Anonymous
03/18/2025 13:10
Subject: Kindergarten - help us decide!
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We are considering Beauvoir, WES, and Primary Day
These are all very similar in certain ways. Have you toured each and attended the visit days? Beauvoir is a big feeder into single sex education starting in 4th, if that is what you want then easy choice. Research NCS and STA to see if that suits your child, not that you really know now at age 5.
I have heard good things about the culture at WES but have no firsthand experience there. Does is feel warm there in terms of the community? If so I would be most interested in it. I would pick primary day last because they feed into Landon and Holton or at least used to and those were not appealing to us. Where do you live? Do you belong to a country club? How would you describe your family’s values and what you want for your child’s educational experience?
Thank you. OP here. We have spent time at each of these schools and like all three. We live in Bethesda and do not belong to a country club. We prioritize our child being in a warm, nurturing school that also offers a solid academic experience.
Anonymous
03/18/2025 08:56
Subject: Kindergarten - help us decide!
I would pick the school with the most experienced teachers (look at their education levels and degrees in faculty list on websites) some private school teachers lack the training you assume they have. Which school focuses on child development in the early years and which has the smallest classes with the most developmentally appropriate curriculum. As in freedom to explore and build things with blocks as well as pre reading or reading etc.
You want a very warm child centered not adult centered environment for the early years and you want teachers who get little kids , especially if you have a boy.
You want a very warm child centered not adult centered environment for the early years and you want teachers who get little kids , especially if you have a boy.
Anonymous
03/18/2025 08:52
Subject: Kindergarten - help us decide!
Anonymous wrote:We are considering Beauvoir, WES, and Primary Day
These are all very similar in certain ways. Have you toured each and attended the visit days? Beauvoir is a big feeder into single sex education starting in 4th, if that is what you want then easy choice. Research NCS and STA to see if that suits your child, not that you really know now at age 5.
I have heard good things about the culture at WES but have no firsthand experience there. Does is feel warm there in terms of the community? If so I would be most interested in it. I would pick primary day last because they feed into Landon and Holton or at least used to and those were not appealing to us. Where do you live? Do you belong to a country club? How would you describe your family’s values and what you want for your child’s educational experience?
Anonymous
03/18/2025 08:37
Subject: Kindergarten - help us decide!
We chose Bullis. Teachers seem great - one of them has a doctorate - they value their K teachers apparently. New building looks amazing, but I liked the fact that the head told us NOT to choose Bullis because of the campus and buildings; choose it because of the people.
Anonymous
03/18/2025 08:31
Subject: Kindergarten - help us decide!
Anonymous wrote:Ha! Who are you? Don't you realize this board is for anonymous BS and random anecdotal prejudice aimed at making the contributor feel better about themselves, their children and their decisions. Please take your scientific research and data elsewhere; this board isn't for you.
🤣 + 1
Anonymous
03/18/2025 05:49
Subject: Kindergarten - help us decide!
Choose the cheapest and safest.
They are not going to teach how to build rockets!
They are not going to teach how to build rockets!
Anonymous
03/18/2025 02:04
Subject: Kindergarten - help us decide!
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:How important is the K-8 model to you? That’s the real decision here.
If I had to pick among those three I’d choose Beauvoir because I’d weigh the better outplacement options higher than the K-8 model.
Better how? Outplacement in 3rd? Much rather my child go through that process at 8th. They know themselves and their needs better. They are closer to college, and that experience in 8th will prepare them better.
Talk to some parents who have been through it before you conclude that. 8th grade exmissions is extremely competitive and the transition to high school can make 9th a lonely and hard year. It works fine for some kids, but it's very easy to gloss over what it will be like when you're an incoming K parent.
This is precisely why it’s important to do it in 8th—because they will know themselves and what is important to them far better for choosing a college.
Spoken with the ignorant confidence of someone who’s never been through the process and doesn’t know the scene. Can’t tell you how many parents I know who waited until 9th whose children had to settle for a school that wasn’t the best fit.
9th grade admissions is fiercely competitive and only getting more so. Your DC might be brilliant and turned down by all of their top choices. If you want a decent chance at the top schools, apply in the earlier grades, no later than 6th so you have time to reapply if your DC doesn’t get in during the first round.
If you think a 13-year old knows themselves and has a clue about what colleges would best fit, let me tell you about this bridge I have to sell…
By 9/10, you should have a sense of your child’s personality and their strengths and inclinations. Of course things can change, but a math/techie kid is not suddenly going to turn into an artistic genius.
… blink …
A 13yo will not be choosing a college.
The point is that going through *any* process that requires a child to be thinking about the type of learner they are, what kind of environment they might enjoy, what kind of programs appeal to them will be helpful when they apply to college.
Of course it isn’t the same as applying to college.
