[kemy_kemo]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here....please forgive me if I make any blunders. I am a single mom of 2 (4 and 5 yr olds) that is relocating to Las Vegas from Orlando to take a faculty position at UNLV starting in August. The move is a no-brainer for me...currently a graduate student (finishing my PhD over the summer...yay!). We currently are living on my assistanship stipend and a fellowship. UNLV offered 5 times more than we currently live on and I get to start doing what I've been in school for all this time. I was worried about moving to Vegas but hey, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush!

I'm just trying to figure out what the best options are as far as a place to live and preschool/schools for my little ones. The faculty at UNLV pretty much told me to stick to Henderson...that's where they all live. And the ones with kids told me to target Twitchell, John Vanderburg, and Bartlett elementary schools. My problem is I have searched on Trulia, Zillow, apartment sites and used the zone search on the Clark County district site and I really don't have a lot of options as far as places to rent that are zoned for those schools. I am planning on renting only temporarily (a year at the most) because I won't have much in the form of a downpayment for a house being a poor grad student and all. I did come across Adiamo apartments and Quest Apartments which seem to fit. Are these apartments good, safe, well-managed, etc? Also, for my preschooler, which preschools/daycares in the same area are good?

I called the elementary schools yesterday and was informed I would have to register my 5 yr-old for kindergarten by April 27th to have him in the full day kindergarten program (can't do half days...there's a chance I will have a class to teach in the afternoon). And, I will need to get special permission to do so since we won't be moving till August and my request may not approved (I was told they already have a waiting list). My question with this is what are my alternatives....what do parents of kindergarteners who have to work do when their kids have to get out of school by noon? The aftercare programs don't start till everyone gets out of school at 2/3pm and I do not know anyone in Vegas. Please, any help will be appreciated.

[LVPoker1]

You may be able to find a full day kindergarten program at another school. They do open enrollment for it if there is room. My daughter is in full day kindergarten and half the class or more is not in the school's enrollment area. For 1st grade, those children will have to go to their home school. This year it costs $325/month for full day, last year it was $300, so you may be looking at $350/month for full day, hopefully not more.

I assume your four year old will be in day care, or is that the one starting kindergarten and the other would be in 1st? If your 4 yo will be in day care you may be able to get a deal having your child go to kindergarten there too, especially since the child will have to go to after school programs anyway. Obviously that gets expensive, and is not a good option if the youngest goes into K.

Don't worry too much about bringing children that young here, especially if you can afford to be in the more affluent areas. There are a lot of good elementary schools in the school district and there are a lot of families with young children here.

Another area to consider might be the south and southwest areas off Blue Diamond. Maybe you can find something down there. It is far removed from the strip just like much of Henderson, but close enough to UNLV. I live in Summerlin which is great for families, but would be a longer commute than you would want.

[duttygal86]

Hi Kemy! I am a single mom originally from Orlando, moving to LV too! Congrats on the new position! Good Luck!

[kemy_kemo]

Originally Posted by LVPoker1

You may be able to find a full day kindergarten program at another school. They do open enrollment for it if there is room. My daughter is in full day kindergarten and half the class or more is not in the school's enrollment area. For 1st grade, those children will have to go to their home school. This year it costs $325/month for full day, last year it was $300, so you may be looking at $350/month for full day, hopefully not more.

I assume your four year old will be in day care, or is that the one starting kindergarten and the other would be in 1st? If your 4 yo will be in day care you may be able to get a deal having your child go to kindergarten there too, especially since the child will have to go to after school programs anyway. Obviously that gets expensive, and is not a good option if the youngest goes into K.

Don't worry too much about bringing children that young here, especially if you can afford to be in the more affluent areas. There are a lot of good elementary schools in the school district and there are a lot of families with young children here.

Another area to consider might be the south and southwest areas off Blue Diamond. Maybe you can find something down there. It is far removed from the strip just like much of Henderson, but close enough to UNLV. I live in Summerlin which is great for families, but would be a longer commute than you would want.

Thanks so much for this information. I'll check out the places you suggested. My 4 year old will be in preschool/daycare. She won't be 5 till next year. My 5 year old will be 6 in September, but he'll be starting kindergarten when we move....in Florida, you have to be 5 by September 1st to start kindergarten. I guess those schools I was given are highly targeted schools 'cause they basically told me not to hold my breath on the zone variance request I did. Do you know of the reputation of the other schools in that area?

I considered private today and called Green Valley Christian School (my kids are currently in a church-based preschool under the same denomination) and, after factoring in the cost of the full-day program at the public school, after care costs, and the sibling discount at the private school, the private school option is $1,800 more for the entire year. If it comes down to it, I guess that could be an option for a year while we get settled and I can enroll them both in a public school for the following school year. I don't know much about the school though. If anyone does, please let me know.

[kemy_kemo]

Originally Posted by duttygal86

Hi Kemy! I am a single mom originally from Orlando, moving to LV too! Congrats on the new position! Good Luck!

Thank you! Good luck to you too....when are you planning your move?

[LVPoker1]

Thanks so much for this information. I'll check out the places you suggested. My 4 year old will be in preschool/daycare. She won't be 5 till next year. My 5 year old will be 6 in September, but he'll be starting kindergarten when we move....in Florida, you have to be 5 by September 1st to start kindergarten. I guess those schools I was given are highly targeted schools 'cause they basically told me not to hold my breath on the zone variance request I did. Do you know of the reputation of the other schools in that area?

Cutoff here is Sept 30, so if you have a September baby then they can start a year earlier. It is part of why we decided to move here. Where we lived before gave no exceptions to the Sept 1 cutoff and our daughter was advanced and not letting her start school would have been a big negative for her. Getting into full day without physically being here is going to be a challenge though.

Check out greatschools.net to see how the schools fare on the south side. They are probably not going to be all 10's, but I imagine they are going to do well. The Blue Diamond Rd area has some high end developments in the area, and a lot of families move there for the suburban, somewhat rural feel.

[duttygal86]

Originally Posted by kemy_kemo

Thank you! Good luck to you too....when are you planning your move?

I will be there on 4/29! Driving down from North Dakota. Have you visited Vegas yet? It looks alot like the Sand Lake area, at least over by Summerlin.

[justthe2ofus]

Originally Posted by LVPoker1

I live in Summerlin which is great for families, but would be a longer commute than you would want.

this is sort of relative, as orlando traffic has far more volume than here in the valley.

we live on the east edge of summerlin, and commute to the strip on 20-30 minutes, depending on traffic. unlv shouldn't add that much more to the trip from there.

it's worth the look though...

[emersongrace0508]

I sent you a message to your inbox in regard to the info you needed

[kemy_kemo]

Originally Posted by emersongrace0508

I sent you a message to your inbox in regard to the info you needed

Hi! Thanks for responding. I was going to respond back but didn't know there was one DM per day limit. Our stories are very similar...I currently live in Oviedo too. Thanks for the info on the apartment. I'm making a trip out there on Thursday mostly for school registration but also to visit the apartments.

Moving on my own is scary....I don't know anyone in Las Vegas but the people I'll be working with seem really nice so I'm hopeful.