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I live right next door to Yonkers in the Bronx. I think the local public K-8 school in the Bronx is better than the neighboring one in Yonkers. That should tell you all you need to know about Yonkers' education system.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Annieproductions
HI, Yonkers has a bad reputation and gets a bad rap for a lot of different reasons--mostly from people who no longer live there--but they are working hard to improve the city--all cities have crime rates and Yonkers is one of the largest cities in Westchester county. I am a real estate agent and I am all over the county, and it is hard to hear when people who are not from the area say I heard to stay away from Yonkers. You need to go to the area you want to live in at different times of the day, night and weekend. Knock on a few doors near your daughters' godfather's home. I lived in Yonkers for 16 years and loved the ease of getting into NYC and the diversity. I moved further north and now love the small towns. I have friends that teach in Yonkers and ones that teach in White Plains, both have mentioned the special ed programs are better in White Plains (this is coming from teachers I know--I do not have children in the school system). I hope you will give different areas of Westchester county a chance. I also suggest you visit the schools and ask them what they can offer your special needs child. Job search should be easy for you with your experience, if you have any trouble let me know, I can ask some of my attorney friends that work in NYC, and I know a few in Yonkers. You never know what you will find if you do not ask. Best of luck to you on your search.
I appreciate your viewpoint. My friend who lives in Yonkers (in the Greystone area right on the river) has given me a fair amount of background history on Yonkers. he know what parts of town to stay away from (especially for buying an apartment) but he is very happy with the part of town he lives in and I've been there twice but not for any long period of time, and I have to say that I like that immediate area. But he has no perspective on the schools or what they can offer my daughter since he's never had kids or really networked with people with kids other than work friends who lives in other towns.
Thank you for the offer to help with job search. I feel secure in that I have the sort of career that is very portable, but of course it's still a top priority. I'm 49 - I've been doing legal work since age 23 - so I've got pretty good experience. I also used to work for a large firm that has an office right at grand central and I left that firm 7.5 years ago (after 16 years there) to work in an in-house legal dept. in a large Fortune 500 corporation - I left that firm on good terms, plus we have a few large firms that do work for us that have offices also right there at Grand Central - I feel like with the connections I have I should get a good job without much problem.
I am actually looking forward to riding the train into the city instead of spending 40 minutes each way in a car like I do now. Gas is expensive, my car is aging, and it would be nice to sit on the train and read a book instead of being behind the wheel. I've ridden that train back and forth from Greystone to Grand Central a few times and it's very nice.
I don't mind buying into a city that is on the move up. I understand alot of people's perspective is one where they can afford to live in an already more upward-established town, but as long as my daughter's mental state doesn't suffer because of it, I am looking for people working to make things better. When you bring a child with issues into an area already established with people with kids who do not have issues, they don't want you there. I'm going through that now. We have in an upper middle class area (and 90% white) and because of my daughter's emotional issues related to her trauma, the parents have ostracized her and don't want her tainted little soul around their precious little angels.
Now I'm venting, but if Yonkers is on an upward movement and not a downward spiral, I'm willing to give it a shot.
I think that sometime in the upcoming months I may make an appointment with someone in the Yonkers School system and take a day or two off from work and come up and just sit down and talk with them about my daughter's current special ed plan, what they have similiar to offer, and their procedures for implementing their plan, etc. then I can get a feel for myself.
thanks - I'd like to hear more, pro and con, from folks. I'm not discounting any of it even if it sounds like I am, I'm not.
HI K&F...sounds great! I hope you get a job right outside of GCT! That would be a perfect commute. Also google the Yonkers PD, they have a website and you can email them questions, etc. I have done so in the past if it was about good or bad things I had seen and they sent me a letter in writing thanking me for my comments. I am sure they can tell you where to search for crime stats, etc. It is a nice ride to GCT from Greystone. Out of my 16 years in Yonkers, I spent 5 in the Greystone area, up by North Broadway and St. John's hospital (great hospital by the way, I had to visit them about 6 times in my 16 years there)...oh and great views of the Hudson river. A lot of the clients I have had in the past either sent their kids to private school or Catholic schools in Yonkers but about 40% sent them to public and all seem to adjust well to their surroundings. One of my friends who worked in the Yonkers schools worked with both autistic children (from mild to severe) and also worked with children who were E.D. but more of a socially unable to function (they were exposed to various traumas). She loved working with these kids but felt not enough was done between the parents and the schools. Some of the parents didn't help the situation. I have friends that have moved out of Yonkers and out of New York completely and now wish they were back in the NY area, and even said they wouldn't mind coming back to Yonkers. Google "revitalization of Yonkers, NY" and you will come across more info! I guess I have a soft spot for Yonkers since I was there for 16 years. I lived in the Bronx before that for 14. Then upper Westchester for 8. Good luck! Write back so we know how your search is going!
