Relocating in Jan.

Tony/Nicole

New member
Aug 17, 2007
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Hi.. we are planning to relocate to the DR in Jan., and will be down in early Oct. to scout accomodations etc.....A couple of questions are..... We have a 3yr old daughter and want to be sure the area we choose is reasonably safe. We were considering either Juan Dolio or Boca Chica in the south or Cabarete area in the north....Any suggestions?? We will also require reliable high speed internet (preferrably wireless)
Also can anyone give us some idea of the cost of hiring a nanny type person to do some live out childcare and light housekeeping? Is it difficult to find someone trustworthy and reliable?
These forums are great and all of your suggestions are very usefull and informative......Thanks!
T&N
 

sjh

aka - shadley
Jan 1, 2002
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Your local neighborhood will determine how safe/unsafe you are, not the town. In general everywhere is pretty safe.

Highspeed is availible in most communities. often limited to in town only, you will need to check your specific location.

full time house keeping childcare will run between 3000 and 8000 a month depending on all sorts of things. There are lots of good ladies around for that wherever you move.

I must ask: did you just pick a spot on a map and decide to move here? do you have a source of income? you really cant just move here and look for a job.

good luck
 

Tony/Nicole

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Aug 17, 2007
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Hi....Thanks for the reply
We operate an online buisiness and can do it from anywhere we can connect. So we dont need to work. Have been to DR many...many times and want to leave the rat race behind and stay. Thanks for the info......very helpful!
T&N
 

Sharlene

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Mar 4, 2006
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You may want to think about schools.....

If your daughter is 3, you might want to consider putting her into school instead of having a nanny (funds allowing of course). At least then, she will be receiving a good start to her education, plus having the social benefits of interaction with other children. It will also help you to integrate into the community that you choose because you'll get to meet other parents with children the same age.

I have daughters of 2 yrs 8mths & 5yrs 5mths & they both attend the International School in Sosua (not far from Cabarete) where they're both thriving and receiving an excellent education. This school has excellent facilities and teachers. The pre-kindergarten section is separate from the rest of the school and the kindness, infectious enthusiasm and attention of the teachers there is outstanding. I am very cautious about leaving very young children with anybody new (as they can't tell you if things aren't how they ought to be!) but I would have no hesitation in recommending the pre-K facilities here. My 2yr old has really improved her vocabulary, counting, arts skills and social interaction since attending. I was not going to put her into school so young, but she kept wanting to stay when we went to collect my other daughter, and I'm so glad now that I made the decision to put her into school. She started off attending 8am till 12.30pm with the occasional full day and on return to school shall be doing a full day from 8am to 3pm. There is a quiet 'nap' time for the children if they need it (though she generally doesn't as she's too excited when she's there). The only problem I have is actually getting my daughters to leave when I go to pick them up!

So, wherever you move to, it maybe an idea to look at schools in the surrounding area before you make your choice, even if it's your intention to wait until putting your daughter into school.
 

Tony/Nicole

New member
Aug 17, 2007
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Thanks for the great suggestions and info Sharlene......we will definitely look into the possibility further. Can I ask you what tuition fees are like for the pre-K program in Sosua?
Thanks again!
N&T
 

Matilda

RIP Lindsay
Sep 13, 2006
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Forget Boca Chica, not for families with young kids. Juan Dolio would be fine and has a school with a rpe school class. pm for more info

matilda
 

Sharlene

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Mar 4, 2006
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Hi Tony & Nicole

It's not quite as cheap as hiring a nanny I'm afraid!

Admission fee for Pre-Kindergarten 3 is $350 (this is a one off fee for joining the school).
Then there is an annual registration fee of $400.
The annual tuition fees for 2007/08 are $3500 for a full day (8am-3pm)

So your initial payment will be $4250 for the entire year (there's normally a 5% discount on the total amount if paid early in one payment). Obviously if you're relocating in Jan, the tuition fees would be pro-rata, but the admission fee would remain the same (not sure about the registration fee, think they may adjust that a bit). They do have payment plans, but all fees are generally payable by 15 December, so if you join in Jan I think you'd have to pay the full amount.

There is a cafeteria at the school which serves a mid morning snack and lunch which includes healthy balanced meals with vegetables and fruit (there's a variety of food served from all different cultures so the children get to savour a variety of flavours). Cafeteria fees are paid quarterly (to give you an example the nursery cafeteria payment for Oct/Nov/Dec is 5325 pesos which is approx $163).

The International School is the probably the most expensive school in this area, but I do like the standard of the facilities there (very good library, computers etc) plus it's only 5mins from where I live. However, there are other very good schools in the area which are substantially cheaper such as Garden Kids (Sosua) and The Learning Centre (just before Cabarete) which both have very good reports from lots of satisfied parents. My eldest daughter attended The Learning Centre from Sept-Jan and I was very happy with the standard of teaching there. I only moved to the International School because of it's proximity to where I live, and I the fact that I was spending $200 a month on petrol to and from Cabarete so any savings in school fees were cancelled out! Also I felt that the facilities at The International School were far better as The Learning Centre had recently moved premises and not really established itself on it's new campus with regard to sports facilities, library, etc.

Hope this helps, unfortunately I can only give you info on Sosua/Cabarete area. There is a 'sticky' on private schools which can be quite helpful if you're looking at other areas. Also, International School (ISS) and Garden Kids both have their own websites if you want to take a look.

Oh, I was gonna suggest you contact Matilda if you were looking at Juan Dolio, but while I've been rambling, she's already posted! She's a star!

Oh, and one other thing, don't forget birth certificate and vaccination records for schools as you won't be able to register without them.
 
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