Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's sad is that what's best for our kids takes a back seat to not being shut out by waiting. Your DC may not be ready right now, but if you don't apply and take a spot now you may be SOL later. We all lose in this game!

I disagree with using the term "sad". The option for free PK3 and PK4 is very rare in DC. You don't have to participate in the madness if you do not want. K is a good year to enter charters so if you opt to keep your child at home you have that right, but don't call it sad because its a daunting process if you wish to participate. All I see about preschool craziness in lotteries etc baffles me, it's more of an entitlement feeling from other parents rather than looking at it as a great benefit to utilize to offset expensive daycare and prepare our youngsters for Kinder (even of you're destined to a tier 2 option).

Say what? You sound so completely out of touch and I try to be respectful on this site but -- really? Perhaps it is just that you do not fully appreciate what the system means to children whose families do not live within bounds for a decent school. This isn't a matter of looking a "gift horse" (free preschool) in the mouth. This is feeling forced into sending a child to all day every day preschool because if you do not, your child will have a VERY small chance of getting into a workable public or charter school in kindergarten, which is mandatory. So yes, on the surface, DC's free preschool is nice. But it is very clearly geared toward children who need childcare. Those who do not need childcare, or those who believe their kids are better off with their nanny / play based preschool / whatever, still end up going to those preschools. Why? Because of the way the lottery works. If a school has a PS3, that is where the entry points are. If a school has a PK4, that's the entry point. So the slots get filled up by the students who get their toddler sized feet in the door. By the time my kid hits kindergarten, the only spots left are if a kid moves or ends up in a school that is a better fit. That kind of movement is comparatively minuscule when you think of the numbers of children applying. So it's far from feeling entitled. I would happily skip the DC public and charter school preschool. The problem is that by skipping it, I'm basically stuck with my in bounds. Which has had problems with violence (in elementary school) and where the children do not really get recess, and have gym 1x a week (for a half an hour!). I don't want my kids in that environment, so I feel stuck.

How is that entitlement exactly?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Please take your head out of your ass. Seriously, just give it a try.

My family makes 60K a year. We are not upper class and I'm not sure we qualify as "middle class" in this city, though there are few cities where that logic would apply. Are you seriously that out of fucking touch with reality that you can't see that a family who might be able to save up and afford 2K per kid for two years for a private / coop preschool might not be able to pay 15K (rock bottom entry point by all accounts) for private for 12 more years? Holy shit. This is why people are accusing you of trolling. You are an upper middle class parent trying to school me on entitlement. LOL, lady! I am not GRATEFUL that these things are not income based, because I think they should be serving poor kids (Poorer than my family, in fact) and NOT providing a wealthy, entitled asswipe with free daycare. Goddamn, you are the dumbest person I've encountered on this site. Maybe you should go to school with your kids and learn to read?

You need to look step back and look at other Private options - as well as understand that at 60K you will get FA at school. Sacred Heart in Columbia Heights is bi-lingual and less than $6K a year Christian Family Montessori - is around $7K. This is will under the $15K you quoted.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also - note that many parents coming out on the other side of the tunnel on the lottery thing aren't saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it." They are either saying some variation of live with it, deal with it, or "I've got mine, it's your problem now." while pretending this has been a win for all kids. LOL. If they were telling the truth, they'd say "we are hanging on to a rope in an extremely dysfunctional system and I'm terrified of ANY movement that might jeopardize my tenuous foothold."

I think that's what all the irritation and ire from the charter school system boosters is coming from. They are terrified that we'll rock the boat.

Guess what? We're going to.

So what do you propose to do? I'm not terrified or hanging on a rope-- the system is working fine for my family. That is the truth. Now, what I don't feel good about is the many children in primarily Wards 7 and 8 that are stuck in bad schools. I don't care about middle-class families that are able to keep their children home until K or afford private programs.

So give up your slot and go save 'em phony. Not likely. Anyone who doesn't care about all kids isn't much of an altruistic person. You're a reverse racist scum. Higher SES families are struggling too. Hose children are just as deserving as the Ward 7 and 8 kids.

It would actually be better if you were a troll, but I'm pretty sure you're serious. Are you listening to yourself? No, obviously not. "Higher SES families are struggling too... those children are just as deserving as Ward 7 and 8 kids"??? Wait, maybe you are a troll? Because you are either a troll or delusional if you think the PUBLIC education system, set up to serve families who either cannot afford to send their kids to school or value/prioritize factors that make them choose a public school even if they could afford private, PUBLIC schools are NOT set up to serve higer SES families, nor are the kids of higher SES families "just as deserving" of free quality schools as Ward 7 and 8 kids. If DC was all high SES families (which it seems like in another decade or 2 it may just be!), then the conversation about how tax payer money should be spent becomes totally different. Public education exists to try (emphasis on TRY) to address the resource and education gap, which turns into a major opportunity gap, of those who cannot afford to pay for schools. All countries with thriving economies have some version of public education, because that's how you have at least a baseline educatied workforce. The idea that while DC is still economically mixed, high SES families kids' are just as much in "need" of quality free public schools as Ward 7 and 8 kids is delusional.

