Private School for Kids Under 3 (Meadow: renting, home, best school)

[EcoMama]

Originally Posted by fndmom

We tried and did not get in at daVinci (for under 3s) the last two years (i have a 3 and 4 year old) and heard around the second or third week of July.

Thank you for this information! This is what I was looking for. To clarify, you mean last year and the year before--you did not try for da Vinci this year? If so, I think that means there might still be hope. Thanks so much!

Originally Posted by fndmom

Apple Creek which is located in either Frisco or Allen also fit the bill, but ultimately is really too far away.

We did also look at Apple Creek and don't mind the drive, but they are also full for fall. I heard great things about this school in the past, but it still feels like a daycare center with multiple locations and whatnot. Also I don't know how well received it is as far as the private schools are concerned. Does anyone know reputable Apple Creek is, and if they have had success feeding into the Tier 1 privates?

[RosieDC]

We are in the same boat with da Vinci. Haven't heard anything but I've heard from everyone not to get my hopes up because no one gets in. I think there are only 10 spots total for kids under 2. I'm glad I sent my son to camp though, it was a positive experience for him.

Have you looked at preston royal preschool? They start at 18 months.

[EcoMama]

Originally Posted by EDS_

IMO your family has set too many restrictions relative to the number of seats available per year around here that violate your one of both of your key restrictions. Further, if your longer term plan includes only Greenhill and or Hockaday the numbers are daunting - what 125/130 total seats per year for girls. And one of those places is more non-religious than the other via enrollment. Lamplighter is awesome - every other able and interested parent in the area considers LL as well getting in is really tough.

At the end of the simple economic competitive game theory applies. Taking emotion and feelings out of the equation - you should apply to every Montessori, any notion that the top several Montessori's around here are anything other than great is misplaced, and every religious school with an outstanding academic reputation. By doing so you'll give your kiddo at least a 5x maybe 6 or 7x better shot at admissions either this year or next.

More later gotta run.

I can appreciate this point of view, and I understand that it is a numbers game. We will apply to more schools at age 3, but because private school is a sacrifice for us, seeking admission at any private school that will take her is just hard to swallow. Considering the alternatives, barring some miracle, I will inevitably have to learn to deal with it. Thank you for your input.

[EcoMama]

Originally Posted by HockDad

If you have not visited St. Alcuin, you might want to reconsider your stance. I am not a huge fan of the its programs as kids older, but I think that its program for 2-4 year olds is quite good. First, lets be real, at 18 months (when kids start), no one is reading or doing math. At St. Alcuin they are teaching kids to behave, play together, hand eye coordination with puzzles, object identification, etc. The teachers are extremely impressive (bright) and the class size is small (lots of individual attention).

Importantly for you, its matriculation rate to Hockaday and Greenhill is impressive. 2 years ago it had more kids accepted to St. Marks than any other school. This past year I understand that lamplighter did better, but you get the point. If you have the right kid with the brains, St. Alcuin will help you get admitted.

You may want to stick your child in St. Alcuin for one year and then if you don't like, try to get in lamplighter (or meadowbrook) the following year when your child is old enough.

Finally, on a personal level, I am not a huge fan of DaVanci. Just my two cents, and opinions are varied, but I would not place it any higher than Lamplighter, Meadowbrook, St. Alcuin, etc.

Thank you the info on St. Alcuin. We haven't toured it yet, but we are probably way too late in the game to have a shot at admission there at this point. Even though they say that their admissions for under 3 are on a rolling basis, I expect that this means they'll take applications year round in case someone moves or otherwise leaves the school. If it is such a great place I'm sure there is a waiting list they would pull from first. I wish we had given it a closer look earlier.

I'm curious what you dislike about da Vinci. For what it's worth, we don't think it is "better" than Lamplighter or Meadowbrook, but it is the only one (besides St. Alcuin) with a program for kids under 3. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

[RosieDC]

Sorry, I'm jumping in here again.

I toured St. Alcuin. I think I would consider it if I didn't work. But since I work and have a Nanny, it doesn't make any sense to send a 21 month old to school 5 days a week. It wasn't feasible as a daycare solution because the latest pick up is 5:30. It's also crazy expensive but probably not much more than paying a Nanny+ taxes.

I'd definitely try St. Alcuin. I got the sense it was more flexible with start dates than the other schools.

I also loved Temple Emanu-el. We aren't jewish but the resources that the preschool has are amazing. They have a kid sized kitchen for cooking classes and a dedicated life sciences/gardening teacher.

