Resources for families moving to the area (San Jose: to rent, insurance)

[Munichmom]

Hello!

We are considering moving from Germany to the Bay Area (we are Americans, previously from the Seattle area).

In Germany, I have found several resources that proved very helpful over the past several years that we have been here... a facebook group for parents in the area and a general forum discussing every regional topic you could imagine. I can find useful information on almost any topic I require.

While I see City-Data has some great threads about neighborhoods, etc, it is missing the conversations about childcare, schools, doctors, afterschool activities, family-friendly events, etc that I can find in these other forums/groups I described.

Can anyone recommend similar groups/forums for the Bay Area (either Silicon Valley or South Bay)? I have searched, but this forum is the closest thing I have found (or, should I be asking these types of questions here?) Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

[never-more]

I'd try using Yahoo Groups, Google Groups, or maybe an expatriate forum site.

[StandingRoomOnly]

Yes, expat forums are usually great for all the "conversations" that may be missing here since they often have many sub-forums for these topics. I haven't looked into the expat forums available for those coming to the U.S. though, so I can't provide links.

[Heidi60]

The health care system in our area is confussing but in general, ask a lot of questions about which provider to chose when you sign up with your employer. Employer based insurance may or may not have the best options.

To chose an individual doctor, I use: San Jose General Dentists - General Dentistry near San Jose, CA (California) (this link also has much more than dentists, I just used to verify the rating my dentist has on there before recommending it)

Be sure to chose a doctor who speaks English as in the Bay area there are many who have a hard time communicating with their patients.

You can also find good information when you find a new church home as many of the sponsor child events. In general the San Jose Mercury news, which is online, also has many listings. Stay away from anything in East San Jose as there are many troubled areas there.

I would recommend you use a private school for your children which will also have after school programs available. Most of my neighbors use the private schools are happy with them.

[thetrb]

I also moved from Germany to the Bay Area about 6 years ago (I'm German). You can get some good general advice in this German discussion forum: http://www.amerika-forum.de/

It's not specific to the Bay Area, but I think there are several people living there who are generally a good resource.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by Heidi60

Be sure to chose a doctor who speaks English as in the Bay area there are many who have a hard time communicating with their patients.

Especially if your employer's insurance carrier is pushing their HMO plans. PPO is usually worth the extra $$ per pay period.

[Munichmom]

Thank you so much for your suggestions everyone! I will try the various places and expat forums to see if we can get more detailed info re: general family-life stuff. I appreciate the insurance/doc suggestions too!

thetrb, thank you for the german expat forum info. I will definitely check it out and (hopefully) find a few german playmates for my daughter so she can try to keep her language skills We would not opt for the german private school, though, as we wouldn't have a definite plan to return.

Heidi60, thanks for the healthcare provider website. I have encountered those in the past, but they typically did not have a lot of reviews (so weren't that useful). This looks great! Why do you suggest we use private schools instead of the public schools? We would try to rent a house in a good school district/with a good grade school so we could send them to public school. While my daughter learned to read/write in german, her native tongue is English, so I think she would catch up fairly quickly. We like the public option, also, because we want her to get to know the kids in the neighborhood better.

Thanks again for your help! if anyone else has suggestions, keep them coming

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

This is a good place to keep coming back with questions, since you're not specific about what city/town, etc. you are considering moving to. Don't be shy about starting new threads with new questions here. We really need more specifics to help you. Where would you live? What kind of work do you do? Can you drive or do you need public transport, etc., etc.

[Munichmom]

Thank you NoMoreSnowForMe! I just didn't want to inundate the forum with questions that didn't belong here. Once we have more info re: where/when/budget/etc, I will get back on the forum and ask the questions, altogether. I always research things like this to death first, so was hoping to find some "light reading" to wade through while I wait for more details. Thanks again!

[gone down south]

Many cities here have local mothers clubs, and most have online discussion forums.