Areas of Santa Clarita (Valencia, Canyon Country, Stevenson Ranch, Saugus, Newhall) (beaches)

[NickelDime]

Originally Posted by stejoho40

This thread has been really helpful. My husband has a job interview in Burbank next week and an acquaintance lives in Valencia area, so we were planning to check out that area. We would be moving from Connecticut.
I have a few questions. What is a paseo?
What are real estate taxes like....for example on a $400,000 newer home?
Thanks

A paseo is a lighted walking trail. In Valencia, there is a whole system of them (map here) that also links up with the Santa Clara River trail, which cuts through the community. What makes Valencia's paseo system somewhat unique is that there are bridges that cross major thoroughfares, alleviating the need to use a crosswalk. Very convenient and makes for a pleasant environment all around.

Property taxes are going to be on the high side. There is 1.25% for LA County, plus "mello roos." These are special assessments that act like property taxes but are directed at infrastructure or upkeep. In Valencia's case, much of the mello roos pay for paseos and/or new schools. Each community has its own determinant of mello roos (ie based on home value, sq feet, etc), which is effectively a bond repayment. There is usually a maturity for these bonds, at which time the mello roos is either dropped or renewed for another purpose.

I have seen mello roos in Valencia as low as .25% all the way up to 1.0% - the total property tax could be from 1.5% to 2.25%.

You'll find it telling that some newer areas are amazingly cheaper than surrounding areas; this is partially due to foreclosures from nutty loans but is also driven by higher mello roos and/or HOA dues.

Good luck in your search...

[NickelDime]

We are having a terrible time trying to find a non-daycare preschool for our 3 year old anywhere in Santa Clarita, preferably close to Valencia or Saugus. We are looking for half days, 3-5 days per week. After visiting 6 schools (including La Petite and Teddy Bear U.), Christ Lutheran seems like the best option (most experienced teachers, good equipment, great environment, doesn't smell like poopy diapers, etc.). But the waiting list is 15 deep - we're on that list but don't have much hope. St Stephen Episcopal seems like a distant second choice. Are we missing something? How can such a "family friendly" town not have decent options for Pre school ? HELP!

[maja]

Originally Posted by NickelDime

We are having a terrible time trying to find a non-daycare preschool for our 3 year old anywhere in Santa Clarita, preferably close to Valencia or Saugus. We are looking for half days, 3-5 days per week. After visiting 6 schools (including La Petite and Teddy Bear U.), Christ Lutheran seems like the best option (most experienced teachers, good equipment, great environment, doesn't smell like poopy diapers, etc.). But the waiting list is 15 deep - we're on that list but don't have much hope. St Stephen Episcopal seems like a distant second choice. Are we missing something? How can such a "family friendly" town not have decent options for Pre school ? HELP!

Christ Lutheran is awesome. I'd definitely recommend getting on their waiting list. Almost all places have waiting lists. There are just too many kids out here!

[spudmom]

Would you be interested in a parent co-op preschool? The City of Santa Clarita offers preschool programs at their parks. Just thought I would throw that out there in case you didn't know about them.

[NickelDime]

Quick update on our home purchase:
- CA's recently passed budget includes a $10k new home purchase tax credit (ka-ching)
- We have a "reservation date" for Christ Lutheran pre-school next week - but the notice warns not to "camp out" ! Wow... here's to hoping we get in - we visited every SCV preschool and got the best vibe from there
- Home closes in a couple of weeks
- Lennar has sold out almost every home on our street - and they haven't completed the homes yet

[love that sunshine!]

Does anyone know anything about CREEKSIDE in Valencia? How about SAUGUS UNION ELEMENTARY, WILLIAM S. HART UNION HIGH?

[love that sunshine!]

Does anyone know about the SONRISA community?

[Julanne]

I thought I'd chime in with a (LONG!) post containing some preschool information. My sons have attended St. Stephen's, College of the Canyons Early Childhood Education Center, and the Oak Hills Preschool (run though the Newhall School District and on the Oak Hills Elementary school site, but still private in terms of tuition) We have really loved all three, but they all have their various pros and cons.

