Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
As far as budget I think we would rent for a year. Maybe 2.5-3k/mo. For a house or condo. Min 2 bed, 3 would be nice. Those commutes are not out of the question. I would really like to prioritize the education piece, which brings me back to the question if any schools or districts in the area are known for having superior implementation of services for language based learning disabilities, using methods like orton gillngham or others.
As far as budget I think we would rent for a year. Maybe 2.5-3k/mo. For a house or condo. Min 2 bed, 3 would be nice. Those commutes are not out of the question. I would really like to prioritize the education piece, which brings me back to the question if any schools or districts in the area are known for having superior implementation of services for language based learning disabilities, using methods like orton gillngham or others.
Most here likely have no idea. You’d have to reach out to each district for curriculum or perhaps contact a local professional for assistance. The best we can do is steer you toward districts that are known for having overall quality education.
Towns commutable to Guilford by and NYC by train would put you at Fairfield, which is a good starting point. The commute to NYC could be 1.5-2 hours each way though, depending on where in the city employment is. The commute to Guilford will be about 45 minutes by car without traffic.
That’s not an easy situation. Both commutes will be tough.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Masterboyle
As far as budget I think we would rent for a year. Maybe 2.5-3k/mo. For a house or condo. Min 2 bed, 3 would be nice. Those commutes are not out of the question. I would really like to prioritize the education piece, which brings me back to the question if any schools or districts in the area are known for having superior implementation of services for language based learning disabilities, using methods like orton gillngham or others.
I agree Fairfield would put them the most reasonable commute each way. That said I think those commutes when you have kids would be tough but I defer to the OP’s opinion. You should be able to find a rental in Fairfield. The OP should contact the Board of Education directly for more information on their programs. Good luck, Jay
As far as budget I think we would rent for a year. Maybe 2.5-3k/mo. For a house or condo. Min 2 bed, 3 would be nice. Those commutes are not out of the question. I would really like to prioritize the education piece, which brings me back to the question if any schools or districts in the area are known for having superior implementation of services for language based learning disabilities, using methods like orton gillngham or others.
I have 3 year old in Stratfield ECC but can tell you that Fairifeld special Ed seems very competent thus far. It will all come down how town assesses the child. I bet they have people trained in various language methods but getting the attention and time is another matter. Schools will generally do the minimum required by law and not much more. We fought for more specialty but it got rejected. We supplement his private therapy out of our own pocket which is working well. Some unique positives about Fairfield are the two universities which may have programs that can help. I see Fairfield U launched language training certification program recently. Might ask them too. Not sure about Sacred Heart. Good luck.
Hi. We live in Mystic (on the Groton side) and are also looking for a better special ed program on the shoreline. We’ve looked at Essex, our home ABA therapist works there as well and speak highly of it. We are trying to get any first hand information on Madison, Clinton, Guilford.
To the original poster - have you found any more information on districts? We’ve been trying to work with the Groton Public School system because we’re on the Groton side of Mystic and it’s been awful. We pulled our son from school after lies, they caused regression several times in Kindergarten while my son made progress with private speech services, the school didn’t continue the Weekly modifications as they were supposed to - and pretended they knew how to help the apraxia, we even had her trained on some of the specifics several times - but she did more damage than good and it took us years to gather the data and videos to prove it. My happy boy was not happy anymore in Kindergarten, coming home with his head down every day - after we pulled him from school about 9 months later - my happy guy was back with his self esteem. The other side of Mystic is Stonington, they are supposed to have better schools, but I don't know about their sped program. It seems very hard to find information on districts, frustrating!
If anyone has first hand information on shoreline districts, can you please share? Any help is very much appreciated!
Hi. We live in Mystic (on the Groton side) and are also looking for a better special ed program on the shoreline. We’ve looked at Essex, our home ABA therapist works there as well and speak highly of it. We are trying to get any first hand information on Madison, Clinton, Guilford.
To the original poster - have you found any more information on districts? We’ve been trying to work with the Groton Public School system because we’re on the Groton side of Mystic and it’s been awful. We pulled our son from school after lies, they caused regression several times in Kindergarten while my son made progress with private speech services, the school didn’t continue the Weekly modifications as they were supposed to - and pretended they knew how to help the apraxia, we even had her trained on some of the specifics several times - but she did more damage than good and it took us years to gather the data and videos to prove it. My happy boy was not happy anymore in Kindergarten, coming home with his head down every day - after we pulled him from school about 9 months later - my happy guy was back with his self esteem. The other side of Mystic is Stonington, they are supposed to have better schools, but I don't know about their sped program. It seems very hard to find information on districts, frustrating!
