Moving to Liberty- any preschool recommendations? (Kansas City, Union: houses, neighborhood, school district)

[gonefishingw2boys]

Hi,
We are a corporate relocation with 2 & 4 yr old boys. We will be moving out there from OH in a few months. I don't want to miss the cutoff to get into a good preschool. I think we are leaning towards living in Liberty and would love suggestions of good preschools there for my 4 yr old this fall. Looking for 1/2 day maybe 3 days/week.

Also along that line, what are the good elementary schools in Liberty?

How far is Liberty from the International airport?

Any other neighborhood to avoid/look into or other tips would be appreciated!:D

Thanks!

[northbound74]

Not sure about preschools, but the Liberty school district is considered one of the best in the region.
It's close to the airport, probably 15-20 minutes I think.
There's a few slightly run down areas very close to the square, none of them dangerous, really. It's a very safe town overall. It has a small-town type of feel to it, slightly detached, but not too much so. Liberty is on I-35, which will take you directly to downtown (again, 15 minutes), and any pretty much anything else in the area.
If you like older houses and history, the courthouse square and surrounding areas are very cool. Liberty also has plenty of newer types of housing to choose from.

[TGS]

It isn't in Liberty, but we were very happy with Union Hill Day School. It is directly south of downtown, so if you work in that area, it is pretty convenient. It was only a 15-20 minute drive for us when we lived near the airport. They have a traditional Montessori program from infant to Kindergarten. Also near downtown is Notre Dame de Sion. It is a traditional private school with a Montessori pre-school. I have heard great things about their program, but it is a little pricey.

I don't think the Liberty public school district has a traditional pre-school program (I think it is just for kids with developmental delays). A neighboring public school district, Park Hill, does have a traditional pre-school program. It is a great public school district, so be sure to check out houses in the Park Hill district, especially around Parkville. There are very few bad areas in the Northland.

[Betsyg]

I live in Liberty and love it. The school district is top notch - not a bad elementary in the bunch. While my kids are in elementary school (Lillian Schumacer), I have friends who love the following preschools:
Second Friends (in the 2nd Baptist church just off the Square) Second Baptist Church, Liberty - Home is the church URL 816-781-3882

the preschool at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church church URL is www.pleasantvalley.org

St. Stephen Lutheran Pre-school 816-781-6994 (neighbor teaches there - friends love, love, love this school)

Liberty Montessori 816-781-6295

Hilltop Preschool at Liberty United Methodist Church 781-5942

We live in the Clay Meadows subdivision which is in south Liberty on 291 - basically the farthest away in Liberty you can be from the airport and still be in Liberty. It takes me 25-30 minutes to get to the airport, but 10-15 can be crossing Liberty. If you live on the west side of I-35 you can be to the airport in 15 minutes.

If you/husband is not working in Kansas City proper then you may want to avoid the west side of I-35 which is technically Kansas City but is in Liberty school district. If you live or work in Kansas City you will pay a 1% earnings tax. If you don't work or live in Kansas City then you can avoid that tax. So if the work is in KC then it doesn't matter where you live, you'll be taxed. If you work in Liberty or North Kansas City for example, and choose to live in KC, you'll still be taxed.

From where in Ohio are you moving? I grew up and all of my family is in Greenville OH just NW of Dayton.

Betsy

[gonefishingw2boys]

Thanks for the information!! Very helpful. We are moving from Columbus. My husband works in Dayton (only goes in a few days/mo). Very good advice about avoiding the 1% tax in KC. It is amazing how different the taxes are from place to place!

Kelly

[ShellyT]

We live in Kansas City but are in the Liberty school district. Our kids are older so don't need preschool but we have several friends that have younger children and many of them use Creative World in Liberty on 291 HWY and love it: Creative World School Inc > Locations > Missouri > Missouri01 (http://www.creativeworldschool.com/Locations/Missouri/Missouri01/tabid/6545/Default.aspx - broken link)

I do believe they do have a long waiting list tho!

Good luck with your move!!!

[gonefishingw2boys]

Thanks for the info, I will check them out!
K

[MommyX4]

We are also new to Liberty... been here almost a month. I've called around to different preschools for my 3 1/2 year old. We've decided to go with Second Friends Preschool. My older kids went to summer school immediately after we moved in at Lillian Schumacher and loved it. They seem to have a great school district! I hope you all enjoy the area as much as we are!
One question... does anyone know about good parks to take the kids too? We've been to the one off 291 with the sprinkler area, but are there any others??

[brookery]

Here's a link to the Liberty Parks:
the City of Liberty Official Website! (http://mo-liberty.civicplus.com/index.asp?SID=414 - broken link)

My favorite is Stocksdale Park. It's quite secluded, but lots of room to run around. I also like the Westboro/Canterbury Greenway. It's basically a walking trail but there are two parks (I think) at different points along the way. From 291, turn south on Withers. The parking lot and trailhead will be on the right after the intersection with Kent where the road divides.

[wineland]

We live in Liberty, just off of 435 so it is Kansas City address in a great subdivision call brookside. Amber Meadows subdivision is also fantastic. Both me and my husband work downtown so our toddler goes to Spectrum Station. They have a great website (spectrum station kansas city) and a true beautiful facility. we take 435 to downtown so it is right on our way.