Need help with public vs. private, preschools, neighborhoods (Bloomington, Monroe: low income, real estate)

[kro130]

We are very likely moving to Bloomington, In in the next few months. We have a 3 yr old and a 6 yr old. I have read all the posts about schools so I know the basics, but my question is about the general attitude of the town. If my 6 year old goes to a private school, will he be the "weird" kid in the neighborhood? There's no way to know if we will go private or public until I visit the schools. We currently live in a mid-sized city, and sometimes my son is shunned b/c he goes to a small Christian school instead of the huge public school our neighborhood is zoned for. I'm trying to prevent this from happening again. Also, any specific private school info would be appreciated...like the culture of the school, warmth of teachers, etc. Not just the test scores and stats. My son does much better in smaller classes, and I like the addition of Christian learning. He currently reads 3 grade levels ahead, but that may not be an issue in Bloomington as there are apparently tons of well educated parents and children. In sum, I prefer private school, but if the public schools are great, and my son will have a smoother transition, then I'm all for going public. The move will be hardest on him, so I'm looking to make it as easy as possible. Also, what about preschools? And are there any neighborhoods in the low to mid $200's that are full of kids? I would love to also ask for a great real estate agent, but I don't guess that's appropriate for this forum. Thanks so much for any help w/ schools, preschool, and neighborhoods to check first!

[rrah]

Bloomington is a pretty welcoming town overall. I don't think your son would necessarily be shunned because he is in a private school, but there will be many times the other neighborhood children are participating in school activities of which you son is not a part. I'm sure that is not much different than you experience now.

I would definitely recommend checking out the public schools. I'm sure they are not as small as your current private school, but they maybe smaller than your current public. Most schools have 3 or 4 classes per grade level.

There are several private Christian based schools in Bloomington. Lighthouse Christian and Clear Creek Christian are two. There is also a Catholic grade school as well as a Montessori school. My children attended/attend public schools so I'm not sure about some of the specifics you asked about, but parents I've run into with children in the various private schools seem to really like them.

Since my children were past preschool age when we moved here, I'm not as familiar with preschools. My neighbor's children went to Sherwood Oaks Christian Preschool. She liked it. I've known other parents with children at the Bloomington Learning Center (I think that's the name of it.--again positive reviews from previous families).

I think most of the neighborhoods in that price range would be full of children.

[Uplander]

Take a look at the Monroe County United Ministries Childcare Program. It specializes in low income families, but they may also have slots available which don't have income restrictions. Their programis is licensed by the state.

There used to be differences in the requirements for child care ministries and licensed child care facilities in Indiana. I found this link Melissa Rogers: Indiana Child Care Ministries, State Licensing, and Other State Regulation , but I'm not sure of the information.

I don't have any information on the private schools, but my impression is that many of the programs are K-6 or K-8.
Rogers/Binford is really two schools. Rogers is K-2 and Binford is 3-6.
Clear Creek has a mix of class types of 1 or more grade levels
Childs has a very good reputation, but there's not much economic diversity
University has an internationally diverse student population

There are lots of education choices in Bloomington.

[chattykathy157]

I don't know enough about public schools in Bloomington but I can say there are differences between public and private education which is pretty much the same around the country. Public school educators will pretty much do what they want and they do not have take your feedback. They are usually more regimented as far as making sure your kid stands in a line. Lots of wasted time on that kind of stuff. If you child performs at the upper percentile, you have an advantage because he would be put in a gifted program. He would be made to feel superior to all others and grouped with similar kids. He may get an education almost as good as a kid in a good private school. He may not get the individual attention he would need to build a competitive resume compared to a student in a private school. It may not matter if he is going to a state school. He also may not have the same opportunities to participate in extracurriculars such as sports at a public school. A good private school is far more interested in the well being of the students. The set higher expectations for all students, not just a small percentage. Parental feedback is important or they would lose valuable tuition. Public schools have your money and there is no need or motivation to collaborate with parents. Parents are an annoyance to public educators and a resource to private educators.

[brainiac138]

I went to private Lutheran schools in Indiana from elementary until my ninth grade year. It was a horrible, horrible experience. Partly it was my parents who kept taking me from one school to another after getting into disagreements with teachers and principles. However, the teachers didn't do anything to help out the situation either. Basically, my schooling, especially into middle school, was all geared toward recruiting high school graduates into the Republican party. And, as I am sure most readers know, middle school is the time when alot of kids start to ask questions about why people believe certain things without any question. Well, the Lutheran school system did not like this, in fact, they told me I was probably condemned for even thinking the thoughts I had. So, finally, my sophomore year in high school, I was pulled out of private schools and sent to public schools, where I acclimated just fine and had as good as a high school experience as I could.