Raising kids "in the city" - is it possible?? (Chicago: daycares, house)

[skyeINIL]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

The OP already off the bat stated they do not want to live in the burbs.

Also, instead of just trashing the city public schools (which even I admit at least 3/4 are total garbage) maybe you should post what private school options are available in the city that do not cost an arm and a leg ?

Btw-There are plenty of graduates of the CPS that are doing very well in life.

Francis Parker is totally out of the question I am sure.

Francis W. Parker School, Chicago

Wow! I have never been interested in private schools for my children, so I've never looked into what tuition at one might be. Again, wow! I'll stick with public school and save that money for their college tuition.

[Sailaway50]

Originally Posted by GoCUBS1

Thanks for all the school info. Very Helpful. Just curious if you know anything else about the British School IB program. I think they're building a new campus, so maybe they're growing. I was always impressed with British Schools overseas and have considered looking into it....

Yes, the campus (can't remember the new location but it's closer to downtown, been by there) is moving (or actually has) and I believe it's an issue of newer, better facilities. The IB program starts in HS, and it's very good. It is not necessarily "better" than, say, high honors at an academically challenging private, but many parents swear by it. Unfortunately, not many colleges in the U.S. put much stock in the IB in terms of advantages re admission. A few colleges will let you skip one or two "Gen Ed" classes due to IB...but it's MORE likely they will do that by taking AP classes and taking the AP (advanced placement) exam.

One parent I know just transferred her child to the British school. Fourth grade, I believe. Very happy so far this year. It's conservative and if you aren't going Catholic, you get much of the same traditional education at the British school. Small, much individualized attention. They are very accommodating about parents visiting individually, showing them around, discussing your child, etc. A personal visit would answer a lot of questions, I'm sure.

They are on the pricey side.

[Sailaway50]

Originally Posted by skye1974

Wow! I have never been interested in private schools for my children, so I've never looked into what tuition at one might be. Again, wow! I'll stick with public school and save that money for their college tuition.

If you're not interested, that's fine. In my post, I did say that surprisingly generous financial aid is available. This is true of all the privates, ALL. And you don't have to be "destitute". They look at many factors to grant financial aid as a rule.....it's different than college financial aid, I feel it's much more subjective.

[skyeINIL]

Originally Posted by SBurgess

If you're not interested, that's fine. In my post, I did say that surprisingly generous financial aid is available. This is true of all the privates, ALL. And you don't have to be "destitute". They look at many factors to grant financial aid as a rule.....it's different than college financial aid, I feel it's much more subjective.

I have nothing against private schools. I'm just not interested in sending my kids to one.

[Sailaway50]

I understand. I just wanted to point out that I don't think the $$ should be too significant of a factor if the parents DO want to send them to a private.....based on the saving $$ for college comment. There are ways to do it by working with the school, which is all I wanted to point out.

[gtrgrl74]

skye 1974........do you live in the city and send your kids to public school?

[skyeINIL]

Originally Posted by gtrgrl74

skye 1974........do you live in the city and send your kids to public school?

Not yet. We are planning to move back in two years at which time we will be sending our kids to public school.

I understand. I just wanted to point out that I don't think the $$ should be too significant of a factor if the parents DO want to send them to a private.....based on the saving $$ for college comment. There are ways to do it by working with the school, which is all I wanted to point out.

SBurgess, I gotcha. I just believe that the public school system can, and will, work for my children. Of course, not just any school. I know the area that I want to move to and have already looked into the schools.

[GoCUBS1]

Originally Posted by SBurgess

It is not necessarily "better" than, say, high honors at an academically challenging private, but many parents swear by it. Unfortunately, not many colleges in the U.S. put much stock in the IB in terms of advantages re admission. A few colleges will let you skip one or two "Gen Ed" classes due to IB...but it's MORE likely they will do that by taking AP classes and taking the AP (advanced placement) exam.

Thanks for the info. I had also heard this about IB credits. Since my kids will probably be attending U.S. colleges, I think I'll stick with our plan of being in a top public district with a high % of AP course enrollment. I may still attend a British School open house though to check out their methods.

[Sailaway50]

Originally Posted by GoCUBS1

Thanks for the info. I had also heard this about IB credits. Since my kids will probably be attending U.S. colleges, I think I'll stick with our plan of being in a top public district with a high % of AP course enrollment. I may still attend a British School open house though to check out their methods.

Yes, I was all set to seriously consider the IB for one of mine, and the parents who did it said they were really disappointed in how (US, anyway) colleges didn't seem to recognize it. The AP is good, I have consistently heard only that, and the passing of the AP exam in a particular subject is defnitely recognized. Plus, it's a good challenging class...I like it because if your child is great at one or several things (History but okay at Math or the other way around), they can pick and choose the AP according to their strengths....vs IB which is the entire program. I do think that's better; maybe that's what the colleges like, that they can really see the student's strengths or prime area more clearly.....

I also agree the AP at (good in other ways) public HS is good...they all take the same AP tests, so the results on how many kids do well on the AP tests from a particular school would be very valuable.

Carry on!

[Lookout Kid]

A couple of other public schools to consider are Bell and Nettlehorst, though both only go up to grade 8. Whitney Young, Northside College Prep, and Lane Tech are all great public High Schools, but they all have an admissions process that includes strict testing and affirmative action (which could help or hurt you depending on your ethinc background). No one is guaranteed a spot in any of these High Schools.

I'm in a similar situation to the OP. I want to raise my kids in the city and have a similar housing budget, so I've researched this quite extensively. It's very depressing. If you want to find a decent 3-BR house for under $500,000 you will probably have to look at the far Northwest Side or the South and West Sides. You could find a 3-BR condo in that range in Lakeview, Lincoln Square, Ravenswood, North Center, Roscoe Village, and the like--but it won't be huge. And those prices won't even get you close to Old Town, Streeterville, Lincoln Park, etc. I do know many professionals are moving to Northwest Side neighborhoods like Jefferson Park to afford a house, but I personally find this area to be worse than many inner-ring suburbs. It's very auto-oriented and there's not much to walk to--although access to the Blue Line and many great parks are benefits. But if I had to live in Oak Park or Jefferson Park, I think that Oak Park has so much more to offer in terms of urban ammenities.

Another major expense to consider in the city is daycare. I'm currently on waiting lists for five daycare centers--have been since my wife was one month pregnant--and probably won't get into any of them. Seriously, the daycare centers new we were having a kid before any of our family members! Cheaper daycares on the North Side run about $1200/month for an infant, and the pricier ones in Lakeview and LP are anywhere from $1800-2000 for infants. This goes down once they are 2, and again when they are 3, but not nearly enough to make it affordable! Nannies or nanny sharing is another option, but is even more expensive. A nanny with two kids generally runs about $15/hour plus taxes (this is on the cheaper side), so cut that in half for one kid in a nanny share.

I wish I could be more encouraging, but I'm really stressing about these costs right now. To stay in the city and do it right, you should probably plan on having a household income of at least $200,000 a year, and you won't be living it up on that!