Raising kids in the city (Chicago: credit, private schools, buses)

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by Avondalist

Does raising kids in the city make sense if you don't have to worry about CPS? Like the kids are going to private or Catholic school at reduced tuition rates because of some in/scholarship?

I'd still be worried about safety and space, but I'm open to other considerations.

If you are the kind of person that can invest the UPFRONT TIME to track down the various trade-offs that go along with ANY real estate decision you almost certainly can evaluate how city living fits your PERSONAL situation or not.

One of my good pals that I have known for decades has a daughter that along with her husband and two kids had lived in the Ukrainian Village for the past 9 years or so. They recently found a home that was in their budget in Lincoln Park itself that is walking distance from St. Clement school and they decided that if makes sense, given their relatively high income and other factors, to plan on sticking private school. They'll probably re-evaluate in five years or so and certainly when it comes to high school -- the thought of paying what will almost certainly be well over $150K for two kids to go to private high school in Chicago will undoubtedly have a major impact on the finances of anyone. As kids get older the factors that parents weigh absolutely include the INDIVIDUAL talents / personality / aspirations of each child.

And the 100% honest truth is that even among my neighbors that could send their kids to a top tier public high school like Hinsdale Central but instead choose a private school that might mean a commitment for four years that ranges from maybe $40k to maybe as high as $120K or so those parents are not writing checks without giving some serious thought to how the experience is going to shape the potential paths these kids travel.

Funny thing too is that I personally know more than few people that have gone to "Ivy plus" schools and have relatively modest incomes, sometimes by deliberate choice -- such as working in specific not-for-profit setting, but more often because of set of circumstances that includes things like personal temperament, twists along the road of their career and subtle preferences for things other than monetarily lucrative fields. Some of these people choose to live neither in urban settings nor suburbia, but in every kind of place from the "Big Sky" country out west to relatively modest towns scattered around the country where the cost of living is low and they can live without pressure...

[Avondalist]

The thing I'm most worried about is a special needs child that private and CPS schooling would both do a disservice to. However there's enough time to adapt to such a reality.

I grew up in the suburbs and it was awesome in ways like safety and big yards, but stifling in others. I think there is a small coterie of kids who grow up in a city who really take advantage of the intellectual and cultural offerings and grow up to do creative things that make them happy. This is a rarefied set though, usually with deep-pocketed parents as a safety net. Think Veruca Salt.

For the other 90% of city kids, they are in a rough environment and behind the socioeconomic 8-ball from day one.

I had a great childhood in the burbs, but it was pretty boring and conventional. At the same time most kids just want to fit in. I'd love to be able to use some calculus to predict life outcomes and where would be the best place to buy a house but I can't do that. I guess I'll just have to raise kids the best I can and take responsibility for any shortcomings.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by chet everett

...what sort of "real world" is this kind of "diversity", as the hip, raise-'em-the-city parents like to say, is this kid gonna be prepared for?

College-Educated Minorities Report Far Fewer Good-Paying Job Opportunities Than Whites - CityLab

Long time no chat. Thought I'd chime in to report that this "unprepared" kid is now attending UIC on a full-ride scholarship.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by Drover

OK, if you want to play the anecdotes game, I have a couple for you.

The family across the street from me sent their kids to Lake View HS. One of them recently graduated from one of the best engineering colleges in the country; another graduated from an Ivy League law school and was making well into 6 figures before her 25th birthday.

Same family? I'd guess the parents deserve a whole lot more credit than any other factor...

https://aspe.hhs.gov/basic-report/re...ssful-families

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by Drover

Long time no chat. Thought I'd chime in to report that this "unprepared" kid is now attending UIC on a full-ride scholarship.

Long time, no see..or read....or type.. welcome back!

I'm continually amazed at how much some parents are willing to fork over just for high school, to say nothing of college. We are definitely in a nation that is becoming increasingly stratified, as some attempt to get the "access" that only the truly anointed can possibly attain..