So now I'm still on the fence re: whether you're a troll or not, but I know one thing: you calling someone a reverse racist scum because they said they are only worried about families and kids with no options and don't care about wealthy families (because we all know they'll be fine - they have waaaay more choices), is a sure sign you're crazy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also - note that many parents coming out on the other side of the tunnel on the lottery thing aren't saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it." They are either saying some variation of live with it, deal with it, or "I've got mine, it's your problem now." while pretending this has been a win for all kids. LOL. If they were telling the truth, they'd say "we are hanging on to a rope in an extremely dysfunctional system and I'm terrified of ANY movement that might jeopardize my tenuous foothold."

I think that's what all the irritation and ire from the charter school system boosters is coming from. They are terrified that we'll rock the boat.

Guess what? We're going to.

Don't be silly, no-one could be less afraid of you.

If you want to support early education in general, and your child in particular, your fantasy of being a crusader is working in opposition to your aim. Your rallying cry against the evil charters, who are trying to bring free pre-school, language education, and school-choice to the District, is not actually the motivator which you imagine it to be.

"Be the change" you want to see, right? So, instead of bitching and moaning because you don't like someone else's model, go write a charter and be the change.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also - note that many parents coming out on the other side of the tunnel on the lottery thing aren't saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it." They are either saying some variation of live with it, deal with it, or "I've got mine, it's your problem now." while pretending this has been a win for all kids. LOL. If they were telling the truth, they'd say "we are hanging on to a rope in an extremely dysfunctional system and I'm terrified of ANY movement that might jeopardize my tenuous foothold."

I think that's what all the irritation and ire from the charter school system boosters is coming from. They are terrified that we'll rock the boat.

Guess what? We're going to.

So what do you propose to do? I'm not terrified or hanging on a rope-- the system is working fine for my family. That is the truth. Now, what I don't feel good about is the many children in primarily Wards 7 and 8 that are stuck in bad schools. I don't care about middle-class families that are able to keep their children home until K or afford private programs.

So give up your slot and go save 'em phony. Not likely. Anyone who doesn't care about all kids isn't much of an altruistic person. You're a reverse racist scum. Higher SES families are struggling too. Hose children are just as deserving as the Ward 7 and 8 kids.

Anonymous wrote:Also - note that many parents coming out on the other side of the tunnel on the lottery thing aren't saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it." They are either saying some variation of live with it, deal with it, or "I've got mine, it's your problem now." while pretending this has been a win for all kids. LOL. If they were telling the truth, they'd say "we are hanging on to a rope in an extremely dysfunctional system and I'm terrified of ANY movement that might jeopardize my tenuous foothold."

I think that's what all the irritation and ire from the charter school system boosters is coming from. They are terrified that we'll rock the boat.

Guess what? We're going to.

Anonymous wrote:I am very much not a troll and I agree that there is a lot of entitlement on this thread. First, this is a poor city that had for many years extremely poor citizens. The city designed the free PS and PK as an offshoot of Head Start to provide free early education to kids whose parents can't afford it. It's great that you would prefer to have your child spend time with a nanny or you and only attend preschool part time. Then do that. But it is entitled to demand that the city offer you the free preschool that you want in addition to the free preschool that the city believes the poor children of this city need. Second, the problem that people seem to have really stems from your own decision to live in a neighborhood that does not offer a school that you find acceptable. Living here requires trade offs. If you choose to live in the biggest house you can afford in a transitional neighborhood then you have to play the lottery and take the full day PS and PK. If you want to pick your preschool and still have a guaranteed K then you will have to move to a neighborhood that allows that.

Anonymous wrote:Also - note that many parents coming out on the other side of the tunnel on the lottery thing aren't saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it." They are either saying some variation of live with it, deal with it, or "I've got mine, it's your problem now." while pretending this has been a win for all kids. LOL. If they were telling the truth, they'd say "we are hanging on to a rope in an extremely dysfunctional system and I'm terrified of ANY movement that might jeopardize my tenuous foothold."

I think that's what all the irritation and ire from the charter school system boosters is coming from. They are terrified that we'll rock the boat.

Guess what? We're going to.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also - note that many parents coming out on the other side of the tunnel on the lottery thing aren't saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it." They are either saying some variation of live with it, deal with it, or "I've got mine, it's your problem now." while pretending this has been a win for all kids. LOL. If they were telling the truth, they'd say "we are hanging on to a rope in an extremely dysfunctional system and I'm terrified of ANY movement that might jeopardize my tenuous foothold."

I think that's what all the irritation and ire from the charter school system boosters is coming from. They are terrified that we'll rock the boat.

Guess what? We're going to.

So what do you propose to do? I'm not terrified or hanging on a rope-- the system is working fine for my family. That is the truth. Now, what I don't feel good about is the many children in primarily Wards 7 and 8 that are stuck in bad schools. I don't care about middle-class families that are able to keep their children home until K or afford private programs.

So give up your slot and go save 'em phony. Not likely. Anyone who doesn't care about all kids isn't much of an altruistic person. You're a reverse racist scum. Higher SES families are struggling too. Hose children are just as deserving as the Ward 7 and 8 kids. [/quot

I don't need to care about kids that have resources. If you can pay for private or live off of one income-- you are not struggling. Also, you are seriously angry-- laughable too. "reverse racist scum"-- You clearly have reading comprehension issues-- I never said anything about saving anyone--my point was that the children really suffering have limited resources and likely live in areas of the city where poverty is concentrated. If your family can't afford private or live off of one income, you are not included in my point. Instead of writing like you are going to die of high blood pressure, calm down and make suggestions. You never seem to answer any questions, but attack.