Oh, OP, cry me a river. We all pay taxes here. We just got shut out for the 4th straight year. Now we will move to escape our terrible inbounds school, because we have run out of options and time.

It sounds like you got tired of paying taxes for some other family's kids to go to your neighborhood preschool. Am I wrong?

You don't save 15k when your child starts school. You will be paying for aftercare, summer camps, perhaps spring break and winter break camps and, if you need it, care for the many days schools are closed due to professional development days. All of this added up costs me about 6k per year, possibly more.

OP, there's a good chance that in my 15 years in DC I have paid far more in taxes than you have. Does that mean my kid should get a seat over your kids?

It's more about commitment to the city, having been here through the dark times. We all pay our share.

OP, what does your list look like? Are you applying to Round 2?

I think we're going with Miner or Payne if they'll have us. The only real concern after that is about the aftercare programs. Any experience out there with them?

If you are angry about this, think about people who are REALLY shut out of the system and have no recourse (moving away, private school, etc.) Lots of people in this city are trapped here in a system that doesn't seem to want to improve.

Perspective.

OP, there's a good chance that in my 15 years in DC I have paid far more in taxes than you have. Does that mean my kid should get a seat over your kids?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Waitlist movement can be tracked through the My Schools site for the first time this year, so you don't have to sit by the phone. They also say that results can be via email.

How can you track waitlist movement through My School DC? Can you please be specific? I don't see a way to do that and thought I would need to keep calling the school. Thanks. (I'm not the OP.)

When you log in, your waitlist numbers will change in real time. I wouldn't expect changes until May, though, since 5/1 is the enrollment deadline.

OP, what does your list look like? Are you applying to Round 2?

Anonymous wrote:

I really can't stand people like OP who think that longer residency entitles them to a school more than any other citizen of the city. And I say that as a 20+ year resident.

No. you say that as a person who won the lottery. If you hadn't, you'd feel similar to me.

No, I was in your position and I was bummed, not angry. I have moved on.

From your description you live in bounds to a high quality school. In that regard, you are much luckier than many in this city.

Oh, OP, cry me a river. We all pay taxes here. We just got shut out for the 4th straight year. Now we will move to escape our terrible inbounds school, because we have run out of options and time.

I really can't stand people like OP who think that longer residency entitles them to a school more than any other citizen of the city. And I say that as a 20+ year resident.

No. you say that as a person who won the lottery. If you hadn't, you'd feel similar to me.

I really can't stand people like OP who think that longer residency entitles them to a school more than any other citizen of the city. And I say that as a 20+ year resident.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those who say 'oh just keep doing what you're doing for another year', well that's fine and all but essentially by losing the lottery you're out about $15k. So maybe that's why OP is angry.

As has been pointed out, there will be spots someplace in town. Maybe not in the dream school or the super-fine location.

Thems the breaks when you feel like you just cannot pay for childcare another year like every other middle class parent in every single other city must do.

The vast majority of 3 year olds that I know in DC attend public schools. Anyone have those stats?

100% of the 3 yr olds I know attend non-public preschool, and have a nanny/sahm, or go to a commercial licensed daycare.

So now we have two anecdotes.

Do you live IB for the JKLM schools that don't offer PK3? That might explain why.

OP needs to advocate for a 30-year residency preference. Surely someone who just bought a house down the street isn't entitled to equal opportunity to secure a lottery space for FREE PK. After all, hast the DC Government been holding her taxes in escrow for the past three decades? Perhaps Change.org?

This entitlement attitude is appalling. Yes, high quality public pre-K 3 and 4 are nice to have. It is great that DCPS has them and there definitely are seats left untaken every year, although probably not in the most desirable schools.

DCPS is unique in making this available but it is so much more than what the vast majority of school systems do for early childhood education.

And chances are, at the most in demand schools, the number of ECE seats will go down as they run out of space for the grades that they are required to take all IB students for. Such is life.

We did not get the benefit of pre-K4 (preK3 was not even an option) and we paid for another year of daycare/preschool. I was bummed we did not get lucky but Id id not feel angry that I did not receive something that I was entitled to.