Raising kids "in the city" - is it possible?? (Oak Park: low income, best neighborhood)

[cdc3217]

I know some private elem schools are 7 -10 K a year.

Parochial schools are less, but maybe someone with firsthand knowledge can throw out a solid number - I'm guessing 3-5 K?

It seems that private HS's are a little less then the elem - but the schools I am aware of tuition for are all Catholic, so its kind of apples and oranges.

[Lookout Kid]

Latin, Parker, British, etc. are all over $20,000 per year. The Lycee Francais on Irving Park Road is closer to $10K. Catholic is the cheapest, depending on the school.

If you are in Lakeview and are stuck for a few years, which school district are you in? There are a couple of good CPS elementaries in Lakeview where your kid would be alright for a few years if needed. It totally depends on where you live, however.

I feel your pain. My wife and I bought our place in 2005 in Buena Park and just had our first child this past month. The CPS elementary in our district (Brennaman) is absolutely terrible and is not an option. But at least we have five more years until we really have to worry about it. If inflation continues, our mortgage payment will seem like nothing in a few years.

[chet everett]

Quite a few co-workers are in EXACTLY the position you are -- weighing the options of staying in the city with their not-yet-school age children or shopping the 'burbs. There are lots of opinions, options and variations but it pretty comes down to what sort of direct contact you have with "been there, done that" friends/neighbors/relatives IN YOUR IMMEDIATE area with kids JUST A LITTLE OLDER than yours.

The price swings that have happened mean that if somebody bought into a place prior to about 2003 they probably spent a FRACTION of what somebody did more recently. That radically changes the ability to spend on private school, BUT IT ALSO distorts what they might need to sell their place for AND depending on the specific local school attendance area, might make for a complete mismatch between the quality of the school and the expectation of the parents.

It is very very very difficult for someone who is NOT well tied in to the neighborhood to know what the 'character' of a school is -- as MANY others have reported there are some quite awful CPS classrooms with unskilled teachers and unresponsive administrators and only a tiny percentage of high performing CPS schools, many of which are all but impossible for the "unconnected" to consider. Further, though there are some quite high performing private schools, the costs of many are quite high. The best "path" into a somewhat affordable school are the Chicago Archdioceses' Parochial schools. Costs are generally available to those who ask, and many parishes run a pre-k that starts with kids that are all potty trained, generally 4 years old. The best ones have too few spots to admit all applicants and give priority to those members of the church that are active and have financially supported the parish for some length of time. Next priority goes to those active in fund-raising/donors, so that sort of offsets the affordability factor... There are RANGE of costs, here two examples. One is a Catholic School near Chinatown, the other is associated with Old St. Pats, in the west Loop.
St. Jerome Catholic School :: Chicago, IL :: www.stjeromeschool.net :: Saint Jerome School
https://secure.fxw.org/img/c/f168339...ANCIAL_AID.pdf

Similar situations exist for infant care. The best situations are quite expensive and have far fewer spots than applicants. As the cost goes down and quality is still good the sponsoring organization, be it a school or community organization or employer has increasing strict criteria for involvement. I would have grave concerns about dropping off any child in a situation where the "provider" is willing to accept about what it costs to board a dog: http://www.k9uchicago.com/dog-boarding.php

These factors cause folks to consider a full time sitter/professional nanny, but the high cost of living in Chicago means there are a vanishingly small number of high quality individuals that are available at other other than a very high cost, thus driving the "does it make sense to go back to work" question to all but rather high income couples. Without a combined income approaching $200k this may be a hard choice. Of course individuals that make far less than this DO go back to work, but generally have a unique financial/career situation and/or a far different set of childcare options. I have talked to more than a few families with family members that can be relied on and/or retired relatives that will relocate to assist with the youngsters. Lots of possibilities.

The easier route would seem to be just sell the place and head to the 'burbs, but of course if you bought a city place at the top of the market that may not result in having the equity to afford a place in a desirable suburb.

Your are left with a matrix of options that all need to be pursued simultaneously, with a clock ticking on getting Jr. into school AND the question of "we have ONE, can we do this with MORE"???

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Quite a few co-workers are in EXACTLY the position you are -- weighing the options of staying in the city with their not-yet-school age children or shopping the 'burbs. There are lots of opinions, options and variations but it pretty comes down to what sort of direct contact you have with "been there, done that" friends/neighbors/relatives IN YOUR IMMEDIATE area with kids JUST A LITTLE OLDER than yours.

The price swings that have happened mean that if somebody bought into a place prior to about 2003 they probably spent a FRACTION of what somebody did more recently. That radically changes the ability to spend on private school, BUT IT ALSO distorts what they might need to sell their place for AND depending on the specific local school attendance area, might make for a complete mismatch between the quality of the school and the expectation of the parents.

