Special Education (Cambridge, Watertown, Lexington: apartment complex, rentals, buy)

[robbin17]

We are relocating from London to MA. We have a daughter who is three and has development delays. My husband will be working in Bedford and Cambridge so we are looking for a town in that area that is very equipped and proactive with special needs students. We are looking into Lexington but rentals seem tight. Does anyone know how Belmont does with special needs students and how the schools are in general?? We would also like a town that is somewhat walkable. Any advise appreciated!!

[kmann-sherborn]

Have you looked at Concord?

Also, I don't know if you're looking at single family or apartment rentals but in Lexington you could try the Avalon Community Apts.

[robbin17]

We would like a single family if possible and we looked at Captain Parker Arms (only online). Are those apartments any good?
We are also considering concord but seems a bit small and not very diverse?

[Irena.M]

Special Ed is very tricky nowadays with all the budget cuts. It is also very child specific. Take it from a parent that has been dealing with the complicated spec. ed. bureaucracy and district incompetence to end up in aCatholic school and love it. (we were in 2 different top rated school districts).
Concord still has a decent amount of services and qualified professionals,but it really depends on what your child needs and it can be very simple orvery complex to get the IEP services, and by the time the testing is all completed and all the necessary reports digested your child will loose a school year falling through cracks. Concord also has a spec. ed collaboration with different neighboring towns, so depending on your child’s needs your child might be placed in a different town for services.
Run away from Belmont and don't look back!
Each school has its own SPED Pac. info on the website so try to connect with the other parents directly.
Concords SPED PAC website is by far superior to others and can be used as a resource and a useful tool in your dreadful quest to provide the decent education for your child.

http://www.concordspedpac.org/

Btw. American apartment complexes and European are very different.

[robbin17]

Oh wow! We are actually moving away from London specifically because the services are so bad. There is no early intervention! Thanks for the advise on Belmont. How is Concord as a community??

[robbin17]

Oh forgot to say..I am from MA but have been in London for the last 8 years. I am not keen on the apartment complex but assume if we like the town we will buy in a year or so.

[Irena.M]

Concord is a small rural town with a nice downtown area. Has a train service but other than that you will be using your car a lot. If your husband works in Bedford than the commute will be painless for him.
Would love to live there but after years of living in Acton (next to Concord),and never seing my husband due to the commute and long hours, decided to get closer to his job and so far so good. Also our comunity and church and familly is around Watertown and Belmont so ultimately made sense to be closer to all of it. Now if only those geriartric properties would become reasonably priced, would have been eve better LOL.
Its nice not to be living in a car anymore, although I do miss the green and quiet and the farms.

[Irena.M]

Also go to Special Education Advocacy Library at Wrightslaw and get their book too.

[jaybb]

There are all different levels of SPED schools that are available based on need. We have no idea of your need, and perhaps it may be difficult even for you at the age of 3 to determine this. But SPEC schools are expensive, and educating one in such a school cost between $50k and $100k a year. Tiny school districts may not be willing to sent a child to some of the alternative schools based on this, and compromise on an acceptable, but not best facility. But the childs condition may not warrant the best, or perhaps anything beyond main-streaming. The approach I would take to find the 6 or ten communities you like, determine the Sp needs of your child, determine what they do and who the sent to (out of district schools). SP needs schools, each, are very different and offer different programs and emphasis. But you may not even need to consider this based on the need of your child.

[Irena.M]

She doesn't have time to evaluate all of the schools, since she has to be settled in before the school year begins and get meetings going and evaluations. All of this will determine further what and if the child needs services.
Also I have yet to meet a parent that wants their child to be special ed if they are not. Usually its the other way around.
The schools get reimbursed for the services they provide.