spot.

Anonymous wrote:Lee Montessori allows for early pick up for nappers (aka pk3 and sometimes pk4). They also play outside everyday regardless of weather (unless it's dangerous). Most schools will stay inside but Lee they are out and you are expected to send your kids with proper outdoor attire.

The real question is are you serious about sending your kid to school? If you aren't prepared to fully commit to school's attendance than don't take a space for a child/family willing to commit to being all in.

Anonymous wrote:Early pickup is really disruptive to the other kids in the class who are staying. If you want PT do a co op.

Anonymous wrote:OP, I had the same concerns and the easiest solution I found was to leave DCPS and signed up at a no frills church preschool three days a week 9 am-1pm. We pay $345 per month, which feels so worth it so far. It feels much more about fun and play, much more age appropriate and laid back than the DCPS we were in.

mcjd79 wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC DPR co-ops might meet your need. They are mostly 2-3 year olds, but meet for 2-3 hours each morning M-F.

OP, some of the PK3 and PK4 schedule is just the constraint of a day. Lunch and nap takes 2.5-3 hours hours of the 6.5 hour day. If your kid's school has daily "specials" (which parents aggressively advocate for), that is another 30-60 minutes. That leaves 3 hours remaining. Recess is typically 30-60 minutes, which leaves about 2-2.5 hours for snack, bathroom breaks, and center/lesson time. Think about how long it takes to get a group of 15 three-year-olds to do anything (snack, lunch, bathroom, walking to or from recess) PLUS the school's need to schedule/balance which age groups (PK3-5th grade is 8 years of age span) are on the playground at any given time.

My kids go to a school where the littles have one scheduled morning recess of about 30 minutes. They are frequently outside for additional parts of the day for lessons, and sometimes the non-nappers get additional outdoor time in the afternoon. Aftercare typically does 1+ hours outside as well. They get more time outside than they did when I was home with them. But yeah, it's only 30 scheduled minutes of recess per day.

Wow. Your school sounds like they are trying to offer a bit more than out local dcps. But then we struggle to get parent support and there is no PTO.

Anonymous wrote:DC DPR co-ops might meet your need. They are mostly 2-3 year olds, but meet for 2-3 hours each morning M-F.

OP, some of the PK3 and PK4 schedule is just the constraint of a day. Lunch and nap takes 2.5-3 hours hours of the 6.5 hour day. If your kid's school has daily "specials" (which parents aggressively advocate for), that is another 30-60 minutes. That leaves 3 hours remaining. Recess is typically 30-60 minutes, which leaves about 2-2.5 hours for snack, bathroom breaks, and center/lesson time. Think about how long it takes to get a group of 15 three-year-olds to do anything (snack, lunch, bathroom, walking to or from recess) PLUS the school's need to schedule/balance which age groups (PK3-5th grade is 8 years of age span) are on the playground at any given time.

My kids go to a school where the littles have one scheduled morning recess of about 30 minutes. They are frequently outside for additional parts of the day for lessons, and sometimes the non-nappers get additional outdoor time in the afternoon. Aftercare typically does 1+ hours outside as well. They get more time outside than they did when I was home with them. But yeah, it's only 30 scheduled minutes of recess per day.

Anonymous wrote:I like how families that want part-time pre-school are told that that school is for those who NEED a spot for full-time care and then when families complain about pd days and unnecessary snow days, they are told that school is NOT full-time day-care. Pick a side people.

Anonymous wrote:I like how families that want part-time pre-school are told that that school is for those who NEED a spot for full-time care and then when families complain about pd days and unnecessary snow days, they are told that school is NOT full-time day-care. Pick a side people.