It is very very very difficult for someone who is NOT well tied in to the neighborhood to know what the 'character' of a school is -- as MANY others have reported there are some quite awful CPS classrooms with unskilled teachers and unresponsive administrators and only a tiny percentage of high performing CPS schools, many of which are all but impossible for the "unconnected" to consider. Further, though there are some quite high performing private schools, the costs of many are quite high. The best "path" into a somewhat affordable school are the Chicago Archdioceses' Parochial schools. Costs are generally available to those who ask, and many parishes run a pre-k that starts with kids that are all potty trained, generally 4 years old. The best ones have too few spots to admit all applicants and give priority to those members of the church that are active and have financially supported the parish for some length of time. Next priority goes to those active in fund-raising/donors, so that sort of offsets the affordability factor... There are RANGE of costs, here two examples. One is a Catholic School near Chinatown, the other is associated with Old St. Pats, in the west Loop.
St. Jerome Catholic School :: Chicago, IL :: www.stjeromeschool.net :: Saint Jerome School
https://secure.fxw.org/img/c/f168339...ANCIAL_AID.pdf

Similar situations exist for infant care. The best situations are quite expensive and have far fewer spots than applicants. As the cost goes down and quality is still good the sponsoring organization, be it a school or community organization or employer has increasing strict criteria for involvement. I would have grave concerns about dropping off any child in a situation where the "provider" is willing to accept about what it costs to board a dog: http://www.k9uchicago.com/dog-boarding.php

These factors cause folks to consider a full time sitter/professional nanny, but the high cost of living in Chicago means there are a vanishingly small number of high quality individuals that are available at other other than a very high cost, thus driving the "does it make sense to go back to work" question to all but rather high income couples. Without a combined income approaching $200k this may be a hard choice. Of course individuals that make far less than this DO go back to work, but generally have a unique financial/career situation and/or a far different set of childcare options. I have talked to more than a few families with family members that can be relied on and/or retired relatives that will relocate to assist with the youngsters. Lots of possibilities.

The easier route would seem to be just sell the place and head to the 'burbs, but of course if you bought a city place at the top of the market that may not result in having the equity to afford a place in a desirable suburb.

Your are left with a matrix of options that all need to be pursued simultaneously, with a clock ticking on getting Jr. into school AND the question of "we have ONE, can we do this with MORE"???

My wife and I are lucky enough to have a somewhat high household income if we both keep working. And our mortgage is affordable and fixed. But we are still feeling the pinch. We have at least 10-15 close friends with infants/toddlers in the city, and the $1200/month childcare cost is actually the LOWEST we've heard of. We were lucky to get a home daycare in Lakeview that we're very comfortable with, and the cost is $325 per week (or about $1400 per month over the course of a year). The cheapest somewhat decent North Side daycares we found were about $270 per week, and none of them were super-impressive.

Our plan is to stay put in Buena Park for at least two or three more years. Then we hope to sell our place and do one of the following:

1. Move to a larger condo on the North Side coupled with Catholic School (though neither one of us is particularly into Catholocism).

2. Move to a house in the bungalow belt coupled with Catholic School.

3. Move to Oak Park or Evanston.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Latin, Parker, British, etc. are all over $20,000 per year. The Lycee Francais on Irving Park Road is closer to $10K. Catholic is the cheapest, depending on the school.

If you are in Lakeview and are stuck for a few years, which school district are you in? There are a couple of good CPS elementaries in Lakeview where your kid would be alright for a few years if needed. It totally depends on where you live, however.

I feel your pain. My wife and I bought our place in 2005 in Buena Park and just had our first child this past month. The CPS elementary in our district (Brennaman) is absolutely terrible and is not an option. But at least we have five more years until we really have to worry about it. If inflation continues, our mortgage payment will seem like nothing in a few years.

BTW, congrats on the kid.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by sukwoo

BTW, congrats on the kid.

Thanks!

[KevK]

Originally Posted by gtrgrl74

We are relocating and do not want to live in the suburbs. We love the city. Is this possible without a fortune and without sending the kids to public school? Thanks

I would not do it. Too risky with all the gangs and the schools are not all that good either.

[Sailaway50]

I did it, one 15 and one 22. City all the way. Did Catholic private for grade school, one went to the Arts Academy for HS and the other at a Catholic high school.

$$.

But not $$$ like Latin & Parker.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by Sailaway50

I did it, one 15 and one 22. City all the way. Did Catholic private for grade school, one went to the Arts Academy for HS and the other at a Catholic high school.

$$.

But not $$$ like Latin & Parker.

I would love to pick your brain about the Catholic school options some time... But my baby is less than a month old, so I've got some time

[Sailaway50]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

I would love to pick your brain about the Catholic school options some time... But my baby is less than a month old, so I've got some time

Any time. Enjoy your baby now!