Before getting into all that, I will mention a little bit about the other three programs that I know a *little* about: Sunshine, Christ Lutheran, and Creative Years. For all three of these, I believe children need to be potty trained for their 3-year-old program. Just something to note and check into if it is a concern. I know many families who are very happy with all three of these schools, but they have different approaches. As someone mentioned above, Christ Lutheran has a reputation for being very warm and fuzzy, while Sunshine has a more academic reputation. Creative Years is somewhere in between. Creative Years is also generally much easier to get into than the other preschools in the area. It is pretty far East, though, through congested Santa Clarita traffic if you are coming from Valencia.

OK...
Some pros and cons - at least for our family. Some of our pros might be your cons and vice versa, but here they are...

St. Stephen's
Pros: A wonderful, developmentally appropriate program.
A caring staff, with many teachers who have been there for many years.
An optional (on a daily basis) lunch bunch from 12-2 p.m. (at least for morning preschool).
Less expensive than Sunshine, though still not cheap.
Lots of holiday events - Halloween parade, Christmas program, etc.
Hard to get into, but uses a lottery system instead of camping out or listing by date on interest so you could still have a chance even if you haven't been on the waitlist for years!
Cons: Only offers a 2 day program for 3's and a 3 day program for 4's and 5's (this was a con for us, anyway - I wanted a 5 day program).
A religious basis (we were actually more concerned about this than necessary - we found the atmosphere to be inclusive and more about caring for others than teaching religion per se).

College of the Canyons
Pros: More flexibility in day/time - i.e. can do 5 mornings a week.
Same price as St. Stephen's if you aren't a student/faculty member.
WONDERFUL teachers - it is a lab school, so they are training new teachers as well as teaching the children.
Lab school - has observation rooms so you actually KNOW that your child stops crying the minute you walk out the door!
More diverse student body than other preschools around - the parents are students/faculty/staff at the community college, so there is a much wider range of backgrounds.
Cons: (for me, at least) no celebration of holidays/events (I know this is good developmentally for the kids since there is no disruption to their routine, etc., but I do miss it!).
The diversity noted above means that the parents tend not to necessarily be my neighbors - there are a lot of full-time students or staff - so I don't socialize as much as I have at St. Stephen's or Oak Hills.
VERY hard to get into if you are not affiliated with the college - we were on the wait list for 3 years with our first son. If you are more flexible about days/times (especially taking an afternoon class) it is easier.

Oak Hills Preschool - note that this is a program for children one year prior to entering kindergarten - so not a 3 year old program.
Pros: Location (for us) - we are in Westridge, so it is at our local elementary school.
Teachers - I LOVE the teachers here, and I love their approach - a mixture of developmentally appropriate practices with preparation for kindergarten.
Holiday celebrations.
Chances for parents to get involved, but not mandatory.
Flexible times for drop off, pick up.
Cons: It is a full-time program, which you pay for, even if your child doesn't stay the full day.
There is not a nice grassy yard.

I could (obviously) go on and on, but I will leave it there. If anyone is still interested in more, let me know.

By the way, I have a Ph.D. in child development and have worked in many preschools and day care centers, so I am probably over-informed when it came to choosing for my own kids. With that being said, I think there are a lot of choices out there that would be great - as long as the child is safe and the fit feels right!

[00molavi]

Julanne; thanks for the post and reviving the thread. Our kids are older than that age group. Looking into Stevenson Ranch. Moving from OC. Our observations has been; the heat bothers us! Is Westridge worth the extra dough? I know it is a relative question, but want to know your take on it. I guess our biggest concern is lack of public pools in SR and we don't want a private pool even if we could afford it.

[Julanne]

I think the prices in Westridge are fairly close to those in Stevenson Ranch for comparable homes, aren't they? (I have to admit that since I already live here I haven't spent much time comparing!) If you don't want a pool, though, it is probably LESS expensive in Westridge for a comparable house, since it seems that so many home in SR have pools at an added price. I think the neighborhood pools do a lot to foster community, too. We actually happen to have a private pool, as much as neither my husband or I ever thought we would. We both grew up in cooler Southern California climates (Newport Beach and La Jolla) and just didn't see how pools were really necessary. I will tell you, though, that having one - the heat bothers me a lot less! On any day that you can hop in a pool (public or private) the whole day feels cooler!

I don't know if schools are much of a concern, since they are similar, and in fact the overflow of SR goes to the Westridge school (Oak Hills). My son is in Kindergarten and Oak Hills and we have been VERY happy with it.