Single Mom of 2 relocating to Chicago?

I'm a 28 year old single mom of two considering relocating from NYC to Chicago. The children's father is practically non-existent financially and emotionally. I have some support in NY from friends, a couple are single moms and my mother who means well but is not very reliable..My best friend of 20 years and her mother are currently living in Chicago and would like for me to move in order to finish college.. Can I please get more information about child care, school systems and just general information for a single mom living in Chicago.. I'm trying to figure out whether this is a smart move for myself and my children and would appreciate ANY and ALL advice on a big move..

Single Mom of 2 relocating to Chicago?
I was a single mom for 15 years in Chicago. I agree that Logan Square is not the place to live (it's like your Spanish Harlem), but that doesn't mean the whole city is like that. It's really a very good city for raising kids because of all of the resources in place, particularly through the Chicago Park District.





Look for an apartment in the Lincoln Square area near Swedish Covenant Hospital. They're bigger than most, located at the beginning of the Brown line (train) and are really, really reasonable. The neighborhood's really decent and Budlong school is far better than you'd expect. The staff at River park has afterschool programs and summer camps that are both reasonable and that have financial aid available if you need it. You're far enough from downtown that you'll have parking for your car off-street and you can expect that your heat and water will be included in your rent. You'll only pay your own electric. Down the street from Swedish Covenant are two great colleges...Northeastern Illinois and North Park University. Northeastern is public and has a good reputation in the area. North Park is private and extremely well-endowed so there's plenty of financial aid. Also in the area are Loyola and DePaul, so you're in an area that is set up for working moms who go to school. I worked full-time and went to school as a single mom. You can do it as long as you have your after-hours child care taken care of ahead of time.





I wish you well and good luck. Moving to Chicago is a wonderful move if you're in the right neighborhood. Just stay on the north or northwest side and away from things near Fullerton Ave. southward...either too pricey or too dangerous...and the line between that is very narrow.
Reply:Speaking as a single mom my self, I can tell you there are tons of resources for single mothers in Chicago. We do have the Allkids program, which guarentees health insurance for all children, at affordable prices. If you don't have much they will give it to you for free. there are also programs such as Day care action which assist in paying for daycare expenses. This is for people who work or go to school. The school systems can be iffy, depending on what neiborhood you go to. Like any typical big city you have your good schools and your not so good ones. There are a lot of local after school programs, from different organizations, YMCA, and boys and girls club, ect.
Reply:Well, since you have a friend who lives here, she should be able to tell you everything. But anyway....





The schools are a work in progress. They're trying to get the general reading levels up but some schools are good, some ... not so good. Chicago Magazine did a report on the best schools in the city (http://www.chicagomag.com/ME2/dirmod.asp... Finding out where they are might help you decided where you want to live.





There's also Chicago Parent Magazine (http://www.chicagoparent.com/). It might be a good resource to find out about schools, day care, etc.





There are plenty of neighborhoods, both new and established, that are great for a single mom, with stores close by, schools right around the corner, relatively inexpensives apartments and homes. You can check the Chicago Reader (http://classifieds.chicagoreader.com/chi... and their Apartment Finder section to find out about available apartments. Just indication an area of the city and what you're looking for.





Chicago Magazine also did a survey of how clean the city is, which you might find interesting (http://www.chicagomag.com/ME2/dirmod.asp... But seeing as how you're in NYC, where I believe I've seen rats taking fares on the subway, this shouldn't be a big concern.





Considering it's size, Chicago is a relatively inexpensive city to live. Lots of discount stores and shops, hundreds of grocery stores, big and small, so there's always competition among prices. Lots of public transportation. Lots of parks. Lots of playgrounds and play lots. Lots of park district events and teams for kids. Lots of museums and stuff. But mostly it's neighborhoods. It's a big city like NYC but lots of areas have a small town feel to it.
Reply:Hi Shasha -





child care:





try contacting the Day Care Action Council of Illinois; I used them to find child care when I had my son; it's great b/c you can let them know what type of child care you a looking for and they will give you printouts of different locations (either centers or individuals, etc); I will say that the options are far better on the northside than the southside - I say this out of experience; there are also many nice child care centers in the loop - which is nice if you work downtown





school systems:





these are hit and miss; someone earlier recommended checking out the listing in chicago magazine and I echo that recommendation - keep in mind however, for some of the schools you have to live in that neighborhood and others you have to test into and even others are a lottery system (you might already know this, it's still confusing to me and I live here)





neighborhoods - the northside is probably the more safe neighborhood in the city - when I first moved here and was single - the recommendation from people who lived here was to use broadway/irving park/lakefront and north avenue as boundries - of course this was over 10 years ago - the thinking behind this is that yes, there are many great neighborhoods in chicago - but where you live can vary from block to block - one block might be awesome whereas a block over - you have crackheads - I would recommend maybe staying with your friend initially (if you can) and check out Apartment Finders (a company) and the Reader (a free newspaper) to look for a place to stay. Again, I live on the southside now and love my neighborhood - but I'm not yet to the point where I would walk around late at night by myself (maybe in a few more years)- whereas I would feel comfortable doing this downtown (gold cost, streeterville and MI avenue area) and in lincoln park/wriglyville/lakeview.





Chicago really is a great city to live in. I'm a single mom and I love this city (I would never move to the burbs). There are many great freebies in the city: i.e., if you have a library card you can check out for free museum passes; the children's museum has a free night once a week; in the summer they have free movies in the parks; free concerts in grant park; free movies in grant park. The city also has a great transportation system (not as big as NYC).





Also, the city has many programs set up to help parents with child care and even to help you find a job and finish your education and even to help pay for your housing! While I'm not a social worker, I have friends who are who have told me about these services. However, I do believe they are income dependant.





Good luck!
Reply:from one single mom to another!! I lived in Chicago all my life I just moved to Byron ill.which is alittle town but my kids love it!! Anyways! what I have to ask is where do your friends live?? Is it ok or is there alot of trouble!! I use to stay on the northwest side by logan square and I ran into alot of problems!! I know N.Y is not the safe place but Chicago can be just as bad!! Are u trying to run away because of the kids father or are u trying to make a better life for u and your kids!!! (THINK ABOUT IT ) Bestfriends are always there but after awhile they get tried.( Just like everyone!!) Honey I have 4 kids and it took me awhile to get use to ideal that I was really on my own!! Are u running away because u don't know how to handle it or because u want something better for your life!! Please I want to know I am reaaly concern about u!! Don't make the wrong move all because of a guy!!! please write back C
Reply:after the last two all i can say is welcome!!