Thursday, January 14, 2010

Schools in USA

For getting registered in the local library, normally photo ID and proof of residence is required. You can show your passport and copy of lease to become a member. Check with the library if they require anything else.

One reader has asked "Should we search for public schools in possible location we would be moving or should we first look for a good school-district and then accordingly select a place / city of residence?"

I think you should first search for public schools in the area where your office is located. Then try nearby areas if the rating is not good and accordingly look for place of residence. Office proximity is good if you have to rush to the school for some emergency or to attend parent-teacher meetings.

After you have shortlisted the school, you can call/e-mail the school/district and ask them the procedure of admission. Normally they require proof of birth, immunization records signed by local pediatrician and proof of residency (you can get admission only in the school allocated to your current residence). My son had joined school in 1st grade but the school did not ask for any previous school records. You have to check with the school.

In my next blog, I would give information on how to look for apartments in USA and what are the things you have to consider.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Schools in USA

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The most important thing for any parent is education of their kids. We send our kids to best schools in our country. So when we move to USA, we expect the same. In USA, public school education is free while private schools are expensive with fees from $200 to $2000 or more depending on the grade your child is in and the location of the school. So depending on your budget, you can send him to private or public. Public school normally provides transportation (if your house is more than 1 mile from school). Every school has different criteria about transportation. You will have to check with the school.

My son has been in a public school for the last 2 years. He loves his school and the teachers are really good. Standard of English is very good. Most of the school districts in US have accelerated Maths or accelerated reader programs or gifted child program. They monitor the progress of the child throughout the year and place them in accelerated program(usually starts from fourth grade) which means he/she will be having separate classes covering the next grade curriculum as well as their own grade. This is very beneficial for kids who are ahead of their grade level. Again every school has different programs. You have to check with your school. So when you move here and you think your kid is one level ahead of his class, you can request the school to evaluate him.

When we came here, my daughter was only 2.5 years old so I didn't send her to any school. Now she goes to pre-school 3 times in the week (2.5 hrs per day). You have to search around for the best pre-school within your budget preferably near your house. Pre-schools generally don't provide transportation.

The best thing I feel in USA is the library system. My kids just love going to the library. Every area has one library. It's free and depending on the rules of local library, you can check out any number of books and limited number of DVDs, VHS, CDs, magazines etc. They have lots of kids programs which are usually free. So if your kid is not yet 4 yrs, instead of sending him to school, you can take him for a library program every week which are educational and interactive.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Tips for moving to USA

I am a Mom of two small Kids. Moved from India to USA two years back. This blog is helpful for those who have small kids and planning to move to USA.

The first thing you have to do is look for an apartment in USA. Staying in hotel is okay for 1-2 days/weeks but then it's better to settle down fast and nothing like own place and home food. We shifted to our apartment within two days of landing in USA. What nobody tells you is that you have to start the process even before you reach here. In USA, all schools have ratings based on their performance (10 is best) and it's better to stay in the area where school rating is good enough.

So before you come here, do a thorough search and decide in advance. There is a great website http://www.greatschools.org/. You open the site and put the name of the city and state where you want to shift or you can put the zip code (if you know). It will display all the schools in the area and their rating. Most Elementary schools are from kindergarten (ages 5+) to 5th Grade. Some may have pre-K. Education in public schools is free. So you click the school'name which has a good rating. It will show everything from parents reviews to test scores to compare schools. If you click "compare schools", you will get a list of all the schools in the area and nearby. Suppose the place you are going has schools with poor rating, then you can search for schools in nearby area. It's better to stay in an area where school rating is better which may mean further from your office. I can tell from my own experience. I didn't know a thing about ratings when I came to USA. We took house within walkable distance from my husband's office. While great for him but my son had to study in a 3 rating school. Now he studies in 9 rating school. Needless to say, there is a huge difference in both the schools in terms of education and overall culture.

Everyday I would be adding more tips on how to settle down here.
. If you have any questions, I would be glad to help.