Anonymous wrote: Generally speaking, I'm in the private school is nuts camp. But if you've already committed to 35K in tuition, don't walk away from it. Let your child enjoy a cushy K experience you've already paid for, and trust that you will get into a charter or DC PS school in higher grades when it is necessary. It is a lot easier to find a space at first grade or higher than for kindergarten or lower.

But you may end up in exactly the same situation again next year.

Anonymous wrote:

What!!! Why on earth should they trust they will get into a charter? Oh wait, are you a religious nutter? Cause only someone who thought they were morally superior would just "trust" this. The point here is that she has a clear and known path to an entire educational experience with which she'd be happy.

What!! Why on earth should they trust they will be happy with the entire next 13 years of school? Oh wait, are you a religious nutter? Cause only someone who thought they were morally superior would just "trust" that a school ithey've never personally experienced will be good for the next 13 years for a kid who's all of 4 years old today.

The point here is that she can't possibly be certain which path will provide a better educational experience and that your personal bias is causing you to not even notice your lack of logic.

Not PP - the issue is that she says she can't afford the private in the long term. If she could, this would be a no brainer.

What!!! Why on earth should they trust they will get into a charter? Oh wait, are you a religious nutter? Cause only someone who thought they were morally superior would just "trust" this. The point here is that she has a clear and known path to an entire educational experience with which she'd be happy.

What!! Why on earth should they trust they will be happy with the entire next 13 years of school? Oh wait, are you a religious nutter? Cause only someone who thought they were morally superior would just "trust" that a school ithey've never personally experienced will be good for the next 13 years for a kid who's all of 4 years old today.

The point here is that she can't possibly be certain which path will provide a better educational experience and that your personal bias is causing you to not even notice your lack of logic.

how about you just go private and let someone else have the OOB public school spot since you can afford to?

Anonymous wrote: Generally speaking, I'm in the private school is nuts camp. But if you've already committed to 35K in tuition, don't walk away from it. Let your child enjoy a cushy K experience you've already paid for, and trust that you will get into a charter or DC PS school in higher grades when it is necessary. It is a lot easier to find a space at first grade or higher than for kindergarten or lower.

What!!! Why on earth should they trust they will get into a charter? Oh wait, are you a religious nutter? Cause only someone who thought they were morally superior would just "trust" this. The point here is that she has a clear and known path to an entire educational experience with which she'd be happy. Whether she stays in K or moves she's out 35k. The only question is what happens in the out years. On one side of the equation is a certainty of free education (the public path), on the other is the possibility of paying for private for 12 more years or moving. How is that a decision? I hate to stir up some sh*t bit I would bet that the people saying "don't walk away from it" or "you'd lose it" are SAHM. Those of us that have to make business decisions and apply logic every day won't keep our jobs with logic (or lack thereof) like that.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks, everyone; this has been very helpful. I did consider sending him to the private for one year, but how easy is it really to get in by lottery for 1st grade? I know fewer people apply, but aren't there also fewer spots available? I agree that private school, especially for a 5-year-old is nuts, but my husband doesn't quite agree.

It's not nuts, it's amazing. In fact, the risk you run in sending your DC to one of the top 5-6 schools is that you will experience a version of the "golden handcuffs: you may feel shackled to the school / experience because you've become accustomed to sweet life.

I never understand why such a large potion of the parent population gives short shrift to the early years of education but places great emphasis on what happens in the classroom in 9-12, maybe 6-12. I think they think it's because it's "just coloring and songs" (I've heard this exact phrasing from more than one person).

In reality, the early years are the greatest brain-plasticity years.

OP here. Thanks, everyone; this has been very helpful. I did consider sending him to the private for one year, but how easy is it really to get in by lottery for 1st grade? I know fewer people apply, but aren't there also fewer spots available? I agree that private school, especially for a 5-year-old is nuts, but my husband doesn't quite agree.

Generally speaking, I'm in the private school is nuts camp. But if you've already committed to 35K in tuition, don't walk away from it. Let your child enjoy a cushy K experience you've already paid for, and trust that you will get into a charter or DC PS school in higher grades when it is necessary. It is a lot easier to find a space at first grade or higher than for kindergarten or lower.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Show up at the private for a couple days, then the public, go back and forth and at the end of the 15 day period, withdraw from private.

LOL, might actually work!

OP said it has to be 15 consecutive days of attendance.

How many hours equals a day of attendance? Could you spend enough hours at each place to be marked present? e.g. Drop at 8 at private, pick up at 11 . . . It would be hard but that's a whole lot of money.

This is what I was thinking too.

Money is money but geez, lets think about the kindergartener-this can't be a good or stable plan for the child's emotions!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Show up at the private for a couple days, then the public, go back and forth and at the end of the 15 day period, withdraw from private.

LOL, might actually work!

OP said it has to be 15 consecutive days of attendance.

How many hours equals a day of attendance? Could you spend enough hours at each place to be marked present? e.g. Drop at 8 at private, pick up at 11 . . . It would be hard but that's a whole lot of money.

This is what I was thinking too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Show up at the private for a couple days, then the public, go back and forth and at the end of the 15 day period, withdraw from private.

LOL, might actually work!

OP said it has to be 15 consecutive days of attendance.

How many hours equals a day of attendance? Could you spend enough hours at each place to be marked present? e.g. Drop at 8 at private, pick up at 11 . . . It would be hard but that's a whole lot of money.

Anonymous wrote:Depends on which schools. If the 35k private is a big three like Sidwell and you got into Shepherd? (does that feed into Hardy?) I would choose Sidwell. Really depends on what schools you are talking about.

Shepherd is actually EOTP and feeds into Deal, not Hardy. But I agree, it depends which WOTP school--not all Hardy feeders are equally sought after. They vary by tests scores, in-boundary %, composition of student body, etc. Not saying there's an obvious best choice, but there are some I'd prefer over others, like Stoddard or Eaton, due to high test scores but still fairly diverse (the rest are Mann, Key, and Hyde-Addison). YMMV.