Hyde Enrolling Three Year Olds Next Year

Starting next year, Hyde-Addison School will enroll three year olds in a new pre-K3 class. If you have a child who will be three by September 30th, 2015, you should consider enrolling in the lottery to at least have the option to enroll him or her this fall.

Hyde has for years offered the standard Pre-K4 program, which is obviously just open to four year olds. These children graduate on to kindergarten the following year, and so on. DC public school have also offered a pre-K3 program at some schools (which used to be called pre-school) mostly in neighborhoods with higher rates of poverty. The idea is to target early education where it is needed most. But, at least one school with a demographic closer to Hyde has recently added a three year old program (that’s Francis-Stevens in Foggy Bottom).

Like pre-K4, you are not guaranteed a spot for pre-K3 even if you live in the neighborhood. You have to enter the lottery. You have until March 2, 2015 to enter the lottery, and results will be announce in late March.

Hyde will be offering one Pre-K3 class and one Pre-K4 class. This creates a bit of a dilemma for parents of three year olds (like GM). If you do not enter for or win a slot for Pre-K3, unless something changes the following year, you will have a very slim chance of getting a slot at Pre-K4 for the Fall of 2016. Most of the slots for the Pre-K4 classroom for the Fall 2016 would be taken up by the Pre-K3 kids rising a level.

However there is a good chance that a solution will be found to this dilemma. The school is in the process of getting approvals for a large expansion. If design approvals and budgeting proceed as expected, construction will begin this June and would be completed by the fall of 2016. If the school is confident that new space will be available going forward, it will likely open up a second Pre-K4 class for the fall of 2016.

We’ll all have a better idea about the schedule of the expansion before a decision has to be made for your child in late March. But, again, in order to even have a chance at having the option of enrolling your three year old next fall, you need to enter the lottery now.

Either way, if you’ve got a three year old GM looks forward to our kids going to school together, someday at least!