moving to boston - education for 2-5yr olds? (Newton: credit, daycare)

[happy_days]

Hi there,

My wife and I have an opportunity to move to Boston for 3yrs from the UK due to a work opportunity. We have only just started looking into Boston and what it has to offer etc. So much to figure out! Our research only started today and we've got around 2 months to decide if we should do it or not. So you might see me posting alot of questions (chuckle). At some point later this month we will take trip out there naturally too.

The good news my wife and I have moved internationally before so have a good idea of what we are letting ourselves into allready. The challenge really lies in finding about Boston as we've never been!

1st up is to consider my children

We have two children to think about... a boy 3 yrs and a girl of 4yrs... can anyone guide me to some good links to research and look into nursery / kindergarden schooling? what the standards are like, areas to consider or avoid, costs etc.

I would love to hear peoples personal view & thoughts so I can get a better perspective on our options

Cheers

Jam

[rockyroad]

Originally Posted by happy_days

Hi there,

My wife and I have an opportunity to move to Boston for 3yrs from the UK due to a work opportunity. We have only just started looking into Boston and what it has to offer etc. So much to figure out! Our research only started today and we've got around 2 months to decide if we should do it or not. So you might see me posting alot of questions (chuckle). At some point later this month we will take trip out there naturally too.

The good news my wife and I have moved internationally before so have a good idea of what we are letting ourselves into allready. The challenge really lies in finding about Boston as we've never been!

1st up is to consider my children

We have two children to think about... a boy 3 yrs and a girl of 4yrs... can anyone guide me to some good links to research and look into nursery / kindergarden schooling? what the standards are like, areas to consider or avoid, costs etc.

I would love to hear peoples personal view & thoughts so I can get a better perspective on our options

Cheers

Jam

Hi,
We are originally from u.k too but living near sacramento, CA at present...have a 2.5 yr old and 4 yr old and looking to move to boston too.....as far as public schools I use GreatSchools.net to find out ratings. A few areas out of Boston i.e Brookline, Newton, Arlington, Belmont have excellent ratings however Boston central not soo good....I am sure there are plenty of private schools and don't know the cost....My kids are in a Montessori daycare right now in Davis, Ca and I pay about 1300 a month total.
Mostly if you are here on an H1 type work visa I don;t think your kids will have to pay for public schools which start at age 5 and most of them have pre schools for the younger kids!!!(with a fee)
I am looking to find a bit of London culture in U.S.A so thinking of relocating to Boston.
Let me know how your experience is in comparison to U.K
Good Luck

[burbsbound]

Hello,
There is a British School in Boston that is Internationally accredited (The British Schools of America provide high quality education in a structured, positive and caring environment, which meets the individual needs of pupils.). As far as schooling for the younger set, I recommend going to The Boston Parents' Paper - BOSTON - Parenthood.com - and see the resources there.
If you work inside Boston, the surrounding towns such as Arlington, Brookline, Newton are good choices (so is Lexington, a little bit further out). If you work outside of Boston, then the considerations are different.
If you would like to take public transportation, check out MBTA.com > Official Website for Greater Boston's Public Transportation System for a map of the subway and the commuter rail (purple line) systems.
If you can be more specific about budget, lifestyle (i.e if you want to be closer to 'city' and arts and restaurants vs you want more greenspaces and bigger yards) then I might be able to be more helpful.
Good luck.