Searching Preschools for My 1 and 4 Year Old Sons

We live in MAgnolia and my son attenda a GREAT mothers day out Pre-K program. They have this available for 2,3, and4 yr. olds. Next door they take younger children and my friends have thier 1 yr olds over there and LOVE it!! My 2 yr old will attend the school next yr. They go Tues, Wed, and Thrs, From 9am to 2:30pm. THey do abekka carriculum. It is $240 a month. The name if the school is Wonder Years Preschool. If you are interested let me know. I will give you the name of the person to talk to and the number.

Thanks,
S.

Hello-

I've lived in The Woodlands for 4 years now after moving from the suburbs of Chicago. It's a wonderful place to live and raise a family. Schools are great and there are places to go out with friends and family. Of course you can always go into Houston for socializing as well. I don't know anything about West U, but I'm sure other moms will help you with that area as well as others. The only recommendation I can make is for your husband to mapquest his commute to work for any area you are considering. Traffic can be a killer in Houston so you don't want to get stuck too far away from his work.

Yes housekeepers are available and quite common in The Woodlands.

As far as preschools go, there are a lot to choose from. My only personal experience is with 2 daycare/preschools - Stepping Stones and Kangaroo Forest. If you would like any specifics about either one, just let me know. Otherwise there are many church affiliated preschools to choose from as well.

Good Luck and welcome to the Houston area!

K.

West U is VERY crowded, VERY trendy AND very expensive. Since it's in Harris county, taxes are almost a 1/3 more than they are in The Woodlands and that's also true of insurances. I've lived in the Houston area for 29 years. I've got friends who live in all parts of the city and suburbs. I've been in TW for the last 15 years - LOVE IT. Wouldn't pick anywhere else in this area to live. There's allot of great preschools and CISD (south county) has the most Exemplary schools in the state. College Park High School is even a Recognized High School - something EXTREMELY hard for a 5A school to accomplish. Children of the Woodlands is one of the very best preschools I've ever had my kids part of. They had been in allot. They are currently 17 and 15, so it's been awhile, but I feel certain the program has only gotten better. It's part of The Woodlands Methodist Church and if you're a member of the church your chances of getting in are better. They've always got a waiting list. There are others that are also very good. When are you moving in?

David Elemtary is always very good - great principle. My kids went to Ride and I have to say that although there were some very good teachers I didn't care for the P and she's still there....could be gone by the time your kids get there. Both David and Ride have a bit more diverse background base than the demographics at Powell or Glatas. Since I would recommend College Park High school over The Woodlands High, you want to stay closer to 45 than the back of TW. Say in the Grogan's Mill, Pather Creek, Harper's Landing villages. If you ask your realator they'll be able to tell you. There's so much help (lawn care and housekeepers) - people in TW really do live in a bubble, but it's a great bubble. Very diverse, but very hometown feel to it. West U is extremely metropolitan. TW has hike and bike trails, tons of parks and community swimming pools - it's more family oriented.

The Woodlands is great, but there are a ton of other communities that feeds into the Woodlands that will allow you to enjoy all the benefits that TW offers but you'll pay less in property tax and lower home owner association fees. We live in Spring and are in Klein ISD and we pay much lower taxes than our friends in TW. TW is part of Conroe ISD, so look up the ratings on both. You can get more of a home for the same price as if you were to buy in TW. My suggestion is to look in neighborhoods that surrounds TW.

The Woodlands is a wonderful place to raise kids. My husband and I have 4. And we moved here last summer because most schools her ranked from 45 - 250 out of 3,500 schools in Texas. (Bush and Tough Elementary are the top ranked)
It is by far the most kid friendly place to live, and I am sure the socializing is great too...but I have four little ones (5, 4, and 2 twins 18 months) We don't get out too much. We bought a house specifically in the Bush Elementary School district. (It ranked 45th.) My 4 year old goes to a incredible private school named The Rubicon Academy that accepts 4 year olds. www.rubiconacademy.com
He has sky rocketed in his knowledge, it has been amazing for him. I would be happy to answer any questions. I have a part-time nanny that does light house work. Woodlandsonline.com is how I found her.
Good luck!

