Home : Blogs : Kristal Kraft ~Denver Real Estate~303-589-2022 : Denver Real Estate & Relocation

Relo Tips ~ Getting Kids Settled and Happy

SCHOOLS WHEN TO TRANSFER
Traditional Thought vs. Another Way of Looking at it

Customarily parents never take their kids out of school until the year is over. What happens, the kids end up being lonesome and locally friendless until school restarts in the new destination.

Instead of following tradition consider this, start the kids in the new school before the year is over. This way the kids get to meet some new kids and can at least have a chance at meeting the new best friend.

Parents have expressed to me how happy they were to try this method. The children bought onto the idea because the parents pre-sold them on it. Moving to Colorado should be fun and exciting. When children learn about all the wonderful things we have available to them they are anxious to begin their new journey as soon as possible.

Something to keep in mind, many Colorado Schools are on Year 'Round School Calendars. This applies to the grade and middle schools. High Schools keep the students on traditional calendars.

Checking out potential schools for your family is very easy. Use the Colorado School Accountability Report Card site. You will need to know the name of the School District (locate Denver School Districts here) and you can research class sizes, student/teacher ratio, budgets, average years of teaching experience, teacher salaries and more. It's all on the site as a matter of public record.

Another popular website written by Margerie Hicks, a local lady who has been publishing hard copy books on the topics for years is called Colorado School Guides. This fee based site has more in-depth information about each school in the Denver Metro area. I've always appreciated how Marjorie, a LOCAL formal classroom teacher has used her experience to help parents learn about our schools on a personal level. So many national websites deliver the cold, hard facts, but unlike Margerie, have probably never set foot inside a Colorado School! My clients have expressed how much more they enjoyed her helpful assessment of the schools.

FIFTH GRADERS GET A FREEBIE...to ski that is!

The Colorado Rocky Mountains have some of the best ski resorts in the world. Your 5th Grader will get an opportunity to ski them all, because Fifth Graders get a FREE Fifth Grade Passport Of course I don't have to tell parents this little treat can be used as in "inducement" to move to Colorado do I?

KIDS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN ~ Summer Camp Resources

We are approaching the time of year where the summer activity camps start accepting applications. By making your plan and setting the D-day move, you can optimize your kid's summer, without even living in the area yet.

The Denver metro area has many wonderful online resources where you can find great summer activities for the family. Here are a few ways to get yourself into the swing of things before you even set foot in the Mile High City.

There is a Douglas County Website that offers information on Summer Camps.

The University of Denver offers Computer Camps (ages 6-17).

Boulder has the Rocky Mountain Theatre for Kids.

Denver Zoo offers a summer safari for families.

An interesting site for more camp and fun info for the area is http://www.gocitykids.com/ This great site in not just for Denver, Colorado but many cities in the U.S. You will need to drill down to locate you future hometown.

Activities for children and families in Denver metro are endless. My short synopsis is meant to give you at least a jump start for finding answers to your questions and perhaps some alternatives to your thinking. As always I am here to assist you with answering your questions and concerns. Please don't hesitate to call me.

Posted by Kristal Kraft ~Denver Real Estate~303-589-2022 on 03/20/2007 11:28 AM

Comments (28)

relocation tips for children, colorado school reports, denver metro school district map, summer camp

Originally posted at: Denver Real Estate & Relocation: Relo Tips ~ Getting Kids Settled and Happy

This post has been included in Colorado Information Douglas County, CO Information

28 Comments on Relo Tips ~ Getting Kids Settled and Happy

MAR

2007

This is a fabulous post! I love the activities you mention. But what I really agree with is the non traditional time to move. Here in NE Ohio Buyers are getting that; the problem (up until now when inventory is high) is that sellers still held to traditional times to put their homes on the market. So for three years, buyers were looking like crazy in December, and nothing was on the market. Now of course they can have their pick! lol

Good going - as a former teacher I ditto your theory

Carole ~ Coming from you, a former teacher, that is a very strong recommendation. Hopefully parents will consider other alternatives than moving in the summer months.

