New here and need some relocating advice!!! (Cedar Rapids, Iowa City: school district, university)

[Ajkleiner1]

Hi!
I just came across this board after endless hours of searching the internet in regards to relocating. We have a 4 year old with Down Syndrome and currently live in a very small rural town. We are ready for a change and need to be closer to a metro area so we can receive the services our little girl deserves. There is no speech therapist in our area and she needs speech NOW. I have searched in the Cedar Rapids area and a little in the Iowa city area but still seem quite lost in the process. So our main goal is to find a great school with a good special ed program.
Any advice???

We would like to stay within the state because of the waiver programs for our children but are open to any suggestions.

Thanks!!

Editting to add that we have 3 children under the age of 5. We need a nice kid friendly community in a good school district.

[Nedibes]

Hi, I'm new to Iowa myself so I don't have a lot of info for you about Iowa. However, I would say that if you can manage it financially, you might want to consider moving to Michigan for your daughter in the long term. Michigan has excellent special ed services, mandated for students in public schools until age 26 (I think the longest in the country). In the Lansing/East Lansing area (where I'm from) there are a range of services in the public schools from support for mainstreaming to special classes all the way to a special school for students with the most needs. Your daughter would be old enough to start some of the in-school programs now (there are home-based services for younger children). And when she graduates from high school, she would be able to go to Peckham, one of the premiere vocational programs for adults with developmental disabilities. (They actually just opened a call center in Coralville.) The schools in East Lansing and some of the other suburbs are also quite good for mainstream students; Lansing has some very innovative programs, but also more challenges stemming from the lower income students it services. I think you could find similar special ed services (except for Peckham) in most medium-to-large size cities in Michigan.

None of which is to say that she couldn't get good services in Iowa--I don't know anything about the services here, but assume that they are good for younger children. And I don't advocate Michigan over Iowa generally--I love both, but economically Michigan is in a really bad place right now. It's just something to keep in mind as your daughter gets older.

In Linn County (Cedar Rapids) I think you could contact the Grant Woods agency and they might be able to help you figure out the system.

Good luck to you!

[iowegian]

I'm from the Iowa City area, so I can tell you a little about it.

I just did a quick Google search for Iowa City speech therapy, and found a place called the Children's Center for Therapy: Home
I also found a program where graduate students from the University of Iowa can provide speech therapy: UI Communication Sciences and Disorders: Clinical services

I know that the Iowa City Community School District is one of the best public districts in the state, and that they do provide special education programs. They had special education at all of the schools I attended. I don't know any specific details about the program, but I found the ICCSD Special Education website: Welcome to the Iowa City Community School District

I grew up in Coralville (an IC suburb) and I think it would be a good place for kids. There are lots of families here. The entire Iowa City area is quite safe, and there are plenty of parks with playgrounds around. The area rec centers have activities for kids and as I said, the schools are overall excellent. Iowa City, Coralville, and North Liberty are all pretty family-oriented in general (except for downtown IC, which is for students). The only elementary schools I'd definitely avoid as a parent are Twain and Wood on the southeast side of Iowa City. If you have any other questions about the Iowa City area, feel free to ask and I'll try to help.

Of course, I'm sure Cedar Rapids has options as well. Hopefully someone can provide you with more information about the CR area.