[SeaDoo342]

The area Ridgefield is in has some of the nicest suburbs with best amenities. Not sure why you'd drive from a different part of the state to Ridgefield, when Ridgefield has great schools itself..

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by calmodulin

Also, how bad is the commute from Farmington to Ridgefield on a daily basis? We were considering Farmington because it is closer to a big city and likely has more service available for kids with special needs. Farmington school district would be a nice choice for the other normal kid of ours.

That would be an insane commute. It is 60 miles from Farmington to Ridgefield and you would have to travel through Waterbury which is very slow during rush hour. Your commute would easily be 90 minutes. Farmington is a nice town but not worth that long of a commute. And I would say Ridgefield is as nice if not nicer. Jay

[CTartist]

There is a magazine named "CT Parent". I see it in the library. Here is the website. Maybe you can contact them and ask them if there is any kind of literature on the different school systems in regards to children with special needs.

Special Needs: CT Special Needs

The owner of "Arts for Healing" in New Canaan is a great lady. I know she goes into the schools in the area. Maybe she can give you some insight into the schools you are interested in.

Public/Private Schools - Arts For Healing

[calmodulin]

I am still stuck in the 'bay area' mindset in which it is normal or even mandatory to have 1 hour's one-way commute (I do that now everyday), and living close to where you work is never an option. But I now realize that it is completely different in CT and it is quite pointless to ask for the trouble of extra commute time.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by calmodulin

I am still stuck in the 'bay area' mindset in which it is normal or even mandatory to have 1 hour's one-way commute (I do that now everyday), and living close to where you work is never an option. But I now realize that it is completely different in CT and it is quite pointless to ask for the trouble of extra commute time.

Its usually mandatory to have a 1 hour commute in CT if you work in the Stamford/NYC area (which is where most jobs are). You just happen to have the luxury of an opportunity in the suburbs. It would be no different if you landed a job in a far out Bay Area suburb.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by calmodulin

I am still stuck in the 'bay area' mindset in which it is normal or even mandatory to have 1 hour's one-way commute (I do that now everyday), and living close to where you work is never an option. But I now realize that it is completely different in CT and it is quite pointless to ask for the trouble of extra commute time.

It is not necessarily different here but your job happens to be in one of the nicest towns in the state so why not live there. If your job was in say Stamford which is surrounded by some of the priciest towns in the country, we would be recommending towns that would have a much longer commute. In fact Ridgefield would likely be one of them. Good luck with your home search. Jay

[BicoastalAnn]

I agree... you are in a great position to have a job in Ridgefield. I would choose Ridgefield over Farmington anyway because, should you need to find another job in the future, you'd still be commuting distance to the major employment centers in NYC, Westchester, and of course Stamford/Norwalk.

Ridgefield is also one of my favorite towns in the area. I think you'll love it. I hope you'll get a chance to tour the other towns though just because they have different characters and you might find you prefer more rural (Redding) or more populated (Westport) ones.

[calmodulin]

Just giving everyone an update of my story.

I contacted the school districts at Ridgefield, Newtown, Wilton and Redding to learn more about their special education services, and they all declined to disclose detailed information unless I am already a resident within the school district. That being said, all 'standard' services for kids on the ASD spectrum are available in all districts.

My elder kid has been evaluated as gifted and currently studies in a GATE program offered by local school district. So I also asked if any of the four school districts would offer similar programs for gifted kids. It turned out only Wilton and Newtown have their own gifted programs (Ridgefield offers none, and Redding's program is very limited). With housing affordability taken into account, we are now strongly leaning towards settling down in Newtown.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by calmodulin

Just giving everyone an update of my story.

I contacted the school districts at Ridgefield, Newtown, Wilton and Redding to learn more about their special education services, and they all declined to disclose detailed information unless I am already a resident within the school district. That being said, all 'standard' services for kids on the ASD spectrum are available in all districts.

My elder kid has been evaluated as gifted and currently studies in a GATE program offered by local school district. So I also asked if any of the four school districts would offer similar programs for gifted kids. It turned out only Wilton and Newtown have their own gifted programs (Ridgefield offers none, and Redding's program is very limited). With housing affordability taken into account, we are now strongly leaning towards settling down in Newtown.

Some good research! Have you tried looking up "mom groups" on Facebook to ask for firsthand opinions? That could help, too.

Newtown is a great town but if your other half hasn't found a job yet, Wilton is closer to jobs in Norwalk, Stamford and NYC. Newtown is a bit removed and greatly limits potential job opportunities, unless willing to have a long commute.

[Raider111]

Originally Posted by calmodulin

Just giving everyone an update of my story.

I contacted the school districts at Ridgefield, Newtown, Wilton and Redding to learn more about their special education services, and they all declined to disclose detailed information unless I am already a resident within the school district. That being said, all 'standard' services for kids on the ASD spectrum are available in all districts.

My elder kid has been evaluated as gifted and currently studies in a GATE program offered by local school district. So I also asked if any of the four school districts would offer similar programs for gifted kids. It turned out only Wilton and Newtown have their own gifted programs (Ridgefield offers none, and Redding's program is very limited). With housing affordability taken into account, we are now strongly leaning towards settling down in Newtown.

Personally i would sacrifice on home size and look at Wilton first for better resale time and value, and of course access to more jobs.
Newtown has an exceedingly high amount of inventory. Nearly 300 homes currently on the market for a town with only 25k population is staggering. It may be a factor if a need to sell arises.
There is also a dynamic within the town now that everything revolves around the tragedy.