Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd be interested in any helpful intel on some of my down-ballot choices. Main priorities are just that a school is warm and child-friendly and not suuuper academic and just helps little kids learn to be people. Other priorities are quality aftercare and commute. We're on the Hill now but rent and can move easily (so also not tremendously concerned about after K), but school must be within at least a reasonable biking distance (<10 mins) from a Metro. Because evidently I hate commuting more than I love my DC.

1. Fancy Charter 1!
2. Fancy Charter 2!
3. Fancy Charter 3!
4. Peabody (IB)
5. Van Ness
6. Tyler
7. Miner
8. William E. Doar
9. J.O. Wilson
10. Seaton
11. Langley
12. Langdon Montessori

You should also consider Payne. It has a great preschool program full of kids from the hill not to mention a brand new building. We're very happy there. They had a few spots for OB kids last year so its no impossible to get into like many of the other schools on your list.

I would definitely put Miner above Tyler unless you're nearby. Tyler tries to do too many things and sort of fails at all of them. I do not know of a single family at Tyler that isn't actively trying to lottery elsewhere.

Glad to hear good things from Payne, but PP, you're the first person I've heard say anything nice. I'd consider that.

I would also strongly advise you to apply to LAMB. The South Dakota campus is close to the Hill and there are a few people I know who bike there. Any reason you didn't put the name of the charters? I am thinking they are Mundo Verde, Stokes Spanish, and Stokes French.

I'm also on the Hill, and I'm wondering if I'm weighing commute too much. Stokes is about a 20-30 minute drive from my house, and after drop off I'd have to turn around and drive another 30-40 minutes to L'Enfant plaza which is where I work. That seems crazy and not doable everyday. That makes me take a great looking school like Stokes off my list, but then I see it suggested here. How are people handling these commutes?

Make it work and/or find someone to carpool with once you are in.

I dunno. I think some people are OK with a long commute. I'm on the Hill too and being able to get to school within 10 minutes from my house, either walking or driving, was a big factor. I do 99.9% of the pickups and dropoffs and I also have a second child that goes to daycare. So, for me, no way would I want to drive 30 minutes to get to school. But, if you have a partner that can pitch in or a carpool, it's doable. It's just personal preference. You know yourself and your situation best.

Anonymous wrote:Or move once you're in. I think a lot of people applying to PK3 may be renters and/or people in small homes that they may be outgrowing. "Winning the lottery" may come with an opportunity to move near school, for some.

I wish I had continued to rent and not bought when it comes to the lottery, but then I would have lost on 7 years of equity.

Or move once you're in. I think a lot of people applying to PK3 may be renters and/or people in small homes that they may be outgrowing. "Winning the lottery" may come with an opportunity to move near school, for some.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd be interested in any helpful intel on some of my down-ballot choices. Main priorities are just that a school is warm and child-friendly and not suuuper academic and just helps little kids learn to be people. Other priorities are quality aftercare and commute. We're on the Hill now but rent and can move easily (so also not tremendously concerned about after K), but school must be within at least a reasonable biking distance (<10 mins) from a Metro. Because evidently I hate commuting more than I love my DC.

1. Fancy Charter 1!
2. Fancy Charter 2!
3. Fancy Charter 3!
4. Peabody (IB)
5. Van Ness
6. Tyler
7. Miner
8. William E. Doar
9. J.O. Wilson
10. Seaton
11. Langley
12. Langdon Montessori

You should also consider Payne. It has a great preschool program full of kids from the hill not to mention a brand new building. We're very happy there. They had a few spots for OB kids last year so its no impossible to get into like many of the other schools on your list.

I would definitely put Miner above Tyler unless you're nearby. Tyler tries to do too many things and sort of fails at all of them. I do not know of a single family at Tyler that isn't actively trying to lottery elsewhere.

Glad to hear good things from Payne, but PP, you're the first person I've heard say anything nice. I'd consider that.

I would also strongly advise you to apply to LAMB. The South Dakota campus is close to the Hill and there are a few people I know who bike there. Any reason you didn't put the name of the charters? I am thinking they are Mundo Verde, Stokes Spanish, and Stokes French.

I'm also on the Hill, and I'm wondering if I'm weighing commute too much. Stokes is about a 20-30 minute drive from my house, and after drop off I'd have to turn around and drive another 30-40 minutes to L'Enfant plaza which is where I work. That seems crazy and not doable everyday. That makes me take a great looking school like Stokes off my list, but then I see it suggested here. How are people handling these commutes?

