Moving to Sarasota -neighborhoods, schools, day care?? need help!!! (Siesta Key: house, buying)

[seasidejules]

My husband and I are planing to move to Sarasota from NW Florida. We know its hot- and lots of people are old but after a few visits we feel it is a great place to raise our children ( now 4 and 2) and enjoy the beach as well as a bit of culture which we have very little of where we live currently.
Husband is selling his business and buying a new one and I would like to go back to work after being a SAHM for 4 yrs. SO now I could really use some advice on great kid friendly neighborhoods but not too cookie cutter $300-500k
and wonderful schools/preschools public or private ok and day care or Moms day out programs for my 2 year old- quality care and education most important!!!

Neighborhoods we have considered are Siesta Key, Southside village area and maybe some of the Palmer Ranch neighborhoods but not sure if its too planned for us. We definately want to be in a neighborhood that has at least a few children no retirement like commuities.

Also considering Out of Door but need to investigate the curriculum further to make sure we would not be getting the sunshine curriculum but paying a huge tuition. Not opposed to paying for a private school as long as it is something special.

All your thoughts and suggestions are welcome and greatly appreciated

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by seasidejules

My husband and I are planing to move to Sarasota from NW Florida. We know its hot- and lots of people are old but after a few visits we feel it is a great place to raise our children ( now 4 and 2) and enjoy the beach as well as a bit of culture which we have very little of where we live currently.
Husband is selling his business and buying a new one and I would like to go back to work after being a SAHM for 4 yrs. SO now I could really use some advice on great kid friendly neighborhoods but not too cookie cutter $300-500k
and wonderful schools/preschools public or private ok and day care or Moms day out programs for my 2 year old- quality care and education most important!!!

Neighborhoods we have considered are Siesta Key, Southside village area and maybe some of the Palmer Ranch neighborhoods but not sure if its too planned for us. We definitely want to be in a neighborhood that has at least a few children no retirement like communities.

Also considering Out of Door but need to investigate the curriculum further to make sure we would not be getting the sunshine curriculum but paying a huge tuition. Not opposed to paying for a private school as long as it is something special.

All your thoughts and suggestions are welcome and greatly appreciated

Seems as though you're looking in the right places. There are some pretty cool neighborhoods on Siesta but it might be a little difficult finding a home on the key in that range, not impossible though.

To me Southside Village is just exploding with charm and it's walkable/bikeable to the downtown area, the Children's Garden and Selby Library. My older kids (12 & 17) have many friends that live in the Southside area and I'm sure there are many families we don't know as well.

If you're going the private school route you might want to investigate New Gate as well. But if you have a 2 & 4 year old and are in the Southside area you might just want to send them to that elementary school. It's the highest rated in the county (other than Pine View).

Palmer is another nice neighborhood, which is mostly districted for Ashton elementary school. It is, however, more of a "cookie cutter" neighborhood than most of Siesta and the Southside area.

I think you need to come down and do some exploring and then narrow it down to a few favorite areas.

Good luck with your searching

[seasidejules]

We found a house we really like on Siesta Key but I am concerned about Phillippi Shores elem. I know that their scores are not as high as Southside or Ashton but it is an International Bacc. school. Does it have a good reputation in the community? How difficult is it to get a voucher to go to Southside if you are out of the attendance zone? Do you personally know anyone who has children who attend Out of Door?

Lots of questions Feeling a little overwhelmed. Trying to prioritize where we want to live vs whats best for the children.

[angelagardner]

Moving here from Washington I found the scores to be lower than our schools all over in general and the middle school my daughter is starting at has a 4 out of 10; however so far I am really impressed with the teachers and curriculum. Washington had high rated schools, 8 out of 10 yet my daughter did not learn her times tables or even how to write cursive. Her scores were high back home but when I sit down with her the knowledge isn't there compared to where she should be. Before school has even started I can see a huge difference, now to see if that works once she is actually in school. Guess I will see if the ratings are true or not.

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by seasidejules

We found a house we really like on Siesta Key but I am concerned about Phillippi Shores elem. I know that their scores are not as high as Southside or Ashton but it is an International Bacc. school. Does it have a good reputation in the community? How difficult is it to get a voucher to go to Southside if you are out of the attendance zone? Do you personally know anyone who has children who attend Out of Door?

Lots of questions Feeling a little overwhelmed. Trying to prioritize where we want to live vs whats best for the children.

Many of the Pine View kids go back and forth between Out of Door and PV. I don't know if you've looked into the prices but I think they're pretty hefty.

Phillippi has a pretty good reputation in the community. Here's what some people have said about the school: Parent Reviews of Phillippi Shores Elementary School - Sarasota, Florida - FL

Since Southside is the highest rated school in the district (not including Pine View) I would assume it would be hard for school choice. Also they only do choice at certain times of the year and I think the time has passed. You might want to call the school board to inquire though.

[Sarasotaherewecome]

Hello,

You posted here a couple of years ago with questions about Sarasota neighborhoods. Did you find all that you were looking for? My family and I are relocating to Sarasota and your post mirrored my concerns/anxiety. My girls are 3 and 8 months. I am most concerned about daycare and schools. I would prefer to not be in a cookie cutter neighborhood. I'm so worried about not having enough families around us!

Any guidance is most appreciated!

[Rushmore]

I would love to hear an update as well.

And for what it is worth, the Playaway in Lakewood Ranch has been great for our daughter, who has been going for maybe six months now (from 14-20 mos old). https://www.playawaykids.com/

The word we are hearing is that the K-5 options are great here, but that after that, one must be much more selective and diligent.

But that's just talk.

(Which I guess is just about as useful as "scores" for schools, but that's another topic entirely.)