Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You may love Hawaii, but there isn't upside for a small child.
You know, I'd not really even thought of it that way, but it is an interesting perspective. Moving to Hawaii, for those adults who are wanting to "live somewhere I love", "live something I think I'll love", "have loved my vacations there", or "want to move to somewhere different from where I now live", the focus is really on themselves, not their children. I cannot think of anything about Hawaii that is a benefit to young children that cannot be found in many other less expensive places. And the school situation in Hawaii is another big drawback for children, both at an early age and in to high school.
This, of course, does NOT apply to folks who move here because they already have ohana [family] here. Or military members who are transferred here. Or professionals headed here who will have a high enough income that the cost of private schools will not even be an issue.
[Tuition approximations: Punahou (Oahu) @ $20K/yr; HPA (Hawaii Island) $18K, Iolani (Oahu) $17K Parker School (Hawaii Island) $13K; St. Francis $7-10K,and various other options and prices, with religious schools often being lower.] And the entrance exams and competition for a slot can be tough at some private schools!
An adult's dream of living a day-to-day-vacation-existence of laying on the beach, hiking, laying on the beach, hiking, and a pretty sunset tossed in between more beach/hiking, well, those things just don't apply to what is a high priority for most kids. Kids are happy to play in a pool anywhere, and hike the back trail behind the supermarket. No, moving to Hawaii is a decision that an adult is making, thinking of what is their dream.
i've recently heard higher sea levels are another reason to stay away.
bwahahahahaha!!!!
wait... maybe I have something to say... I'll be there in TWO WEEKS *gulp* And don't bother, I've smacked myself enough times for everyone here.
If I was on the left coast I'd be shipping my trusty, faithful, dependable car (if I had one) instead of having to rush to pick up an island car once I got there. I'll spend a couple three grand for a car and shipping the one I already paid for is about a grand from what I've heard. Seems like a good decision.
I'm dragging furkids. Talk about insanity! And a teenager who needs her dad so she will finish high school in Hawaii. On her fb page she "lives in Honolulu" already.
Last edited by hunterseat; 12-17-2012 at 01:51 PM..
Reason: I keep thinking of more stuff...
Whats with the no kids thing?.. i understand all the differences to raising kids in HI... but arent there qualities? I no plenty of successful people who where educated thru hawaii system. isnt culture a positive, isnt having some country vibe a positive (depending where u live), isnt the slower pace lifestyle a positive? what else?
The advice here often follows along the general lines of "doing your homework before moving to Hawaii if you are thinking of bringing school age children". The fact is that the educational system in Hawaii has some major problems, and knowing how you will address those problems beforehand is important. Folks who think they can just land at the airport and take their chances that all will work out, well, that if fine for THEM AS ADULTS. But it is not fine to put a child through bad experiences that could probably be avoided with proper planning. Ending up in an under-performing school, or a school with violence issues, or attendance issues, etc, is not something to "choose" for your child.
Hawaii is a wonderful place. There are ways to make it a great experience for a child. Yes, there are educational opportunities here. But it takes some prep on the parent(s) part to make those positive outcomes more likely to happen.
It is not a "no kids" thing. It is a "don't be unprepared" thing.
I hear that! Preparation is key. As for my grammar, seriously, its a forum not a novel. Get a life. greatschools.org is a great place to rank schools. There are similarly ranked schools in CA. & HI the good & bad. Need to find out if the ranking is across the board or if they change it per state. People seem to say that the higher ranked schools dont compare to similar schools on mainland, i.e. punahou to an ivy league. Just not sure if that a fact or an opinion. My cuz grew up in ala moana & transfered to Clairmont mckenna in L.a. (amazing college) & then USD (very hard to get into with a mainland education). So I wish there was a clear version of truth. Yes some OWEFUL Schools, & I think also some Gems. In Santa Barbara,Ca (wealthy area) the high school is ranked at a 6 & waialua high is ranked at a 7 on the same site. hmmmm
I feel a lot of people are really dumping on the OP with this no-kids attitude, and not considering her situation.
First of all, a 4-year-old in day care or Pre-K is a lot different than a 12-year-old in middle school. If nothing else, the parents have time (2 years) to assess school options and see what works for them. In that time, there could be new options that people aren't even considering now (home schooling or a new charter school pops up). Secondly, early grade school is generally good in HI, it's the academics and motivation in the higher grades that's the problem. In fact, depending on the teacher, some low grades can be great. Finally, in the worse case, they stay for 2 to 3 years and realize that they want to move back (for any number of reasons, including child-related). Then, it's not much of an impact on the child to start over in K or 1st grade in a new school on the mainland (school attachment and social circle not being so strongly formed at that age).
While a lot of the moving-to-Hawaii-with-kids caveats do apply to older kids (though I think they could be said much more nicely than in this thread), I think a 4-year-old is a totally different situation. Raising young children in Hawaii has many benefits: warm weather means simple wardrobe and no bundling, easy to play outside all year, beach and ocean usually close by, more fresh fruit and veggies available, less culture of fear, more interaction with other families and community, diversity and local culture, etc. I certainly saw many benefits to raising my child in Hawaii, and even though I had the possibility of moving and staying on the mainland, chose to move back to HI when she was 5--and she continues to enjoy all these benefits here.
In my mind, the OP was straightforward about the money situation, and pretty realistic about their priorities (needing to secure a teaching job before considering the actual move). Some commenters focused on her no-smackdown comment instead of offering helpful advice such as which island or area would be cheaper (which others later gave). Another regular commenter just gave unhelpful one-liner comments that come off as know-it-all ("That is by far, the proper way to move to Hawaii.")
To address the frugal comment, I actually think it is a benefit in wanting to move to HI. There are two ways to be frugal: out of desperation, yet you still consume, just more cheaply like at Walmart, or by actually reducing your consumer habits to fit in with the local realities. Obviously the first will make you unhappy in HI, and the second is the way to go. My family is actually really frugal with our food budget because we try to adapt to the island: we get a quarter of our food from the farmer's market, a quarter from cheap wharehouse stores, another quarter from expensive organic food stores, and the rest we grow, trade, or glean around town.
So to me it sounds like the OP might have a lot of what it takes to make the move. Of course, the financial side still needs to work (job and savings), but I am nowhere near as pessimistic as the other posters on this thread regarding the other aspects.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
