Moving to South Austin (West, Meridian: credit, day cares, homes)

[iamlaldo]

My family is plannig to move to South Austin in August or September of this year. We have twin boys that are 2 yrs old. I will be working ear South Austin Hospital. I graduated from UT Austin in 1996, but from what I hear the city has changed a lot. We have some questions about South Austin:

1. Good neighborhoods - we are looking for a 3000+ square foot home that is under 600K in a good school district and in a neighborhood with lots of kids. Would like to keep the commute under 20-30 minutes.

2. Pre-schools- which ones would you recommend and is there a waiting list for the 2 yr old schools?

Thanks You.

[Raskolnikov]

1. The Villages of Western Oaks, Circle C, or Meridian all fit your criteria. They all have tons of kids, great schools, a short (relatively speaking) commute to your job, and are within your price range.

2. Preschools are tough. I'd look at a Church program. Avoid Bright Horizons.

[Derek ATX]

Originally Posted by Raskolnikov

1. The Villages of Western Oaks, Circle C, or Meridian all fit your criteria. They all have tons of kids, great schools, a short (relatively speaking) commute to your job, and are within your price range.

2. Preschools are tough. I'd look at a Church program. Avoid Bright Horizons.

I would have to agree with the above. The commute is easy and the schools are great. Meridian is a newer neighborhood along the Circle C Golf Course (now Greyrock) Homes here range from around 300K up to 800K +. They should start construction on a new elementary school in the next few months pending final approval.

[jenkirk]

I would also add the Heights of Loma Vista and Granada Oaks to your list.

[jenkirk]

For preschools, I recommend Stepping Stones on Brodie. They have a great director and some really awesome teachers. My little boy will be two in May, and we have really enjoyed his teachers so far. My daughter is four, and we loved her three year old teachers.

My daughter went to another daycare when she was two and we got her out of there as quick as possible!

[SamTX]

I'd recommend Circle C too. Elementary schools are good. I liked some of the floor plans at Meridian but its still at the beginning stages on development so might be a while until all construction finishes up.
Schools wise, Mariposa Montessori (Initial stages on AMS accreditation) on Brodie that opened last year which we love. They might have a wait list but it cant be that long since it just opened up and they might open a new classroom too. Circle C child development center is pretty good too (accredited by the NAYEC), but some of the programs/schedules have a wait list too. I've heard good things on Austin Montessori school, if you put their names early enough. There's usually at least 1.5 yr waiting list.

[bridgeplayer]

Originally Posted by Raskolnikov

1. The Villages of Western Oaks, Circle C, or Meridian all fit your criteria. They all have tons of kids, great schools, a short (relatively speaking) commute to your job, and are within your price range.

2. Preschools are tough. I'd look at a Church program. Avoid Bright Horizons.

Can you please explain why we should avoid Bright Horizons. We are planning to visit them soon.
Thanks!

[Raskolnikov]

Originally Posted by bridgeplayer

Can you please explain why we should avoid Bright Horizons. We are planning to visit them soon.
Thanks!

In a nutshell, because of the turnover and because they are over crowded. Over crowdedness translates into: they don't graduate kids to the next age/ higher up class when they are supposed to go developmentally, but rather they have to time it out so that they have the right teacher/ student ratio. So, in essence, your kid could get stuck in a class where he or she are way past the other kids developmentally, but they will tell you they aren't. (When the reality is, the next class your kid is supposed to go to is just over crowded, or teachers have quit leaving them without enough teachers, etc.)

It's a typical daycare setting. Over worked teachers translates into a feeling that it's a baby/ kid jail.

We had our kids there for a little over a year. While we liked everyone and the management was very nice to us, we noticed that the turnover rate among their teachers was ridiculously high. So just as our kid would get used to a teacher/ develop a relationship and start to feel comfortable going there, that teacher would suddenly not be there anymore. Of course they didn't tell you what happened, your kid would just show up and there'd be a new teacher. For our kid, this proved traumatic. He would cry and scream sometimes at being dropped off. The teachers would blame it on that he was "not independent enough" when it was patently obvious that it was because the teachers he was used to were suddenly replaced by others whom he did not know. And, maybe those teachers weren't as nice.

At one point, my son started a new class and after 5 months he'd had about 4 different teachers who had started and then quit or been fired (who knows.) Then, I was told by 2 teachers that my son should have been moved up to the next level (he had hit all the mile stones) but that they had too many students enrolled in all the older classes, so they were holding him back. So, for a few months he was in a class where nobody else could talk, really and my son could speak full sentences. He was sort of miserable. I decided at that point I'd had enough and pulled him out.

But I think you'll find a similar situation at most full time day cares, so we don't do it anymore. I'd recommend looking at in-home care (like a part or fulltime nanny) or a mother's day out, like a Church, or a Montessori school etc.

[jenkirk]

There is always some overlap, but I like Stepping Stones Brodie because they move all the kids at the same times. I think it happens about four times a year, but do not quote me on that.

There is teacher turn-around, but many of the classes have had the same teachers since we have been there. My daughter is currently in a class where there was some teacher turnover (the teacher left because she got a job as an elementary teacher), but because she is with all of her friends it has not bothered her a bit.

We have been at other daycares, and overall the kids all appear to be very happy at Stepping Stones. The kids do not cry very often. I know we went to other daycares (two before Stepping Stones) where there was always one or two kids that would cry or whine all day. You just do not see that at Stepping Stones. Also they do have some structured parts of the day, but there is also plenty of time to play.

We love it, and I do not feel guilty working while they are there. Also often when I go to pick up my kids, they want to stay and play. We never had that at our other daycare.

[Dodgerchick]

Originally Posted by jenkirk

For preschools, I recommend Stepping Stones on Brodie. They have a great director and some really awesome teachers. My little boy will be two in May, and we have really enjoyed his teachers so far. My daughter is four, and we loved her three year old teachers.

My daughter went to another daycare when she was two and we got her out of there as quick as possible!

Our youngest attended Stepping Stone in North Austin (on Parmer) and they were outstanding and completely flexible.

I know the original poster was inquiring on South Austin, but you can't go wrong with Stepping Stone.