[EcoMama]

Originally Posted by RosieDC

We are in the same boat with da Vinci. Haven't heard anything but I've heard from everyone not to get my hopes up because no one gets in. I think there are only 10 spots total for kids under 2. I'm glad I sent my son to camp though, it was a positive experience for him.

I'm so relieved to know I'm not the only one anxiously waiting. I know it really is such a slim chance (especially considering that those few spots are also whittled down by employees' children and kids admitted due to sibling preference!), but I am holding out hope for now. I think there were about 20 kids for our week of camp x 4 weeks of kids = 80 kids (assuming they didn't enroll the same kid in two different camps). 10 slots--doing the math--"slim chance" is probably an understatment. People think we're crazy trying to get our kids in before 3. Just imagine the numbers next year when everyone is trying...uughhhh.

I will post something here to keep you updated if I do hear anything. Staying positive!

[fndmom]

Originally Posted by EcoMama

Thank you for this information! This is what I was looking for. To clarify, you mean last year and the year before--you did not try for da Vinci this year? If so, I think that means there might still be hope. Thanks so much!

Correct, we did not try for daVinci this year. My 4 year old was accepted at one of the Tier 1 privates. I decided to put the 3 year old in the program his brother just finished.

Originally Posted by EcoMama

We did also look at Apple Creek and don't mind the drive, but they are also full for fall. I heard great things about this school in the past, but it still feels like a daycare center with multiple locations and whatnot. Also I don't know how well received it is as far as the private schools are concerned. Does anyone know reputable Apple Creek is, and if they have had success feeding into the Tier 1 privates?

Apple Creek has no presence in the Dallas privates. I asked the director about it and most if not all of the kids there are going to their suburban public schools. They do have a good reputation from parents and are NAEYC accredited. Your child either has what the private schools are looking for or doesn't, I dont think the preschool they went to at 2 years old plays into it.

Another place you might consider is Bent Tree Child Development Center. I got more of a daycare vibe from it, but do think its known by some of the privates.

[EcoMama]

Originally Posted by fndmom

Another place you might consider is Bent Tree Day School. I got more of a daycare vibe from it, but do think its known by some of the privates.

Thanks, I will check out Bent Tree Day School as well! Congrats on your little ones being placed this year! Very exciting news, and it's great that you found a nice program for them prior to admission as well.

[HockDad]

At St. Alcuin they mean it when they say rolling admissions. I might be slightly off, but basically the toddler program is from 18-36 months. When a kid hits 3 years, he moves up immediately. Thus, a child may have two sets of teachers in the same school year. We put our name on the waiting list, but we got in earlier than we expected. I think rolling admissions actually helps open up more spots. For example, if a spot opens up in February, most parents are not going to pull a kid out of their current program to place them at St. Alcuin. I am not sure the waiting list is as long as some other schools, but part of that is the price and part of that is the program. We spent a bunch of money on tuition-certainly more than most "mother day out programs" or religious schools that taught 2 year olds.

DaVinci is a very trendy school that emphasizes math and science. But, lets be clear, at 2-3 years old, little sally or johnny is not doing math or science. (you can always start at St. Alcuin and move to DiVinci, meadowbrook, lamplighter, etc). If you are serious about getting your child into Hockaday or Greenhill, you should ask for the matriculation rates from St. Alcuin, DaVinci, Meadowbrook, and Lamplighter for the last three years. I will bet you a bag of donuts that DaVinci is at the bottom of that list for Hockaday.

[tuesday2]

Hi OP,

When I toured Northaven Co-op it wasn't affiliated with the church, this was about 3 years ago. They just rent the space, the children don't go to chapel, if I'm remembering correctly. They aren't very expensive since it's a co-op, although you do have a time commitment and fundraising commitment, would be way less than St. Alcuin or Da Vinci.

Also, you might consider The Creative School at Walnut Hill United Methodist. They go through Kinder and most of the families go to St. Monica, Good Shepherd, St. Rita. I have a relative who sent/is sending all 3 of her kids there and felt they were well prepared for Good Shepherd. They do go to chapel at the older ages once a week, not sure about the 2 yr olds.

I will second what HockDad said about St Alcuin and "rolling" admissions. They move the child up when developmentally ready, maybe a little before or after 3. So children move into the next level all year. My two went there, one moved up in Nov., one in April. As was pointed out, even if there's a waiting list a lot of those people will have already found another place for their child, so it's not as hard to get in at the level as you might think.

Good luck!