[jrs2]

Hi everyone, I've probably chimed in on this thread before but I want to say as an 18 year old, born and raised city kid, CPS graduate, now attending an esteemed 4 year university-having my parents raise me in the city is the greatest choice they could have made. Of course this was our situation, and each can be different. My siblings and I are all academicly minded, so we never had to worry too much about getting into a selective enrollment CPS high school. The appreciation for the diversity of the people around me, their thoughts, cultures and everything else is a value I carry with me everywhere. A place such as Some of the Chicagoland suburbs can be "diverse" at times, but nowhere near the ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic cluster that is the city. Especially now in college, I realize that the sacrifices my parents made to raise me where they did are incredible and have paid off greatly.

p.s- our black "inner-city" valedictorian last year is now at MIT, she is one of the smartest people I've ever met and she was far from just a "diversity candidate"

[dlong1991]

I went to Plainfield South High School in the far far flung suburbs. I've been in Chicago for a while now, and I fully intend on sending my kids to CPS. I think unless you are in some super elite suburb...public school is public school everywhere. It comes down to the parents involvement in education and the values you are raised with. I think the sentiment among most suburbanites is that they don't want their kids to join gangs or to get mixed up in a rough crowd. That happens everywhere though. There might not be as big or serious of a gang problem in the suburbs, but there are bad kids everywhere. Many kids from my area became addicted to opioids and ended up on the streets. I'd almost rather have my kid join a gang than turn out to be some thieving junkie.

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by dlong1991

I went to Plainfield South High School in the far far flung suburbs. I've been in Chicago for a while now, and I fully intend on sending my kids to CPS. I think unless you are in some super elite suburb...public school is public school everywhere. It comes down to the parents involvement in education and the values you are raised with. I think the sentiment among most suburbanites is that they don't want their kids to join gangs or to get mixed up in a rough crowd. That happens everywhere though. There might not be as big or serious of a gang problem in the suburbs, but there are bad kids everywhere. Many kids from my area became addicted to opioids and ended up on the streets. I'd almost rather have my kid join a gang than turn out to be some thieving junkie.

And the chance that your child join a gang is very small. Much less likely than drug use in a suburb. Studies have shown that CPS is just as good as suburban schools adjusting for demographics. Why do you think the elementaries in popular neighborhoods are over crowded?

High School is what needs to be fixed in Chicago.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

And the chance that your child join a gang is very small. Much less likely than drug use in a suburb. Studies have shown that CPS is just as good as suburban schools adjusting for demographics. Why do you think the elementaries in popular neighborhoods are over crowded?

High School is what needs to be fixed in Chicago.

CPS is a disaster -- the most vulnerable students and the roughest neighborhoods are getting shafted in a many ways -- https://www.wbez.org/shows/wbez-news...3-7da60710f8f9

The broader issue of massive deception inside CPS makes it hard to accept any of their claims of progress -- https://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/war...306816831.html

I have no idea how Vlajos or anyone else can seriously believe that CPS is anything close to on par with suburban schools districts at any level. The simple fact is that in every metric CPS is far worse for the majority of students than all but the most troubled suburban school districts -- starts with things like staffing, where although initial salary is quite attractive the trend discourages more experienced teachers, Salaries, support show divide between CPS, other Illinois school districts - Chicago Tribune and continues through everything from class size and basic access to standard support, on through things like extracurriculars and even transportation --kids lucky enough to get into a selective admissions high schools (which academically compare very favorably to top tier suburban schools despite having demographics that are markedly more challenged...) are on their own figuring how to navigate CTA schedules to / from school.

The "overcrowding" in desirable areas is far more a symptom of the neglect that CPS gets away with in all but the most gentrified areas -- desperate parents without "connections" are routinely ignored by CPS hierarchy when complaining about the deplorable conditions of schools in undesirable areas and rather than fight a losing battle they flee to the nicer areas. That contributes to the "under-utilization" that forces CPS to close schools in challenging communities and that accelerates the exodus for families out of such areas...

[jrs2]

Originally Posted by chet everett

and even transportation --kids lucky enough to get into a selective admissions high schools (which academically compare very favorably to top tier suburban schools despite having demographics that are markedly more challenged...) are on their own figuring how to navigate CTA schedules to / from school.

It may come as a surprise to you, but a high school student is fully capable of managing the CTA. It's not rocket science, and the selective enrollment schools are all in very transit friendly areas(near north side, near west side, south loop, north center), the only one far off being Northside over in North Park. A train is just a train and a bus is just a bus, and it makes no difference whether its public or a school bus. CPS also provides a reduced fare to CPS students, something like 86 cents a ride. My little sister easily takes the blue line to and from Jones everyday, and my brother and I both just took the western bus home from Lane.