Considering relocation with special needs child (Fort Collins, Greeley: movies, school districts, living in)

[nannaj]

My husband and I are considering retiring to Fort Collins. The move would include our 7 year old grandson who has Sensory Processing Disorder and social issues (though he is not on the spectrum). We would be leaving CA, and a wonderful school district with superb Special Education.

From what I've been reading, CO is far behind us in SPED, though Northern CO seems to be significantly better then Southern. I've unfortunately been reading some disturbing information about Poudre School District (the most recent, the suicides of two middle school students).

We are not locked in to Fort Collins, but we have both visited there and loved the area, so that's where we started our search.

I'm looking for input from other special needs parents about their experiences (good and bad)

I'm taking it all in with a grain of salt. I plan on talking to schools/districts directly, but I'm trying to narrow it down.

Thanks for your time.

[Sunderpig2]

Besides the needs of your grandson, make sure your needs as a couple could be fulfilled in northern CO. I've found the FC area to have less in many ways, compared to more varied areas around the country (and near the coast). My wife and I moved here, and were planned on retiring and spending the rest of our time here, but this area is lacking in many things we had before. It seems more ideally suited for the young, the wealthy, and those who connect with mountain/western culture. It might be a great fit for those groups, but might not be so good for the rest of us. It also can come across as a small town, and won't have as much to offer as places with say 300k and over. It's boring even in the working years; I can't imagine what "retirement" would look like.

Coming from CA, keep in mind the weather and regional differences, and that winter (and winter-ish landscape appearance) will dominate the year. Dryness rules the land too.

Your retirement years should be a plus and improvement. Please look at the "big picture" and consider many daily aspects of life that might change negatively.

[BuckeyeAlum]

Hello,

In my own relocation research, I always did appreciate the varying opinions I found on this board. Of course it has to all be taken with a grain of salt and the understanding that "everyones situation is different". That being said, I am a Special Education teacher and I can confirm that PSD is lacking in their knowledge of the laws and teaching for children on IEPs. I do believe some schools are better than others...but our daughter qualified for their preschool program and spent that year watching disney movies until we pulled her out. There were several times where students privacy rights were violated, and I do believe one school was sued by a parent, another family I know moved back to CA.

We have since left FoCo and I can say that I do miss Old Town, the Breweries, the amazing outdoor programs and biking/hiking trails. They are some of the best around. However I have had no regrets as an educator leaving for a better quality education for my kids. I agree that Colorado is lacking as a whole. But in our experience, even among the wonderful people and teachers we met in FoCo, PSD admin is still living in the 80s and most of the leadership has no clue what it is doing.

Your experience could be completely different, but as you mentioned I would definitely research carefully and visit schools before making a decision.

Best of Luck.

[StealthRabbit]

Do give Loveland / Thompson R2J a good look. It is a pretty good community and personable school district. Of course it won't have the vast resources of a larger sized / urban focused CA SD. They should be able to infom you and provide reasonable services and excellent feedback.

Also, nearby Greeley has education centric UNC, and it could be a good resource for locating SD and programs statewide. There are some very nice areas to live in Greeley, and it has a strong retiree community and good medical.

Our family has generations of teachers, and currently 4 SE teachers. That has been a very difficult career / transitional period. Many school districts are managed by administrators who are hopelessly unqualified. (Retain your persistance)