If anyone has first hand information on shoreline districts, can you please share? Any help is very much appreciated!
Ugh - I hated Groton schools! My daughter spent one year at Barnum, so I understand your frustration! For public, I highly recommend Regional District 18, Lyme/ Old Lyme. Small schools, above average spending per student, small class size, and lots of individualized instruction.
Sorry I neglected to say where I’m working. I’m working in Guilford CT. My wife would like to keep her job in Manhattan at least for a year or so. So that puts us looking at places where I can drive north on 95 to work and she can train down. We have toured Eagle Hill in Greenwich and Southport school as they specialize in language based learning difficulties. But I have no idea how we would pay for those as they are around 70k a year. Thanks all for your help and advice.
CT in our experience for twenty years means you probably will need a lawyer and also end up paying for the private services/education and only get partial reimbursement, if any. Lawyer up and good luck.
But having said that, Guilford was the best SD in all the SDs of the state that we were in, at the high school. All was well, until the teacher changed , but the first years were great there.
This was a rarity in CT.
Have you thought about Westchester County NY -- the services were phenomenal there.
Hi. We live in Mystic (on the Groton side) and are also looking for a better special ed program on the shoreline. We’ve looked at Essex, our home ABA therapist works there as well and speak highly of it. We are trying to get any first hand information on Madison, Clinton, Guilford.
To the original poster - have you found any more information on districts? We’ve been trying to work with the Groton Public School system because we’re on the Groton side of Mystic and it’s been awful. We pulled our son from school after lies, they caused regression several times in Kindergarten while my son made progress with private speech services, the school didn’t continue the Weekly modifications as they were supposed to - and pretended they knew how to help the apraxia, we even had her trained on some of the specifics several times - but she did more damage than good and it took us years to gather the data and videos to prove it. My happy boy was not happy anymore in Kindergarten, coming home with his head down every day - after we pulled him from school about 9 months later - my happy guy was back with his self esteem. The other side of Mystic is Stonington, they are supposed to have better schools, but I don't know about their sped program. It seems very hard to find information on districts, frustrating!
If anyone has first hand information on shoreline districts, can you please share? Any help is very much appreciated!
We've been dealing with CT public schools for over fifteen years (and lived in Groton, too), so I feel your pain! We had to homeschool several times. It was a good decision. Sometimes we try a school district again, but mostly that's a battle and a huge horror show.
Ellington and New Canaan were the worst. Horrible. Others told us Westport was terrible, too.
Guilford and Groton were very nice to my child, though, especially Guilford. I thought Groton was okay with my child's speech recently, but I was surprised that the Spec. Ed director did some things, but all in all it was much easier and less combative than Ellington. Ellington has been really bad, very combative about things like not accepting simple goals written with some details, not wanting to learn my child's AAC device and wanting him to stop using it (abhorrent), so Ellington is really the worst place we've ever experienced. it's always been a struggle, hasn't it?
I can't stand the nasty spec. ed. directors who chip away at your child's program, uncaringly, it certainly seems. Those administrators do not have much compassion.
Hi there. I’m planning to move back to CT from CA, as CA public schools just don’t have the resources to serve my two daughters with special needs. My 5th grader has dyslexia, speech and language delays and some other issues that make learning hard (not trying to be mysterious, just trying to keep this short). My 3rd grader has a subtle presentation of autism spectrum disorder. I know Essex Elementary is great, so that is high on my consideration list. I graduated from Hand High in Madison, but while their schools are great for neurotypical and high-achieving kids, I hear their SPED services are lacking. Is there any first-hand knowledge out there about SPED services in Guilford, Clinton, Westbrook, Old Saybrook or Branford? Also open to Old Lyme, Mystic areas. Thanks in advance!
Recently Guilford made the paper for some complaints about special ed.
I have family in Old Lyme who have received services at the elementary level. They have been very happy. I live in Madison. I have a child getting services around executive functioning/ADHD, and I know a lot of Special Ed parents in Madison for younger kids. Services at the elementary level are outstanding. I've heard the same rumblings about the high school, but I think that's more about the culture of the school more than the actual services being offered.
I also have a niece with an LD at Old Saybrook High School. She's doing fairly well and doesn't have an social issues.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The other side of Mystic is Stonington, they are supposed to have better schools, but I don't know about their sped program. It seems very hard to find information on districts, frustrating! 