I have kids in private, and have watched friends/siblings go through outplacement. My conclusions are based on those conversations. And outplacement overall has been successful for most kids.
Anonymous
03/17/2025 21:58
Subject: Kindergarten - help us decide!
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:How important is the K-8 model to you? That’s the real decision here.
If I had to pick among those three I’d choose Beauvoir because I’d weigh the better outplacement options higher than the K-8 model.
Bvr is just not a very academic school. Ask majority of any 4th grade parents who went through bvr and they will tell you that. primary day and WES will prepare you for beyond.
Yeah, OP, Beauvoir isn't that great. It attracts top families but they haven't had a good program in years.
Primary Day is outstanding from an academic and child development perspective. WES probably is much better too.
Anonymous
03/17/2025 21:42
Subject: Kindergarten - help us decide!
Anonymous wrote:How important is the K-8 model to you? That’s the real decision here.
If I had to pick among those three I’d choose Beauvoir because I’d weigh the better outplacement options higher than the K-8 model.
Bvr is just not a very academic school. Ask majority of any 4th grade parents who went through bvr and they will tell you that. primary day and WES will prepare you for beyond.
Anonymous
03/17/2025 18:45
Subject: Kindergarten - help us decide!
Anonymous wrote:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0885200620300806
"In an extensive longitudinal analysis of data from the Tennessee STAR study, Chetty et al. (2011) demonstrated the importance of the kindergarten classroom environment for wages at age 27, an important adult outcome. Smaller class size (under 15 children) and teachers with more than 10 years experience were the two indices of quality they had, and they were quick to acknowledge that they were unsure of the mechanisms that produced the effect:
Our analysis shows that the classroom a student was assigned to in early childhood matters for outcomes 20 years later, but does not shed light on which specific factors should be manipulated to improve adult outcomes. Further research on which factors contribute to high “class quality” would be extremely valuable in light of the results reported here (p.1595).
Confirming the importance of kindergarten, several studies have shown that the gains children make from pre-k to 1st grade are predictive of achievement outcomes even into adolescence (e.g., Watts, Duncan, & Davis-Kean, 2014). Examining 3rd grade reading and math outcomes, Pianta, Belsky, Vandergrift, Houts, and Morrison (2008) found that 93% of the total change in reading and 76% of the total change in math skills had occurred by first grade."
How refreshing. Thank you for sharing data on your point. I feel even better about our decision to start at K!
Anonymous
03/17/2025 17:44
Subject: Kindergarten - help us decide!
Ha! Who are you? Don't you realize this board is for anonymous BS and random anecdotal prejudice aimed at making the contributor feel better about themselves, their children and their decisions. Please take your scientific research and data elsewhere; this board isn't for you.
Anonymous
03/17/2025 16:27
Subject: Kindergarten - help us decide!
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0885200620300806
"In an extensive longitudinal analysis of data from the Tennessee STAR study, Chetty et al. (2011) demonstrated the importance of the kindergarten classroom environment for wages at age 27, an important adult outcome. Smaller class size (under 15 children) and teachers with more than 10 years experience were the two indices of quality they had, and they were quick to acknowledge that they were unsure of the mechanisms that produced the effect:
Our analysis shows that the classroom a student was assigned to in early childhood matters for outcomes 20 years later, but does not shed light on which specific factors should be manipulated to improve adult outcomes. Further research on which factors contribute to high “class quality” would be extremely valuable in light of the results reported here (p.1595).
Confirming the importance of kindergarten, several studies have shown that the gains children make from pre-k to 1st grade are predictive of achievement outcomes even into adolescence (e.g., Watts, Duncan, & Davis-Kean, 2014). Examining 3rd grade reading and math outcomes, Pianta, Belsky, Vandergrift, Houts, and Morrison (2008) found that 93% of the total change in reading and 76% of the total change in math skills had occurred by first grade."
"In an extensive longitudinal analysis of data from the Tennessee STAR study, Chetty et al. (2011) demonstrated the importance of the kindergarten classroom environment for wages at age 27, an important adult outcome. Smaller class size (under 15 children) and teachers with more than 10 years experience were the two indices of quality they had, and they were quick to acknowledge that they were unsure of the mechanisms that produced the effect:
Our analysis shows that the classroom a student was assigned to in early childhood matters for outcomes 20 years later, but does not shed light on which specific factors should be manipulated to improve adult outcomes. Further research on which factors contribute to high “class quality” would be extremely valuable in light of the results reported here (p.1595).
Confirming the importance of kindergarten, several studies have shown that the gains children make from pre-k to 1st grade are predictive of achievement outcomes even into adolescence (e.g., Watts, Duncan, & Davis-Kean, 2014). Examining 3rd grade reading and math outcomes, Pianta, Belsky, Vandergrift, Houts, and Morrison (2008) found that 93% of the total change in reading and 76% of the total change in math skills had occurred by first grade."