Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, how does school work in the DC area -- is there after-school care at the public schools? At our current school district, all the public schools have YMCA after-school care available for only $233/month... I'm not sure how much the after-school care costs in DC?

Stay in Madison, Wisconsin.
You will not find aftercare fore less than 450 per month per kid

More people who don't know what they are talking about. FCPS SACC (School Aged Child Care) program --- you had better get on the list NOW (you can get on the list 14 mos. prior to starting kindergarten) --- costs about $300/month. Chances are you are not going to get a spot for this fall, so you'll have to go with a private day care that has aftercare or a sitter who will pick up. The center are more expensive (($120-150/wk).

Yes, but you might find different openings at different schools. Check with the different schools you are looking at if it helps with your decision.

I don't know what after school care is like at our school (one of the West Springfield schools recommended in earlier threads), but when I walk by the room it doesn't look very full. Many, many moms in our neighborhood are stay at home, and several kids get picked up by grandparents or nannies. It seems like most of the kids go home with someone after school, so it might be easier to get into afterschool care in a school like this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, how does school work in the DC area -- is there after-school care at the public schools? At our current school district, all the public schools have YMCA after-school care available for only $233/month... I'm not sure how much the after-school care costs in DC?

Stay in Madison, Wisconsin.
You will not find aftercare fore less than 450 per month per kid

More people who don't know what they are talking about. FCPS SACC (School Aged Child Care) program --- you had better get on the list NOW (you can get on the list 14 mos. prior to starting kindergarten) --- costs about $300/month. Chances are you are not going to get a spot for this fall, so you'll have to go with a private day care that has aftercare or a sitter who will pick up. The center are more expensive (($120-150/wk).

Anonymous wrote:Also, how does school work in the DC area -- is there after-school care at the public schools? At our current school district, all the public schools have YMCA after-school care available for only $233/month... I'm not sure how much the after-school care costs in DC?

Stay in Madison, Wisconsin.
You will not find aftercare fore less than 450 per month per kid

Anonymous wrote:Wow, do people really try to intentionally avoid schools where there are poor kids? I don't have elementary aged children of my own, so I guess I am clueless, but I'm surprised.

Yes, the do. And yes, you too will do the same.

Anonymous wrote:Because it is the sole reason many won't recommend Alexandria, which is head-and-shoulders above Springfield. I don't know OP, but maybe she isn't so frightened as many of the suburban masses are to send her kids to a diverse (ethnically and economically) school.

Head and shoulders in what way? Number of high schools in receivership?

Anonymous wrote:Because it is the sole reason many won't recommend Alexandria, which is head-and-shoulders above Springfield. I don't know OP, but maybe she isn't so frightened as many of the suburban masses are to send her kids to a diverse (ethnically and economically) school.

When you say "Alexandria" you need to specify that you are referring to the CITY of Alex. Public Schools... b/c those of us speaking of Kingstowne (Hayfield and Island Creek schoools) are referring OP to the Alexandria portion of Fairfax County Public Schools.

And by the way, the two schools I mentioned are very diverse, they just have low FARMs (less than 15%). When you go over to schools in Springfield (those off the parkway) such as Orange Hunt and Sangster, you tend to get a more white student population and a very low FARMs rate too. All of these schools have good test scores, are close to Springfield and commuting options, and close to the retail center of Kingstowne Town Center (which is easy to get to, easy to park at, and not as stressful as some other popular areas).

I would suggest looking into the area of Burke that feeds into Kings Park Elementary School. This is a K-3 school, so it would be ideal for your son. Kings Park is a gem of a school, very warm and nurturing with it's focus on the younger elementary grades.
A nice mix of townhouses and single family homes in the area, too.

Because it is the sole reason many won't recommend Alexandria, which is head-and-shoulders above Springfield. I don't know OP, but maybe she isn't so frightened as many of the suburban masses are to send her kids to a diverse (ethnically and economically) school.

Hey, FARMS vs no FARMS people, why don't you start a different thread to carry on your argument?

It does nothing but get in the way of an otherwise very productive, helpful and civil thread about relocating to Springfield.

OP, do NOT consider Montgomery County; the commute to Springfield is terrible. My in-laws live in the Springfield area (22152 zip code) and their neighborhood is quite nice. There is no reason to look outside the Springfield/Burke area if your DH wants an easy commute.

We live in the 22152 zipcode. It takes about 10 mins or so to get to Ft. Belvoir. My husband commutes to Department of Labor - near C st NW, so way into the city. He slugs. He usually drives to Bob's (a parking lot that used to be a Circuit City) and slugs in. On days where he does that, it takes him about 40-50 minutes each way. If you were going to the Georgetown area, it would probably take you 35-45 minutes.

There are times where he needs to leave his car for an oil change or something, and there are plenty of busses that run right to the metro (and right by the slug line). But if you add a bus to your commute, of course that adds time, because they only run so frequently.

Springfield to Dupont in 50 minutes by train is realistic - I used to ride at Vienna or dunn loring metro at 8:00 and get to work near Gallery place by 8:45. (taking the train from the end-of-the-line and transferring to red.) Springfield to Rosslyn/Foggy Bottom by train, then walking over the bridge or transferring to a bus for $1.50 would not be a bad transit commute at all, and when you get on at the first stop, you usually get a seat.

Anonymous wrote:Rationalize your decisions anyway you want. Just remember, people used to say the same thing about going to school with kids of color. You are the 21st century version of those folks. Congrats!

Then tell me the benefits of going to a school with 40%+ free/reduced price lunch students as opposed to one with say 10% or 20% FARMS students.

Of course there are FARMS kids who are well-behaved, either from a good family or just innately.

(Before the classist cries come out, my ES has a FARMS rating of 25% and I moved here from an area with a FARMS percentage of under 10%.)

City of Alexandria.

West Springfield or Burke are better options than Kingstowne (better schools, nicer areas), given that Metro access isn't really going to be that useful for either of you. I think most likely if you commute to Georgetown and he works in Springfield, you are going to need two cars unless he wants to take buses. Otherwise, you could slug to DC, but he would have to shuttle you to and from the slug lots or you'd have to take a bus. It's hard to function with one car out in the suburbs, especially if you have kids.