Great post Kristal! We moved from Westminster Colorado to North Carolina 13 years ago this June. My children were 9 and 12. That was the LONGEST summer of my life!! They knew no one, we were thousands of miles away from friends and family and I was there only source of intertainment for that entire summer. As it turned out we were only in NC for 2 1/2 years. We moved to Houston during a Christmas vacation. The kids were right back in school and meeting new friends. So, yes I highly agree about moving during the school year.

Marchel ~ Terrific, yet another good testimonial ! Thanks for your input!

Welcome back to the blogging world. Glad to read your blogs again. Nice blog.

MAR

2007

Glad you mentioned year-round school. Here in Hawaii our schools are on different schedules including year-round and mutli-track. When people move they need to check the school schedules in advance as they very from community to community.

What a great idea. I never thought of it but of course you are right. I will incorporate the thought into my response when asked about when to move. I think a lot of parents will be reluctant because it is nontraditional but I will discuss it. Thanks.

What a great post. I had parents that moved a lot when I was a kid and I remember it being a nightmare. I wish they would have moved to CO so that I could have recieved a ski pass!

KK: Heh, heh...

The ski resorts know you gotta hook 'em young!

This is a great post. I noticed that you have copyrights for the post and your photo. Have you addressed this in earlier posts? I'm interested in the how-to's.

Kristal,

Great Ideas and Reminders. (Forgot about the 5th Grade Passport...It was ON my mind when my kids were that age....after that...it sort of slipped...) Thanks.

I think you have some good points here. However, as kids get older, it is more difficult for parents to pull them out of schools before the year end -- lots of parties, proms, sports etc. However, it may work well for younger children.

a good idea and a great local post. I'd never considered how friendless that first summer could potentially be for the kids. Keep up the good work.

Great article Kristal! We've moved twice in the past couple of years and always made the move during the school year. The transition for the kids was so much easier. So I highly recommend it.

I dont' believe that the average practicing real estate agent really understands the trauma that teens, in parcular, suffer when they are moved away from their friends, the most important persons in their lives. Teens who are totally self absorbed and introspective have a very difficult time moving.

I've watched teens really suffer with moves. Military families handle it best. But, it's still hard. Helping families move is a significant contribution to the U.S. ecomony. We should never underestimate the importance of the agent in these transactions.

Hi Kristal - this is a great post as I think alot of times kids get forgotten in moves. Not forgotten in the true sense of the word, but what they go through, many of them, tends to be overlooked inadvertently.

I grew up in an Air Force family, and as such we moved around a bit. I had to move while I was in high school, as did my sisters as they came up behind me. My parents had no choice about moving, if my dad wanted to continue his career in the Air Force, so move we did. My sisters and I HAD to adapt, we made all new friends, went to new schools, and frequently moved in the summers because that's just when many transfers took place. Fortunately for us, everywhere we moved was to Air Force Bases where everyone was used to moving. But, as we got older and attended high schools, most of those schools were not on the bases but out in the communities of wherever the bases were that we lived. And as we got older, the moves got a little harder. But we still adapted, and I think that's made us better adults and has helped us deal better with various situations we've encountered in life. Hindsight says that to me, because I surely would not have said that as we were growing up and moving around.

When I work with relocating families with kids, my moves growing up are always in the forefront of my mind, and I try to use those experiences to help those families. I think that's helped make me a better agent over the years.

Ann

This is great information, Kristal...no surprise. I agree with this approach and have talked with relocating families about. Some actually already are thinking in those terms.

We moved a number of times when our kids were young at it NEVER was at the end of the year (we did manage one move over the holidays). Starting in a new school is always tough, both because of the newness of it all, but also the academics which can vary widely (when we moved to MN from MA our kids were almost 6 months behind - when we went back to Boston 2 years later they were about 6 months ahead of the MA kids).

