We have an offer to move to the Coatesville area.... (Philadelphia: to rent, HOA)

[Myownworld]

My DH works for Sikorsky and Coatesville is on our list of possible places to be moved to. I do have a few questions regarding healthcare and special needs children. I have a 12 year old that has Asperger's Symdrome. He was also born with congenetal heart defects and has scoliosis. We regularly visit a pediatric ortho and cardio. He also has to have ABA therapy along with speech, OT and PT as provided for autistic children not children with typical speech, OT and PT needs. What kind of facilities are available for my son's needs? He is able to mainstream school and is quite smart, especially in science and math. Which of the school systems are more in tune with students who need to have an assistant provided, extra care, IEP's. I do not want to have to break out lawyers and spend every day at the school babysitting faculty to make sure they provide him with what he is entitled to under federal law. Can you tell I have fought this battle before. I need a school system that is more concerned with their students than getting that piddley bonus of one computer for denying the most special needs students extra services. Thanks!!

[bambiying]

I can tell you that Cheltenham is not good for special services. I know several people have threatened to sue them over it. I have heard that Abington is very good for it. Not sure how long the drive is from there to Coatesville.

[toobusytoday]

The poster is asking about Coatesville, not Cheltenham. Coatesville schools have a pretty poor reputation, however, right next to Coatesville is Downingtown, which has an excellent school system.

[PeeAye Native]

Coatesville and Cheltenham are 40 miles and 60+ minutes drive time away from each other. And way different sense of place, Coatesville = small town suburb, go west a few miles and you're in the Amish country side. Cheltenham = close in, urban city living. I don't see why anyone would want to live in one and commute to the other.

[LibraGirl123]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

Coatesville schools have a pretty poor reputation, however, right next to Coatesville is Downingtown, which has an excellent school system.

Definitely agree with this...you don't want to live in Coatesville either.

Here are some links that might help you decide which school district in Chester County would be best for you:

http://http://www.cciu.org/SpecialEducation

http://http://www.ascendgroup.org/Resources.html
(Scroll down to Regional Asperger/Autism Sites, and you'll see one for Chester County.)

Good luck!

[CTtoPA]

Originally Posted by Myownworld

My DH works for Sikorsky and Coatesville is on our list of possible places to be moved to.

My DH works at Sikorsky too up in CT -- we're hoping to relocate in the next year or two and he may be able to be transferred...what dept is your husband working in?

[mbj350]

We have a farm that has a Coatesville zip code but is in the Unionville-Chadds Ford school district. Newlin Township. The school district is excellent. When our kids were there they were pretty good about mainstreaming with appropriate aides in the classroom,not just pull-out programs. There is also The Devereux Foundation campuses in Downingtown/West Chester-- all close . They have an autistic unit that is residential, and i would bet you could get some of their experienced staff to work privately.There are also some very nice small private schools in the area, like West Chester Friends that you might consider. There are so many Universities and med schools in the Phila region that you should be able to get the docs you want. Coatesville also has rail service to Philadelphia by Amtrack, and regional rail 5 minutes East in Thorndale. A realtor that knows and lives in this area is

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[mbj350]

We also have a 2 story 2br and deck to rent on the farm. You can definitely get cheaper than our rent ($2000/mth),as we can charge a premium for the location.I would recommend looking in the Unionville,Downingtown,or maybe West Chester school districts. All are close to Coatesville.Or whoever works in Coatesville could commute by train on the R-5, better known as the Main Line, and the family could live in any town along it: Malvern,Paoli,Narbreth...

[Myownworld]

Originally Posted by CTtoPA

My DH works at Sikorsky too up in CT -- we're hoping to relocate in the next year or two and he may be able to be transferred...what dept is your husband working in?

He is an FSR

[Myownworld]

Originally Posted by mbj350

We also have a 2 story 2br and deck to rent on the farm. You can definitely get cheaper than our rent ($2000/mth),as we can charge a premium for the location.I would recommend looking in the Unionville,Downingtown,or maybe West Chester school districts. All are close to Coatesville.Or whoever works in Coatesville could commute by train on the R-5, better known as the Main Line, and the family could live in any town along it: Malvern,Paoli,Narbreth...

Um, no thanks. I think $2000.00 per month to live in a closet in the tundra is a bit high. Guess I am not enough of a fool to be parted with my cash that easily . Premium location is a matter of opinion. Farms stink and very isolated. I hate the country. I don't like visiting it and certainly don't want to live in it. Looking at the housing market in that area, I am thinking of just staying put and sending my husband there until we get a better area with a more reasonable cost of living. I just don't see how anybody would pay $250,000.00 for a 2 BR house built in 1959 only 1076 sq ft AND an HOA of $500.00 per month. Oh, can't forget that the last time this place was updated is 1968 and the carpets were cleaned in 1996. Somebody is smoking some nasty stuff and it isn't me. Yeah.......... I wasn't crazy about going to PA before, and I am certainly not wanting to go now. Are people really so stupid as to pay those housing prices or am I missing something?