Make it work and/or find someone to carpool with once you are in.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd be interested in any helpful intel on some of my down-ballot choices. Main priorities are just that a school is warm and child-friendly and not suuuper academic and just helps little kids learn to be people. Other priorities are quality aftercare and commute. We're on the Hill now but rent and can move easily (so also not tremendously concerned about after K), but school must be within at least a reasonable biking distance (<10 mins) from a Metro. Because evidently I hate commuting more than I love my DC.

1. Fancy Charter 1!
2. Fancy Charter 2!
3. Fancy Charter 3!
4. Peabody (IB)
5. Van Ness
6. Tyler
7. Miner
8. William E. Doar
9. J.O. Wilson
10. Seaton
11. Langley
12. Langdon Montessori

You should also consider Payne. It has a great preschool program full of kids from the hill not to mention a brand new building. We're very happy there. They had a few spots for OB kids last year so its no impossible to get into like many of the other schools on your list.

I would definitely put Miner above Tyler unless you're nearby. Tyler tries to do too many things and sort of fails at all of them. I do not know of a single family at Tyler that isn't actively trying to lottery elsewhere.

Glad to hear good things from Payne, but PP, you're the first person I've heard say anything nice. I'd consider that.

I would also strongly advise you to apply to LAMB. The South Dakota campus is close to the Hill and there are a few people I know who bike there. Any reason you didn't put the name of the charters? I am thinking they are Mundo Verde, Stokes Spanish, and Stokes French.

I'm also on the Hill, and I'm wondering if I'm weighing commute too much. Stokes is about a 20-30 minute drive from my house, and after drop off I'd have to turn around and drive another 30-40 minutes to L'Enfant plaza which is where I work. That seems crazy and not doable everyday. That makes me take a great looking school like Stokes off my list, but then I see it suggested here. How are people handling these commutes?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm inbounds for Tubman, live on the east side of Columbia Heights, work on Capitol Hill. I anticipate leaving the DC area in the next few years; so we don't need a longterm solution; just a safe, nurturing and effective learning environment with quality aftercare for the next 3-4 years, and no terrible commute. Prefer some language instruction but I'm not fussed about immersion.

Right now, I'm thinking:
Creative Minds
Inspired Teaching
Lee
Breakthrough
Bridges
EL Haynes
Center City
Tubman
Powell
Appletree
Bruce Monroe


I might throw Stokes and Cap City in there too, although I haven't had a chance to attend information sessions. I figure we'll probably end up at Tubman and will probably prefer that to continuing daycare. It has the distinct advantage of being 2 blocks from my house.

I think you will probably get Center City before Tubman.

Interesting. I may toy with the ranking of Center City if I can find more information about it. I haven't found much feedback online. My husband went to the information session and was impressed, albeit not as impressed as we were by some of the more demanded charters.

Which Center City has your husband visited? I have been trying to find out anything about the one in Brightwood, which I considered adding as a safety, but no luck. I should have gone visit, but couldn't fit it in for a school that would be pretty far down our list. I also don't know if it is actually a safety.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd be interested in any helpful intel on some of my down-ballot choices. Main priorities are just that a school is warm and child-friendly and not suuuper academic and just helps little kids learn to be people. Other priorities are quality aftercare and commute. We're on the Hill now but rent and can move easily (so also not tremendously concerned about after K), but school must be within at least a reasonable biking distance (<10 mins) from a Metro. Because evidently I hate commuting more than I love my DC.

1. Fancy Charter 1!
2. Fancy Charter 2!
3. Fancy Charter 3!
4. Peabody (IB)
5. Van Ness
6. Tyler
7. Miner
8. William E. Doar
9. J.O. Wilson
10. Seaton
11. Langley
12. Langdon Montessori

You should also consider Payne. It has a great preschool program full of kids from the hill not to mention a brand new building. We're very happy there. They had a few spots for OB kids last year so its no impossible to get into like many of the other schools on your list.

I would definitely put Miner above Tyler unless you're nearby. Tyler tries to do too many things and sort of fails at all of them. I do not know of a single family at Tyler that isn't actively trying to lottery elsewhere.

Glad to hear good things from Payne, but PP, you're the first person I've heard say anything nice. I'd consider that.

I would also strongly advise you to apply to LAMB. The South Dakota campus is close to the Hill and there are a few people I know who bike there. Any reason you didn't put the name of the charters? I am thinking they are Mundo Verde, Stokes Spanish, and Stokes French.

I know a family at Tyler that loves it and has a kid there currently in 5th and one in 1st. So, I don't think it's fair to say that everyone is trying to lottery out of there.

PP, you should add SWS to your list (maybe you count that as one of the Fancy Charters?). It is incredibly warm, very focused on arts, has a great aftercare program, and is on the Hill.

Anonymous wrote:Ward 3 family with no IB and no pk3 options anywhere near home. Aiming for options near work, not far from the ballpark.

