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Moving from Africa: Looking for pre-kindergarten in DC for my 4 year old son
Kirstenlori April 24, 2012
Help!
we, a Dutch family, will be moving to DC in August, and need to find a place at a (preferably public) pre-kindergarten for our headstrong 4 year old son, who is fluent in french and dutch, but does not yet speak english. I am a little lost in the lottery system... Ideally we find a school first, and then a house. Can anyone recommend where best to go? thanks!! Kirsten
coopingmom May 19, 2012
You might want to look at a cooperative preschool such as Rockville Community Nursery School in Rockville Maryland. It's a very diverse school with lots of parent involvement, so you would be able to be a part of your child's school experience and help him transition into an American school smoothly. Teachers and parents are very welcoming there. Many of the kids speak English and another language (or two) at home so you would have lots of parent buddies to talk to about language issues. It is very common around here for parents to speak only in their first language to their children so that the child will learn that language even in America, and then they can learn English from their classmates/teachers when they start preschool at 2 or 3 or 4 years old. Kids whose parents speak to them in a different language at home learn good English just over the course of a school year because they learn so easily when they are young. It helps if you (the parent) speak English, so you can easily join the community, but your child will learn very quickly, especially since at a parent-cooperative school you take turns with other parents helping in the classroom, so you can be a guide for him. 78472
TeacherParent May 1, 2012
Not every city or school district in the U.S. has a lottery system. In fact, most school districts don't have lotteries.
DC is an excellent choice if you're hoping to find other expatriates
http://www.schooldigger.com/go/DC/schoolrank.aspx?pagetype=top10
Maybe that website and its information will help you to narrow it down.
Welcome to the States-78136
MagnetMom April 24, 2012
Hi kirstenlori,
You might find this article of interest: http://www.greatschools.org/find-a-school/moving/3986-choosing-a-school-from-a-distance.gs?cpn=homeflash It will help you with tips on making that choice a little easier.
Also check for information in the Washington DC area of GreatSchools parent community: http://www.greatschools.org/washington-dc/washington/community.gs?content=1975
Good luck!77985
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