The summertime is especially tough, and if you are in a more rural area as opposed to a closely defined neighborhood, making new friends is much more difficult. Having to adapt DOES help when you grow up - our older daughter had really no issues, but our younger daughter, because of her temperament and personality, really suffered with all the moves. Adjustment was long term! Getting your kids involved in local community programs, especially in the summer, can really help with making friends and starting to feel acclimated to the community, plus parents get to meet other parents as well. And if parents are both working and daycare is needed, that helps too, especially at the young ages before they start school.

Bravo on some good advice and issues to consider.

Jeff

I appreciate you sharing your thoughts about kids and school and how to make the move a GREAT one for all involved.

You are right. In addition, children follow their parents lead. We moved just two months after the school year began. For one full month, my husband and I drove our three boys back and forth to and from the old school. After this time, we were all exhausted. When month two began, my three sons said..."it's time to start the new school." Life has been good since. Children do adjust quite well.

Hi Kristal....I very nice post and a great reminder of how important children are in our world. Too many times we as adults think too much about our own careers and our own set of problems. Thank you for the kid reminder that childrens have hearts and feelings as well. Have a great week.

Great post. I'm thinking of the different ways that a family could benefit from activiites in our area by moving before the school year ends.

Eric ~ Thanks, I never really left, I have a blog on the outside too! ;)

Randy ~ So how many days off do your kids get for snow? :)

Miriam ~ Glad to add a little more ammunition to your arsenal of tools!

Karen ~ Well you know it's never too late to move to Colorado!

Roberta ~ early addiction is the plan.

Kelly ~ I worry that the posts are going to Localism others will start "borrowing" my words and photos. the little © is an attention getter...maybe.

Sabine ~ Oh don't forget about it, kids love the idea. So do Mom and Dad!

Joe ~ glad to help! Friends are so important, the more you have the better off you are.

Michael ~ Thank you for your confirmation of the theory. I realize all kids are different, but it seems to work just fine.

Lenn ~ Teens are yet another story. I wasn't really writing this with them in mind. Younger kids are a tad easier. Teens have a whole different set of ideas.

Ann ~ Millitary families are such good examples for a whole slew of things. Moving and making new friends is just one of them. Oh course with a Father as a career military you move when told. No questions asked I bet!

Jeff ~ thanks for yet another perspective. All kids are so different. Sometimes you wonder how they come out of the same family!

Cynthia ~ You are welcome. Learning how we all approach matters is part of the fun of AR.

Michele ~ Funny, so you all woke up one day and said, "why are we doing this?" I love it!

George ~ Kids have big hearts and bigger feelings. It's hard to please everyone but it never hurts to let them know it least the issue is on one's mind. Have a great week yourself.

Thanks all!

Judi ~ Manytimes one of the strong benefits is the fact there is less competition. That alone can mean a better deal for the family.

Wonderful ideas about moving with younger children. Don't forget to have everyone say goodbye to the old house to put some closure on the move. I have a family that had a little "goodbye" party in each room of the old house. Then they had a little "hello'' party for each room in the new house.

Other ideas for moving with kids. give them a budget for furnishing their own room. Make the kids a part of this move.

MAR

2007

Oh my gosh, where were you last year when I needed you? LOL I can relate to what you are saying from my experience, as well. I waited until my kids finished school to move, last summer, and although they only had about 4 weeks until they started school again (NY schools end at the end of June and GA schools start beginning of Aug) that was a long 4 weeks because they didn't know anyone. Yes, they did get a chance to mingle with the neighbors, when they were around, but school IS the place for them to socialize. What a difference once they started! And, it's funny, everything I considered about my move was regarding them, not me...I had just remarried in April and had a long distance marriage for 3 months until they finished school! Who knew ? Great post! Thanks! :)

Have a great day,

Abby

Great Post Krystal, I grew up in an Air Force Family, we moved several times so I became used to it. It does take a toll on kids when trying to build friendships however, much of the "success" of moving is on the parents shoulders. The first thing we did when moving to the Eastern Shore Maryland, was to visit Wash. D.C., Inner-Harbor Baltimore, Museums, etc. We got excited about the move and it became a pleasant experience. NOW along comes email! Back then it was Pen and Paper to keep in touch with those in old neighborhoods