1. Hyde-Addison
2. Appletree Lincoln Park
3. Appletree SW
4. Van Ness
5. Eagle Academy

May also get cold feet and back out of the whole process. Our current daycare is expensive and unreliable, but may still be easier for our family to take than a rough commute/schedule.

I would place Van Ness higher on the list

1. Hyde-Addison
2. <b>Van Ness</b>
3. Appletree Lincoln Park
4. Appletree SW
5. Eagle Academy

Anonymous wrote:I'd be interested in any helpful intel on some of my down-ballot choices. Main priorities are just that a school is warm and child-friendly and not suuuper academic and just helps little kids learn to be people. Other priorities are quality aftercare and commute. We're on the Hill now but rent and can move easily (so also not tremendously concerned about after K), but school must be within at least a reasonable biking distance (<10 mins) from a Metro. Because evidently I hate commuting more than I love my DC.

1. Fancy Charter 1!
2. Fancy Charter 2!
3. Fancy Charter 3!
4. Peabody (IB)
5. Van Ness
6. Tyler
7. Miner
8. William E. Doar
9. J.O. Wilson
10. Seaton
11. Langley
12. Langdon Montessori

I'll give you my honest opinion. If you don't care about school past K, I'd put Peabody as your number 1 choice. It's a really great school, and has a good set of afterschool enrichments, and two aftercare programs that are well-run. It is warm, child-friendly, and not super-academic, but not a slouch in early childhood education by any means. My kid is currently at Peabody, and I toured several "Fancy Charters" this year just to see if we should try our luck again...and left feeling that Peabody was better than all of them. I was surprised myself. I never realized what a gem I had. I also value commute as much as you do, and when I threw in the fact that Peabody has a bus (if you live near the Watkins side of the Cluster) that threw it over the top. As you probably know, there have been big IB waitlists for Peabody, so admission isn't guaranteed until K.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd be interested in any helpful intel on some of my down-ballot choices. Main priorities are just that a school is warm and child-friendly and not suuuper academic and just helps little kids learn to be people. Other priorities are quality aftercare and commute. We're on the Hill now but rent and can move easily (so also not tremendously concerned about after K), but school must be within at least a reasonable biking distance (<10 mins) from a Metro. Because evidently I hate commuting more than I love my DC.

1. Fancy Charter 1!
2. Fancy Charter 2!
3. Fancy Charter 3!
4. Peabody (IB)
5. Van Ness
6. Tyler
7. Miner
8. William E. Doar
9. J.O. Wilson
10. Seaton
11. Langley
12. Langdon Montessori

Tell us more about Doar. I live near there so I'm curious.

Did you visit Langley and if so what did you think? We are IB for Langley and feel positive about it-- enough to shorten our list to 9 schools.

I am also curious about Langdon-- tell us about it. Do you know anyone who goes there?

Ha, that's why I need all you lovely people! I haven't visited 7-12, just know them from Ed Fest, one friend with a current kid happily at J.O. Wilson, and scouring the forums. I figure if we get in somewhere down list we can visit then and see what we think, or stick with our current daycare, which is great.

I was pretty impressed with Doar at Ed Fest though, and was surprised that so few folks on here seem to consider it. My DD likes to sit at her grandma's office desk and play "doing work," so while I'm sure she'd love a more traditional school, I think the early exposure to the arts would be good to expand her horizons, foster creativity, blah blah. Same with Tyler, which I did tour. Everyone seemed mostly interested in the immersion program, but I thought the "traditional" arts integration program sounded terrific and really fun!

What do you love about Langley? Maybe I'll bump it up.

Langley, how do I love you, let me count the ways:

1) Principal! Stellar. Energetic, runs a tight ship, obviously great with kids, and has a real vision for the school. She tables at the farmers' market sometimes-- she's really making the effort to reach out.
2) Preschool teachers. I have met two, both seemed great. And I have talked with parents who have kids in each classroom, both are very satisfied.
3) Building and grounds. Super nice auditorium, gym, spacious classrooms, garden, and rec center immediately adjacent.
4) I like the idea of a math/science school, I think math and science education is extremely important. I like the biology focus and I was impressed with the bigger kids' STEM curriculum. They have a lot of neat programs that they're involved in, and partnership with McKinley Tech. Preschool doesn't do much of that, but still, I like it.
5) Free aftercare!

I live in Eckington, not far from Doar, and I haven't ever met anyone who goes there or even has it on their list, so it's not on mine even though I love music. And I don't really see how it's that convenient from the Hill. I would move it down if I were you. I'd probably leave your list as-is except move Doar to 12th and everything else up a spot.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd be interested in any helpful intel on some of my down-ballot choices. Main priorities are just that a school is warm and child-friendly and not suuuper academic and just helps little kids learn to be people. Other priorities are quality aftercare and commute. We're on the Hill now but rent and can move easily (so also not tremendously concerned about after K), but school must be within at least a reasonable biking distance (<10 mins) from a Metro. Because evidently I hate commuting more than I love my DC.

