My aunt works at a daycare. She's lost multiple coworkers because they can get more flexible hours and better pay at McDonalds ($16-17/hr).

It's not in the right geography, but i was in a similar boat. Avoid those chain places like Aspen. They even made fun of me and talked me into things i didn't need. I see Dr Anna Ravin in Manchester and her staff is calm, non-judgmental and kind. I was upfront, said i was anxious and i've had good experiences since.

Our Go-To!

Wow. I'm outside of Hartford and was paying $290/week until he went to preschool and it dropped to $250.

Too bad people need places to live?

You made coffee come out of my nose and i hate you.

Just another person sending their internet support your way. Thank you for taking care of yourself friend.

I'm with you - little land and densely packed. We're allowed chickens but not enough space when i factor in the kids needing to run around.

Last year i got a plot at a community garden, and it was 20x30 feet. I grew a lot of squash, tomatoes and cucumbers, but it was a good start and i learned a lot. I feel like it's a way for me to indulge in the dream at a pretty low-risk way. This next year the goal is to grow things from seeds instead of seedlings.

I'd love to learn more about foraging. I'm curious but not brave enough aside from 'yup, those are blueberries' and 'thats pokeberry, do not eat!'.

Oh, not at all controlling! It's much more supporting the school & teachers. PTO fundraisers, attending school sponsored events, showing up for meet the teachers & conferences, stuff like that. The teachers ask for kleenex and boxes appear like magic. Room parents coordinate gifts for staff. It's a community centered around the school i guess is better phrasing?

The high school basically axed the dress code this year and while there were some unhappy voices, most of them were people who last had children in the school system 40 years ago. There are a few loons angry about SEL or CRT, but they are generally ignored except on FB.

They are not literally falling apart. I've been in 4 out of the 5. They are dated.

If the town did repairs when they should, we wouldn't be needing to spend $300 million dollars.

Word on FB is that it did not pass.

Can only speak from experience at Wethersfield. At least in elementary, there's a lot of parent involvement in the schools, so you see familiar faces (or at least names over email). There are maybe 40 kids per grade (2 classes) so they all know each other too.

If you live within a mile of school (except for kindergarteners) you are supposed to walk/bike to school, so at least at my daughter's school there are a LOT of walkers. You see the same faces every day and walk by each other's houses. I think with so many walkers it helps keep things safe, everyone kind of keeps an eye out for things that could be a danger, even those with older or no kids.

There are a number of school events with great turn out, which mean meeting all the other parents as the kids run around. There is a program called Keane on Kids with extracurriculars - same story. You meet the other parents when you go for pick up.

And there are a lot of town events, so the kids who know each other will spend the time running around having fun, and again, us parents are stuck being social.

Both towns have great schools and even the 'lower ranked' schools are still very good. They elementary schools have a real community feel.

Not to be confused with Rails to the Darkside at the CT Trolley Museum!