Need guidance for PreK or Kindergarten school, Arlington VA (Wakefield: apartment, day care)

[satishdasari]

Hey all,

We moved to an apartment in Crystal City, Arlington VA 6 months ago and are new to this neighborhood. Our 4 yr old daughter is currently going to a day care. Since we take metro to work in DC; my wife having hectic schedules at work, considering us paying more than $1400 pm for day care is biting heavily on bills. Since my kid is ready to attend KG next year, we have lots of questions in mind:

1) Daycare vs Preschool
2) Are there any good Preschools in Arlington area?
3) What are our options for good elementary schools for KG for FY 2012 starting September 2011?

Again, your guidance and comments are appreciated. Thanks in Advance.

S

[momtotwoboys]

When does your dd turn 5? She has to turn 5 by September 30 to attend Kindergarten. In Arlington, your address will determine what your choices are for elem school.

There are many excellent preschools in Arlington. You will find that most of them are half day unless it is in a daycare setting. Many of them are run through churches (but not neccesarily a heavily religious curriculum).

I am not familiar with the various daycare options but hopefully someone else can help!

[satishdasari]

Thanks for the information. Our daughter will turn into five by September 30'th. We live pretty close to the crystal city shopping area, close to all restaurants. Given by address, do you know is there any website online to determine which school district shall we belong to?

Yes, when we enquired about Keshet Child Development Center, they have very competitive program. However as you mentioned, they close by 1PM. Then we would have to hire a Nanny/baby sitter to take care of the kid until one of us comes back home.

Anyway, thanks for your valuable comments.

[stpickrell]

Arlington Public Schools | Boundary (Attendance Area) Locator (http://www.apsva.us/15401081104047187/site/default.asp - broken link)

It has some links. I'm guessing from the boundary maps that you are zoned for Oakridge-Gunston-Wakefield.

If you like Arlington otherwise and have the savings, this is a problem that corrects itself -- I don't know what options there are for after-school care in Arlington since we moved out when DD was 15 months. But before/after school care is certainly cheaper than preschool care.

[momtotwoboys]

And Kindergarten is full day in Arlington so you would only need after care from about 3:45 until pick up. I know there was before/after care when I taught in Arlington but not sure if is guaranteed or a waiting list situation like in ffx county.

[satishdasari]

Originally Posted by stpickrell

Arlington Public Schools | Boundary (Attendance Area) Locator (http://www.apsva.us/15401081104047187/site/default.asp - broken link)

It has some links. I'm guessing from the boundary maps that you are zoned for Oakridge-Gunston-Wakefield.

If you like Arlington otherwise and have the savings, this is a problem that corrects itself -- I don't know what options there are for after-school care in Arlington since we moved out when DD was 15 months. But before/after school care is certainly cheaper than preschool care.

I really appreciate sending those links to me. When I looked at one of the PDF documents, I figured out that our area comes under Oakridge Elementary School zone. greatschools.org has 6 out of 10 ratings for this schools. Do you have any idea about this school?

[satishdasari]

Originally Posted by momtotwoboys

And Kindergarten is full day in Arlington so you would only need after care from about 3:45 until pick up. I know there was before/after care when I taught in Arlington but not sure if is guaranteed or a waiting list situation like in ffx county.

Waiting list!!! Wow... I am glad that you have thrown light on waiting scenario. I have no clue on that. Do you think that we need to call the elementary school now and make sure to apply for the school as well as for after school care? It's only January now.

[momtotwoboys]

It wouldn't hurt to call the school and ask about before/aftercare. If you live in the boundary for the area you don't have to apply for the school (unless you are trying to get into one of the lottery based schools) but you might have to get on a list for the Extended Day Program (after school care). I know that in ffx county getting into SACC can have quite a waiting list but I am not sure about Arlington. Most of the schools will have a Kindergarten Open House in the Spring, but I would call now just to be on the safe side.

[satishdasari]

Originally Posted by momtotwoboys

It wouldn't hurt to call the school and ask about before/aftercare. If you live in the boundary for the area you don't have to apply for the school (unless you are trying to get into one of the lottery based schools) but you might have to get on a list for the Extended Day Program (after school care). I know that in ffx county getting into SACC can have quite a waiting list but I am not sure about Arlington. Most of the schools will have a Kindergarten Open House in the Spring, but I would call now just to be on the safe side.

Thank you very much for you insight. We have no clue that KG starts in Spring. Moreover as mentioned earlier, my daughter would turn 5 only in Sep' 2011. Probably we will have to wait until September for her to attend the school. We need to check on the schools in OakRidge since we come under that school zone. Thanks once again.

[momtotwoboys]

I don't think I was very clear! The schools will have an Open House in the Spring for all of the children eligible to start Kindergarten in the fall. As long as she turns 5 by September 30 she will be eligible to start Kinder in the fall of 2011. At the Open House, they will go over curriculum, behavior expectations and orient parents on what to expect in September. it is for the parents, not the kids. Hope this helps!