1. Fancy Charter 1!
2. Fancy Charter 2!
3. Fancy Charter 3!
4. Peabody (IB)
5. Van Ness
6. Tyler
7. Miner
8. William E. Doar
9. J.O. Wilson
10. Seaton
11. Langley
12. Langdon Montessori

You should also consider Payne. It has a great preschool program full of kids from the hill not to mention a brand new building. We're very happy there. They had a few spots for OB kids last year so its no impossible to get into like many of the other schools on your list.

I would definitely put Miner above Tyler unless you're nearby. Tyler tries to do too many things and sort of fails at all of them. I do not know of a single family at Tyler that isn't actively trying to lottery elsewhere.

Glad to hear good things from Payne, but PP, you're the first person I've heard say anything nice. I'd consider that.

I would also strongly advise you to apply to LAMB. The South Dakota campus is close to the Hill and there are a few people I know who bike there. Any reason you didn't put the name of the charters? I am thinking they are Mundo Verde, Stokes Spanish, and Stokes French.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm inbounds for Tubman, live on the east side of Columbia Heights, work on Capitol Hill. I anticipate leaving the DC area in the next few years; so we don't need a longterm solution; just a safe, nurturing and effective learning environment with quality aftercare for the next 3-4 years, and no terrible commute. Prefer some language instruction but I'm not fussed about immersion.

Right now, I'm thinking:
Creative Minds
Inspired Teaching
Lee
Breakthrough
Bridges
EL Haynes
Center City
Tubman
Powell
Appletree
Bruce Monroe


I might throw Stokes and Cap City in there too, although I haven't had a chance to attend information sessions. I figure we'll probably end up at Tubman and will probably prefer that to continuing daycare. It has the distinct advantage of being 2 blocks from my house.

I think you will probably get Center City before Tubman.

Interesting. I may toy with the ranking of Center City if I can find more information about it. I haven't found much feedback online. My husband went to the information session and was impressed, albeit not as impressed as we were by some of the more demanded charters.

Anonymous wrote:I'm inbounds for Tubman, live on the east side of Columbia Heights, work on Capitol Hill. I anticipate leaving the DC area in the next few years; so we don't need a longterm solution; just a safe, nurturing and effective learning environment with quality aftercare for the next 3-4 years, and no terrible commute. Prefer some language instruction but I'm not fussed about immersion.

Right now, I'm thinking:
Creative Minds
Inspired Teaching
Lee
Breakthrough
Bridges
EL Haynes
Center City
Tubman
Powell
Appletree
Bruce Monroe


I might throw Stokes and Cap City in there too, although I haven't had a chance to attend information sessions. I figure we'll probably end up at Tubman and will probably prefer that to continuing daycare. It has the distinct advantage of being 2 blocks from my house.

I think you will probably get Center City before Tubman.

I'm inbounds for Tubman, live on the east side of Columbia Heights, work on Capitol Hill. I anticipate leaving the DC area in the next few years; so we don't need a longterm solution; just a safe, nurturing and effective learning environment with quality aftercare for the next 3-4 years, and no terrible commute. Prefer some language instruction but I'm not fussed about immersion.

Right now, I'm thinking:
Creative Minds
Inspired Teaching
Lee
Breakthrough
Bridges
EL Haynes
Center City
Tubman
Powell
Appletree
Bruce Monroe


I might throw Stokes and Cap City in there too, although I haven't had a chance to attend information sessions. I figure we'll probably end up at Tubman and will probably prefer that to continuing daycare. It has the distinct advantage of being 2 blocks from my house.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd be interested in any helpful intel on some of my down-ballot choices. Main priorities are just that a school is warm and child-friendly and not suuuper academic and just helps little kids learn to be people. Other priorities are quality aftercare and commute. We're on the Hill now but rent and can move easily (so also not tremendously concerned about after K), but school must be within at least a reasonable biking distance (<10 mins) from a Metro. Because evidently I hate commuting more than I love my DC.

1. Fancy Charter 1!
2. Fancy Charter 2!
3. Fancy Charter 3!
4. Peabody (IB)
5. Van Ness
6. Tyler
7. Miner
8. William E. Doar
9. J.O. Wilson
10. Seaton
11. Langley
12. Langdon Montessori

I'd add SWS near the top of the list since you are on the Hill.

I'm afraid if we don't get into 1-3, we're definitely not going to get into SWS. It would be lovely though!