Griffon

We will be moving to Boston in August this year, for three years. We have never even visited, and are trying to decide where to live. We have two children who will be 4 and 2 when we go. Our 4 year old is at school nursery at the moment in the UK and would be moving into reception if we were staying here - I am trying to understand what age she would start school in Boston; is the academic year Sept to July? What are pre-schools like and how easy is to get a place when applying now for September, and without a US address? Where do you recommend living with children of that age - more than happy to consider well-connected suburbs and satellite towns...all thoughts/ideas warmly welcomed, its all a bit overwhelming at present!

Bob

Depends on budget, where you will work and what you'll put up with a commute.

Preschool in Boston and going to the burbs, part time 3 days a week will be $1300-1500 a month. I know a few places recommended locally, but not much good if your not planning on the metrowest area. Might want to keep the 4 year old back, can't really say though, but there's a good thread on peoples experience, quite recent so you should be able to find it.

Also, I live 13 miles from downtown Boston, to drive would take an hour in morning commute and parking is around $20-35 a day in most places that don't have their own parking...and the commuter train, the greenline that's Riverside in Newton takes 45 mins to get to south station where you'll be able to then get pretty much anywhere, it sucks during the winter month and the parking isn't covered, for a couple bucks more on parking, Alewife, the redline, in Watertown is a multistory, depending on where you'll work, more convenient line on the T too as the greenline is pretty shit.

Welcome to BE and good luck

janj

Hi Griffon. I've lived in a Boston suburb (Weston) for the past 15 years and worked in elementary schools so may be able to help you! First off, in most towns (and there are very strict rules about being resident in a particular town in order to attend their schools), your child must be 5 by September 1 to start Kindergarten that year. Exceptions might be private schools, like montessori schools, that may take them earlier.
My town is great for schools - repeatedly nominated best in state, but with the ages of your kids, and the fact that you'll only be here 3 years, you have other good options. Newton and Brookline (on the subway line) are good, as are towns like Arlington and Belmont. Public (state) schools in the city itself are not good. There are nice town pools in the suburbs, children's community associations like the WCCA in Weston, and recreation programs, but expect to pay way more for pre-schools than you would in the UK. Two cars are a must in the suburbs, but in the towns I mentioned above you can walk.
If I can answer any other questions, fire away!
Jan

janj

Just a quick follow up on Bob's comment about commuting times. We're 12 miles from Boston - my husband can be at his office in Cambridge in 23 minutes if he leaves home before 7am and leaves the office before 5pm. You just have to know when to avoid the rush hour.

Bob

That's the thing, there's a 15 minute window when you can blow through into beantown, before 6:30.....gets hazy between 7 and after, you'd be stuck.

Down my way, doesn't matter when in the way down, Wellesley is always a bottle neck though. Definately don't want to be doing the commute when there's a game on whether the Pats or Sox playing, always fun That and where I-93 meets I-95 is a big time killer.

Problem with Newton/Brookline is the greenline, it's the most rubbish one of the lot...really lovely town Newton though and Needham. Arlington is really cute too and a little further out on Rt 2 is Concord which is really nice as well.

Englishmum

There is a British School of Boston, so you may wish to consider this as an option:

http://www.britishschool.org/Boston

it's very expensive though! (all private schools in the US are...) Perhaps your spouse's employer may contribute towards the fees?:

http://www.britishschool.org/Boston/...ns/TuitionFees

We had some Scottish friends (whose son was in the same class as our son, when they both attended a British school in Singapore). They went on an expat posting to the US a year before we did, but they relocated to the Boston area. They lived in Needham, MA and their son and daughter went to the British school of Boston and were very happy there. They've moved back to Scotland now but slotted easily into some top private schools in Edinburgh.

Bob

That's the one in Jamaica Plain right? Well pricey...nice part of JP is fantastic where the school is, the shit part of JP is a dive though, surprisingly where the big animal hospital is, Angell....some fantastic bakeries in the Portuguese/Brazillian area and a really cool gay scene.

Needham is a really cute town, commuter rail stop is literally in the town centre, some nice cafes and places to eat and there's also someone on BE who lives in Needham, might pop in to answer more questions.

bostonbound

I agree with Bob - Concord is nice, that is where we have chosen to live

We also looked at Lexington which was our other choice, in the end it came down to finding the right house. (That would accept our dog too!)

We did have 2 trips out there to have a look round and find the right place, I would really have liked to live in Newburyport but the commute for my husband would have been diabolical.

My children are older than yours so I can't comment on pre-schools, but with regards to primary school (elementary) my children are in years 5 and 4 now but they will go into Grades 4 and 3.

Wooglin

Cambridge is nice, but a bit expensive. My friend lives close to Harvard and he loves it.

Englishmum

Yes, I understand (from the school's website) that it is now located in Jamaica Plain.

We went to stay with our Scottish friends in Needham for a long Thanksgiving weekend...I couldn't believe how bitterly cold it was up there compared to our place in New Jersey!

I remember nothing of Needham, other than it was the first time I'd ever been to a Trader Joe's which was just a few blocks from where my friends lived. (They now live in a farmhouse near Edinburgh)

http://www.traderjoes.com

(Another weird thing which I remember is that they took us to the JFK library....my friend pointed out that Jackie Kennedy had huge feet, then I noticed her shoes in a cabinet as part of a costume display of her clothes )

Bob

Newburyport is very cute, has the commuter rail too, but like you said, the commute down town is hell.....tad quiet of an area though, but great for kids, but at the point, might as well rent in NH

Bob

JP is still Boston, just a bit south side and not near down town, on the orange line though, which is a step up from the greenline for using the T.