Welcome to Houston. I have lived in The Woodlands for over 15 years and love it. It is very upscale. You can find just about anything you want here. It is a very nice area to live in. In NW Houston, there is not another area that I would recommend. I don't like West U. It is very congested and surrounded by lower end neighborhoods. It was a very old neighborhood that is being bought out, older houses torn down and new houses built. The problem is there are still a lot of old houses still there. If your husband is not working downtown or in the medical center, it is also very inconvenient. Good luck with your search. If you need a real estate agent, I have one that is awesome and knows the area very well. Contact me if you are interested and I will give you her number.

I don't live in The Woodlands - but often drive there for shopping and to visit friends, so I can definitely recommend it. It really is a city, not just a neighborhood - and I've heard wonderful things about the schools there.

Another area you might consider (a little further West and close to 249) is Gleannloch Farms. Also, Coles Crossing at Barker Cypress and 290 - or Longwood, Lakewood Oaks Estates, and Rock Creek in Cypress. I mention these in case they may be more convenient to your husband's job. Spending hours a day on the road to and from the office takes years from your life!

check out this website: http://www.har.com/ if you haven't already!

I would only recommend West University or any of the areas in town if he were working near by. If you live in the north suburbs you can drive to town for an evening or afternoon for the arts or alternative fine dining and it's maybe 30 minutes each way. But if you had to commute from there during heavy traffic it would be a nightmare - not because of freeway traffic since you'd be goiing against the flow into town - but because the urban traffic is so heavy. I went to Rice and lived in that area for about 6 years, and it's lovely, but congested. Plus, you can get a lot more house and yard for your money outside of the city.

I almost forgot - there is a wonderful preschool on Spring Cypress near 249 called The Adventure School at Windwood Presbyterian.

I have my kids 3 (4 in May) and 15 months at First Baptist of the Woodlands. Prices are reasonable and it is wonderful. My daughter has been there since she was 2 and she loves it. I teach in the Woodlands and I think you will be pleased with the public schools.
Good Luck on your search and decision!

Hello,

My family & I currently live in The Woodlands and honestly we wouldn't want to live anywhere else. It's a beautiful area with everything that you need, I hardly ever leave the Woodlands anymore. My daughter is 4 & goes to a preschool which is great and the price is very reasonable. The preschool is Good Shepherd Learning Center, I truly recommend it. The Woodlands is known for it's great schools.
As for housekeepers, you'll have no problem finding one here.
If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to help if I can.

Hi A., you should come first check things out. NW a big area and the Woodlands may end up being a long commute with traffic and all. NW one of the best areas in Houston including The Woodlands, Cypress, Klein and perhaps Katy depending on exactly where this job is. These 4 all have great schools Things to consider in buying your home is what county it will be in, Harris county is more expensive. I live in Cypress, I love it but I chose here because it easy access to my job. I love this school district. I have friends in The Woodlands and Klein as well and hear great things also. I considered the Woodlands but had to weigh out my options based on which would be best for me and my family. If his job is going to be off of 290 you may want to consider Katy or Cyfair, out 45 you may want to consider The Woodlands or Klein. 249 runs between 45 and 290 so you'd have a wider choice on commute. Get online and check out the school districts or go to the Library. Also consider if you'd be in Harris County or not, huge difference in taxes and insurance costs. Good luck, your going to love it out here. Oh its not hard to get a house keeper in any of the above areas. All of the above places are community friendly, the neighborhoods our here in Cypress where I'm at do monthly gatherings, lots of different groups meet at the rec center. Have stay at home mom clubs as well as a working moms club and also couples, and singles. As far as pre schools there are nice pre schools in all these areas.

Hi A.,

I live NW of Houston in a brand new comunity in Cypress, TX. The Woodlands is pretty far from here. We have been here for over a year and we love it. People had recommended the woodlands to us and then we kept talknig to people and several recommended Cypress. We really love it. The community I live in is called Canyon Lakes west. Look it up! Since it is a new community all neighbors are new and very friendly. I love the fact that there are always things going on for children inside the community. Look it up and good luck!!!!!

I've lived in The Woodlands for over 11 years now and love it! The schools are awesome. The surrounding areas are nice too (Spring, Magnolia, etc.) The Woodlands offers many family oriented things so you guys would be very happy in this area.

I agree with some of the previous posters that you should look exactly where your husband's job will be before buying a house in The Woodlands. If he is in Northwest Houston, there are some lovely homes in Champions Forest and some of the other communities mentioned. The Klein school district has great schools. I love the Early Learning Center Preschool at Northwoods Presbyterian Church (www.northwoods.org). There are a lot of restaurants opening around 249 and Louetta and a great new HEB grocery store. Hope this helps!