Changing schools and moving can be stressful, even if the entire family is excited about the move. The purpose of this article is to give you a checklist of all the things you may need to think about as you orchestrate your move and what you may need to do when changing schools. We have set up a list of things to do along a timeline to mirror your busy schedule as you get your household and school paperwork in order.
As soon as you decide to move
- Changing Schools?
- Private schools often have rigorous admissions. As soon as you realize that a move is necessary, it would help if you researched the private schools in the area and set up interviews so that you can better ascertain your family's fit for the school.
- Get on the waiting list. Even if you cannot get your children into your first choice school because they do not have room, stay on their waiting list. Students drop out, move themselves, etc.
- Consider using an educational consultant from your target destination to help you decide where to place your children when you move.
- Give yourself enough time for your children to take admissions tests, if required, or placement tests so that the school can best determine fit for your children.
- Find out if any extra-curricular activities require early enrollment or may involve practice over the summer before the school year starts.
- Find daycare services or extended day services as soon as possible. Most of these services will have waiting lists, enrollment applications, and down payments necessary to hold spots.
- Decide what you want to do with your house. Will you rent it out or sell it? If so, find a realtor.
- Find a moving company. Ask around for good recommendations. Get a few quotes for the move to help you decide who to pick.
- If you work for yourself or have a business and you're moving to a new state, learn the latest state business and tax laws.
Two months before your move
- Keep immunization records, medical forms, and birth certificates separate from other papers you plan to pack for the move. You'll need these papers to enroll the children in their new school. Keep them with your essential personal papers rather than risk losing them or misplacing them in the move.
- Verify that your kids' immunization records are up to date. It might be easier to make appointments with their current doctors than to find new ones after the move.
- Get a change-of-address kit from the post office to have mail forwarded to your new address.
- Make a list of all the contacts you need to inform of your move: banks, credit cards, insurance companies, any car payments, magazine subscriptions, memberships, IRS, etc.
- Schedule closings of your gym membership, any community clubs or country clubs that you have joined, etc. Before you close your membership, verify whether these organizations have branches where you are moving.
- Schedule stoppage of service for your local and long-distance phone numbers, electricity, gas, oil, security service, newspaper service, etc.
- Schedule your move with the moving company.
- "Spring clean" your possessions before the move. Consider if something is important enough to take with you on the move. Otherwise, throw it out or give it away.
One month before your move
- Schedule a party or get-together so your children and you can say good bye to your friends. Take plenty of pictures. Get mailing addresses, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers. Don't wait too long to have this party if you'll have it at home because your moving plans will start to interfere. Alternatively, throw the party at a local restaurant or park.
- Get maps of the new place where you're moving to. Show the children the relationship between their new house and school. Highlight any other significant landmarks to help the kids get a good feeling for their new place.
- If the move is in the middle of the year, you may have some extra steps to make sure the move is smooth.
- Find out what the school supply list is. Many private schools have in-school stores from where the kids will want to buy their supplies.
- Get the children's uniforms in order. You may want to wait until you get to the school to see what uniform pieces most kids wear before you spend a lot of money buying the uniforms.
- See if you can arrange a meeting before the children's first day of school to have any of your questions or their answers.
- Inventory your significant or expensive possessions with a video camera or photographs.
- Unless you have money in a small local bank, you probably do not have to worry about changing banks. Still, this may be a consideration. Look into banks in your destination area.
- Contact your new utilities and schedule to have their services turned on (local phone, long-distance phone, cable, electricity, oil, gas, etc.).
- Find new doctors in the new location.
- Make your travel arrangements, if necessary.
- Consider how you will transfer your pets. Will they travel with you, or do they need separate travel arrangements? Are you taking them with you, or must you leave them behind?
- Give your plants away if you have any. Most plants usually cannot make the move.
Three weeks before your move
- Get a babysitter for moving day or arrange to have the older kids hang out with a good friend. You do not want the kids running around on a moving day.
- Look into moving insurance; consider whether you need any.
- Arrange to have a cleaning crew come to clean the house after the move.
- Arrange to maintain the lawn after you leave but before the house closes (if you sell the home) or until the renters move in.
Two weeks before your move
- Make sure all school books and library books have been returned.
- Pick up any dry-cleaning that may still be out.
- Get the locks changed on your new home. Have any necessary repairs been made on your new home?
One week before your move
- Return cable equipment that was loaned from the cable company.
Moving week
- Organize your personal belongings so that the movers know what to pack and what to leave alone.
After you arrive at your new place
- Drive the kids to their new school before school starts.
- Consider introducing yourself to the neighbors, depending on your comfort level, and talking to strangers. You may want to go door to door or throw a backyard or house party, inviting your closest neighbors over.
- Talk to the new school counselors to ensure they know that your kids are experiencing not just a new school but have experienced a significant house move as well.
- Look into extracurricular activities (associated with and without the school) to allow the kids to meet new friends.
- Work out a fire evacuation plan.
General moving tips
- Research school zones before you look at houses or rental apartments so that you are making an informed decision regarding where your family will live.
- The best time to move is at the beginning of summer. That gives the children more time to get used to their new home and area and hopefully meet new friends before the first day of school.
- Follow up with school counselors about a month after school starts to see how the children adapt to their new schools.
- Get involved with the new school. Join the PTA to help support an extracurricular activity.
- Test all of your fire alarms before putting them up.
Online sites & services
Here are some of our favorite online sites related to moving and moving services:
- Moving.com can help you find a mover, rental truck, storage facility, and real estate help. By using an online interface, you can request moving quotes.
- Direct Your Move is another site to help you get moving quotes online. Besides moving resources, it also offers storage and packing resources and supplies, as well as driving tips.
- 123Movers.com focuses just on providing you with resources for moving. 123Movers can offer the top movers in almost 20 major cities across the United States.
- The US Postal Service offers an online mover's guide that will help you get your change of address all set up before you make your big move.
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