Where should we move to?

[ocelotmom]

Currently, my family lives in California. My husband would like to move out of state before the next school year starts.

Our considerations (in relative order of importance):
* Availability of RN jobs for new graduates
* Relatively unrestrictive laws towards home businesses.
* Relatively rural areas within reasonable commuting distance of a hospital that will hire me.
* Active secular/liberal homeschooling community
* Liveable homeschooling regulations (we're currently turning in a list of assignments once a week, work samples 2-3 times a year, and standardized testing starting in 2nd grade, so equal to or less than that)
* Western half of the US
* Availability of a homeschool charter program that provides funds for curriculum/classes with relatively low oversight (do these exist outside of California?)

Anyone have any suggestions? I'm mainly asking here about the homeschooling questions, so if you don't know the job market and so on, feel free to answer anyways!

[youngnhappymamma]

i think you could find a lot of those things in Colorado! The homeschooling laws are not nearly as strict as CA (just registering with the school district and doing testing/evaluating every odd year starting in 3rd grade) and a LOT of cities have homeschooling programs through the school district where your homeschooled kid takes a day of classes (or half a day) with other homeschooled kids. Not terribly sure about the RN jobs, but that probably wouldn't be too difficult for you to find out about!

[ChristaN]

I was going to give the same pitch for Colorado although my family would rather go back west b/c it is too cold here for us .

As far as nursing jobs, I work at our local hospital and my understanding is that although we have a nursing shortage, it still isn't easy to find a nursing job as a new grad. If you do decide to take a look at northern Colorado, feel free to PM me and I can put you in touch with someone at the hospital where I work to discuss what your odds would be here.

I have some homeschooling supplement options (like the pp mentioned) for northern Colorado listed on my blog -- see my siggie.

[briansmama]

Originally Posted by youngnhappymamma

i think you could find a lot of those things in Colorado! The homeschooling laws are not nearly as strict as CA (just registering with the school district and doing testing/evaluating every odd year starting in 3rd grade) and a LOT of cities have homeschooling programs through the school district where your homeschooled kid takes a day of classes (or half a day) with other homeschooled kids. Not terribly sure about the RN jobs, but that probably wouldn't be too difficult for you to find out about!

Just have to jump in and say that CA is actually less strict than CO (with regards to hsing). All we have to do is file a letter of intent to hs once dc are starting 1st grade. No mandatory testing/assessment in any grade.

[ocelotmom]

Originally Posted by briansmama

Just have to jump in and say that CA is actually less strict than CO (with regards to hsing). All we have to do is file a letter of intent to hs once dc are starting 1st grade. No mandatory testing/assessment in any grade.

Yes, I wasn't particularly clear. The weekly assignments/work samples/yearly testing are with the ISP we're with now (or if we switched to a charter), not actual California law.

It's just that I'd be willing to do up to that much, especially if there were benefits of some sort attached (and, honestly, the enforced accountability helps me personally), but wouldn't want to have to do more!

[ocelotmom]

Originally Posted by ChristaN

As far as nursing jobs, I work at our local hospital and my understanding is that although we have a nursing shortage, it still isn't easy to find a nursing job as a new grad.

That's about what I found when looking at Fort Collins. Of course, the same is true of most of the country!

[akwifeandmomma]

Alaska!

Everything you're looking for, plus you get "paid" to live here, ie. PFD's, and "paid" to homeschool, with the various (VERY simple/easy oversight) charter options.

[chaoticzenmom]

I'm in the Seattle area and think it's all that you wanted. Lots of hospitals and liberal/secular homeschoolers. There are several choices for co-ops and parent partnered programs. There's Edmonds homeschool resource center and Meridian parent partnered program as well as others.

[mangopassion]

I bolded what I'm responding to specifically.

Originally Posted by ocelotmom

Currently, my family lives in California. My husband would like to move out of state before the next school year starts.

Our considerations (in relative order of importance):
* Availability of RN jobs for new graduates
* Relatively unrestrictive laws towards home businesses.
* Relatively rural areas within reasonable commuting distance of a hospital that will hire me.
* Active secular/liberal homeschooling community
* Liveable homeschooling regulations (we're currently turning in a list of assignments once a week, work samples 2-3 times a year, and standardized testing starting in 2nd grade, so equal to or less than that)
* Western half of the US
* Availability of a homeschool charter program that provides funds for curriculum/classes with relatively low oversight (do these exist outside of California?)

Anyone have any suggestions? I'm mainly asking here about the homeschooling questions, so if you don't know the job market and so on, feel free to answer anyways!

Originally Posted by youngnhappymamma

i think you could find a lot of those things in Colorado! The homeschooling laws are not nearly as strict as CA (just registering with the school district and doing testing/evaluating every odd year starting in 3rd grade) and a LOT of cities have homeschooling programs through the school district where your homeschooled kid takes a day of classes (or half a day) with other homeschooled kids. Not terribly sure about the RN jobs, but that probably wouldn't be too difficult for you to find out about!

Are you going through a charter school right now because I know our laws here in CA are not that strict!

I was going to suggest CA, but you are already in CA!

[mangopassion]

My other suggestion was going to be CO, but you do have testing every other year. However, if you are already doing a charter school in CA, then that probably won't matter to you.

You will definitely find active, secular homeschoolers; depending on where in CO you move to. I have no idea if there are good charters there as I homeschooled privately in CO.

We lived in Loveland, CO and we LOVED it!! You will definitely have all four seasons so be prepared to shovel yourself out of your driveway. Loveland is in northern CO and close to Ft. Collins which is more of a college town as the University of Colorado is located there. But it's also far enough away where you don't have to put up with all the partying, etc. of a college town. There are two large hospitals there and I worked for one of them in my former life as an RN. One of them is only 2-3 years old... so it's very new. There is all the shopping you would need in Loveland but there is also rural living. So you could live close to everything you would need, but not have a neighbor for acres around you. You can pretty much find any kind of home you would be looking for.... older more characteristic homes... homes straight out of the 70s ... custom homes ... and track homes. The library there is great and there is also a community center with a lot for families to do! There is a wonderful indoor olympic sized pool so you can swim year round and there is also an awesome water/sports park to play at in the Spring/Summer/Fall.

Berthoud is another town not too far from Loveland. I'm not sure if they have a hospital there, but the commute would only be 15-20 minutes to Loveland. Berthoud is one of those cutesy little towns with beautiful old characteristic homes and an old A & W rootbeer drive through shoppe.

I really miss living in CO. We would still be living there if we didn't miss family so much... all of our family lives in CA.

[ocelotmom]

Originally Posted by mangopassion

The library there is great and there is also a community center with a lot for families to do! There is a wonderful indoor olympic sized pool so you can swim year round and there is also an awesome water/sports park to play at in the Spring/Summer/Fall.

See, while I'm a total weather wimp, this is what I like about parts of the country that actually have seasons - indoor recreation for winter is available. In California, even during times of year when being outdoors isn't practical, it generally isn't. There is (opened within the past year) a private indoor pool, but it's quite small and expensive, with limited hours.

Thank you for the info!