Hi moms - we're moving very soon, I'm a 1st time mom of a soon to be kindergartener, and I'm so overwhelmed I don't know where to begin. I've never done the school thing - researching, signing up, etc. We expect to move before the school year starts. We need to find a place, but we need to find a good elementary school that has aftercare if possible. I just can't wrap my brain around where to start. And we're trying to do this in the next 2-4 weeks - it's kinda sudden.
Can anyone help me figure out how to get started? How do you know where the "boundaries" of schools are to figure out where to look for a place to live? If we end up in a not-great kindergarten and have to wait for the lease to end in a year, is my kid going to suffer hugely? I'm just freaking out a bit.
Thanks!
This may help:
http://www.city-data.com/school/Richardson-Texas.html
Also-if you go through a real estate agent to help you locate a property-even a rental property-they will be able to show you on the property print out the schools that are affiliated with each property you look at-or tell them which school district you want to be in-and only look at homes there.
If you know what area you are looking, get a real estate agent and talk to them. They can give you the info on the school districts etc. Then talk to the local police. They can let you know what neighborhoods have problems etc. and whther those problems carry over into the local schools. Also once you have identified the schools give them a call and check out thier web sites. You should be able to find out if they have afer care and be able to get some idea on their educational abilities from the students test scores.
Good luck!
Our school district has a website; you simply go to a 'find your school' box and then type the address in: presto! you get the name of the school.
You know what I have seen people do, on occasion? Over the past few years when I've worked outside, several people looking at houses have just asked me about which school district we are in, what I thought of it, etc. Nothing like getting info from the potential neighbors.
be careful with trusting realtors, zillow or mls to tell you which school district the house belongs in.
It is best to look up schools you like (maybe start with greatschools.org). You can see the rating and also read the reviews (a lot of times people with extremes will complain or praise the school). I would then call the school districts you think would fit you and your family.
I have never heard of a school not accepting someone who lives in the school district to not be allowed due to over crowding, but the after school programs book up really fast. Also some kindergartens are half day and your child may get 11-2:30 or 8-11:30 (i filled out the early request in March and didn't heard back until a week before school started). This could be important to you if you work.
You also should ask your close friends and family who live nearby. Once you get a few names of schools from people you trust you can start contacting those districts. Your state could be different, but the realtors in CA say 'This house is in a great district.' even if it is not because they are trying to sell the house and or neighborhood. They have also been know to say a house belongs to a school district that it does not belong to (maybe a lie or maybe they just assumed wrong).
Private school is also an option (if you have the budget). This could remove the stress of making sure the house is in a district you like.
Why don't you call the school district and speak to the director of special education (I believe that your previous posts include that your 5 year old has an IEP.)? You could either call the main district number or possibly look up the exact person's name on the district web-site. Many higher up school personnel returned to work this past Monday or next Monday for most Texas school districts. Although the director of special education cannot recommend a school, he or she might be able to answer questions especially if the district has a PPCD kindergarten program and if the school district requires students with IEPs to participate in the PPCD-K program. If so, you might want to live near that school so that your child does not need to take a bus to the school. The director should also be able to answer questions about after school care and if special needs students can attend all of the after school programs or if those students are bused to one school. Each school district handles everything differently. I believe that you're moving so that your husband can attend school, does he have access to student message boards? Perhaps he could post something about where to live?
I would call the school districts and ask where the boundaries are. Then decide which school district I wanted my child in and start my search there.
You are really late in enrolling for the fall semester. You need to find your place to live and get your LO registered ASAP. You may end up in a situation where you find the district you want, the place you want to live, and then find that the nearest elementary school is already full and they have no room for your LO.
If your LO ends up at a not-so-great kindergarten, he/she won't suffer hugely as long as you work with your child at home. I am a firm believer that if someone wants to learn, they will learn even if they attend a not-so-great school. You get out of it what you put in to it. With some schools, you have to put in more than with others but you can still come out with a great education!
Greatschools.org will help you find the schools in your area, choose a couple that sound good and google them to find if they have more reviews from parents and visit them.
Personally my choice is Montessori but there are a couple of preschools with day care with familiar names like kids r kids and primrose school.
Hope this helps.
Your kid won't suffer a bit from K to first so don't stress too much. Do not wait until any later than second though as it will get tougher and tougher.
If I were doing this I would start out with a search on the best schools in the area that you have to move. Then take each one and figure out where it is. Real Estate sites will list by school district usually. I would also enlist the help of a real estate broker once I get there who could give me the lay of the land.
You don't say where you are heading....bet you if you did you would get some ladies here to help you.