I haven't checked this forum for a few days. Wow, AP, good experience you have, and I will check that Yonkers PD site the next thing I do.
I emailed the director of special ed for the Yonkers School System. He emailed me right back. In my email I explained what I was thinking of doing, how I was planning my move based on the schools, and wondering how they could accommodate my daughter. He was very nice - explained to me a few options they had, and asked me to send him a copy of my daughter's special ed plan (called an IEP) and said after he reviewed it he would call me and we could talk about the options. I was really impressed with his courtesy and willingness to help - his overall transparency.
I also sent an email to the director of special ed for the hastings schools but haven't heard from them yet.
I had a nice phone conversation yesterday with a local realtor in hastings who has helped my friend up there in the past. older gentleman, very laid back. I explained my plan to him. He told me not to disregard Yonkers.
I don't know where we will end up, but I am not opposed to putting my daughter in Catholic school (we are Catholic) - my only hesitation on that is, can they provide the special ed she needs? but it can be an option for Plan B if I buy a place, then the school isn't working out for her. and by then she may be "better".
Thanks, Annie - so sweet to hear you reminisce for Yonkers.
Hi- I am a special educator and a product of Yonkers public school- but that was in the 80's- when Yonkers had neighborhood schools. There are several decent Yonkers elementary schools, but there are many problems with drugs/gangs/violence, budget cuts, etc in middle and high schools. My job requires me attend evaluation meetings in districts throughout Westchester. I would recommend New Rochelle, Tarrytown (Sleepy Hollow) as well as White Plains. The special ed departments in these districts are top notch. The chairpersons (esp. in New Rochelle) are informative and really assess each child's needs so intently. Yonkers meetings take about 5 minutes and meetings in New Rochelle take about 2 hours per child. Also- check out Tarrytown- only a few minutes to Greystone area and quick commute to city. Tarrytown schools have so much diversity and a great special education program. I would not consider Catholic schools- they simply DO NOT have the necessary programs/knowledge/budget. Good Luck!
thanks, SallyG! I looked at Tarrytown on the map. it looks do-able. i don't want to get too far away from either the city or my friend.
do you know anything about the special ed in Hastings? the elementary school? I feel certain, in fact I know that by middle school she won't need an IEP.
My friend lives about .5 mile from Hastings and we go to church there. I love that town and all they have to offer for families in the community.
About the meetings - LOL - the child study meetings where they intended to blow us off lasted an hour. the ones where I brought my attorney (including the eligibility mtg and the IEP mtg) lasted 3.5 hours, but at least two of them were READING OUT LOUD the reports/evaluation I provided or that the school had done. it was painful. they couldn't just give a summary of their evaluation, each person read out loud their entire report or the report from their respective private provider I had, then gave their summary and recommendation. they could have been a bit more efficient. of course, my favorite thing was the ding dong school speech therapist. she read her two page evaluation out loud (where she said my daughter no longer needed speech therapy), then took the 15 page comprehensive eval our private speech pathologist did, and only read out loud the parts she agreed with, skipping the parts that disputed her. hilarious. the director of special ed actually called her on that one. the staff from inside the school were devious and uncooperative. the school board staff were obviously trying to do the right thing.
anyway, any insight you have on hastings I would appreciate, thanks.
Well most people nowadays view "special ed" as a racket because of how much money it costs. So you shouldn't be surprised by the responses you get from school administrators.
Quote:
Originally Posted by K&F
thanks, SallyG! I looked at Tarrytown on the map. it looks do-able. i don't want to get too far away from either the city or my friend.
do you know anything about the special ed in Hastings? the elementary school? I feel certain, in fact I know that by middle school she won't need an IEP.
My friend lives about .5 mile from Hastings and we go to church there. I love that town and all they have to offer for families in the community.
About the meetings - LOL - the child study meetings where they intended to blow us off lasted an hour. the ones where I brought my attorney (including the eligibility mtg and the IEP mtg) lasted 3.5 hours, but at least two of them were READING OUT LOUD the reports/evaluation I provided or that the school had done. it was painful. they couldn't just give a summary of their evaluation, each person read out loud their entire report or the report from their respective private provider I had, then gave their summary and recommendation. they could have been a bit more efficient. of course, my favorite thing was the ding dong school speech therapist. she read her two page evaluation out loud (where she said my daughter no longer needed speech therapy), then took the 15 page comprehensive eval our private speech pathologist did, and only read out loud the parts she agreed with, skipping the parts that disputed her. hilarious. the director of special ed actually called her on that one. the staff from inside the school were devious and uncooperative. the school board staff were obviously trying to do the right thing.
anyway, any insight you have on hastings I would appreciate, thanks.
Hey Mead - wondering what you mean about not being surprised about the responses I get - meaning, the special ed directors will try to sell me on their program to get more students in, therefore more funding? or the opposite?
I have my own opinion on special ed. In my opinion, because of the standardized tests the schools are forced to administer to get the federal funding they want (and I am shooting from the hip with this theory, I welcome corrections on my facts) - the teacher are forced to teach "to the test" and there is less teaching "to the whole child." they have no extra time in the day to take care of children who may not fit a mold or conform to a flawless day. so there is a rush to get any kid with any special needs an IEP for special ed so they can be dealt with separately by someone other than their regular classroom teacher. I'm 49 years old so it's been 40 years since I was in elementary school, and I was a quiet, good student, but I remember the kids that had issues - behavior, couldn't sit still, cried for their mommy (all things my little girl does at times), the teacher took time and stopped and either reprimanded them or gave them a hug or whatever it took to get them back on track. now, a kid just acts like a kid, and they need an IEP.
just my opinion, from experience. her first, 1st grade teacher, actually said to me in a meeting, when I was relaying what my daughter's therapist taught me about redirecting her when she was upset, she said "I don't have time for that, I have a lesson plan to get through." she was one cold hearted perfectionist. I had my daughter moved out of her room, the next teacher was nothing like that. BUT, by then, the principal was micro-managing everything and she had to do what the principal told her to do. she basically told me this.
I would follow up with a phone call to Hastings- you would be suprised to know how many educators aren't that comfortable with email I do not have any experience w Hastings- but I have heard only good things. This is Westchester County- any school district you choose, and yes, that includes Yonkers, will be immensely better than in VA. In NY, students are given a placement in the least restrictive environment and most classrooms have regular ed and special ed teachers. There are different teachers, therapists, social workers and paraprofessionals in and out of every classroom everyday- servicing a good portion of the students. Regular education teachers in almost all school districts in Westchester Cty are trained in different learning styles and understand the varying needs of children in the classroom. Most services are done in the classroom- so everybody who works w a child has to know the strategies, etc that are being used. Kids are usually not pulled out of the classroom anymore. Also-another school district to consider is Ardsley- I believe it is considered to have one of best special education depts in Westchester. There are not many, if any coops there, at least I don't think so- but keep it in mind. best of luck!
I would follow up with a phone call to Hastings- you would be suprised to know how many educators aren't that comfortable with email I do not have any experience w Hastings- but I have heard only good things. This is Westchester County- any school district you choose, and yes, that includes Yonkers, will be immensely better than in VA.
I love what you said about NY schools being better than Va. That says it all for me - this is a huge part of why I want to move up there - I just don't think this kid is every going to get what she needs from schools in Virginia.
Sallyg - I am being a bit impatient with Hastings. It's only been a week - that person could be out of the office. And I hadn't thought of the email issue. to me it's less intrusive. I will give them another week and if I don't hear back I'll call that person. There is no big hurry as I'm planning this in a year. I think what's in my mind is that we are coming up on memorial day weekend but only spending 24 hours in Westchester (most of the time we are staying in a hotel in lower Manhattan b/c my daughter wants to see the statute of liberty) - anyway, I think I want to mentally narrow down where I feel we'll be going so we can spend the little bit of time we have up there checking out just the areas that I feel will work the best for us.
Hastings: I am pretty hung up on Hastings. It has such a small town feel and there are a couple of co-ops I can afford right in the center of town. I am also thinking about a few years from now - when my daughter is middle and high school age - what is she going to do after school before I get home from work? being one block from the library, community center, the church we'd attend, shops in the little downtown area, the schools, and yes, even the A&P - I feel like I'd rather have her comfortable in a little village setting than isolated in a building that is not walking distance to anything - and we are both friendly - we'll get to know everyone in town and she'd have a dozen pairs of eyes on her at all times. not that I want her running the streets every afternoon, but the reality is, a bored teen is more likely to get into trouble than a teen that has access to things to do that are in a healthy environment. The community center in Hastings in particular seems to offer alot for young people, and it's right in downtown. I'm sure there will be lots for her to do at school, after school, and it will be good to be one block from school for that.
Hastings seems to have it all for us - the train station right there (walking distance from the co-ops I'm keeping my eyes on), a little downtown area, schools right there, and only 1/2 mile or so from her Godfather.
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thanks AnnieProductions
I do not have any experience w Hastings- but I have heard only good things. This is Westchester County- any school district you choose, and yes, that includes Yonkers, will be immensely better than in VA. In NY, students are given a placement in the least restrictive environment and most classrooms have regular ed and special ed teachers. There are different teachers, therapists, social workers and paraprofessionals in and out of every classroom everyday- servicing a good portion of the students. Regular education teachers in almost all school districts in Westchester Cty are trained in different learning styles and understand the varying needs of children in the classroom. Most services are done in the classroom- so everybody who works w a child has to know the strategies, etc that are being used. Kids are usually not pulled out of the classroom anymore. Also-another school district to consider is Ardsley- I believe it is considered to have one of best special education depts in Westchester. There are not many, if any coops there, at least I don't think so- but keep it in mind. best of luck!
