u/OkQuail7072

Family is considering a move to New Jersey, but I have noticed that some of the areas we are looking at with large high schools don't offer lacrosse teams? We currently live in NY where lacrosse is popular so I didn't really expect this. Our kids are not in HS yet, but one has been playing for a few years now and if it's something she sticks with I can definitely see her wanting to play in HS. Anyone have insight on this? Does a travel team suffice in this situation? Long term thinking too, if a kid wants to play in college is experience solely on travel teams considered? I'm just trying to think ahead, would hate to move towns again to find a HS with a program if it got to that.

edit to add: Looking at Bloomfield, Nutley, Teaneck (along with others in Bergen and Essex counties but these seem to be our top contenders for several reasons). Not really liking the idea of private school.

thanks

We are considering a move to Bloomfield with elementary age children. We currently live in a more rural/suburban area of NYS, so this would be a shift for us in terms of getting closer to metro areas and trying to get a sense of how some of the day to day might look. Bloomfield attracts us for several reasons: commuting to NYC for partners job, seems to have a more diverse economic makeup of residents, walkability, access to green space, a major airport, schools (I know some might not agree? I don't like to go solely by ranking and test scores and what I've researched so far I do think it seems like a solid district).

Wondering about a few things:

Recreational programs- Do they exist? Is it fairly accessible for kids grades k-5 to participate in youth sports (soccer, bball, lacrosse) without having to jump right into travel team culture? Where we are now there are plentiful recreational or even school sports programs at this age level.

Public pool: I see many around in the neighboring towns but not Bloomfield. Do you have to be a resident of those towns to purchase season passes and are they hard to obtain?

Afterschool programs: I know this might vary depending on the school but are they offered through the schools themselves? Or YMCA's or something similar? What's an expected rate or acceptance/waitlist situation?

Kids activities: Does the community seem to offer a far amount of things for kids to do or socialize? Do kids tend to find communities based off of the other kids in their schools or those close by in their neighborhoods?

Finding childcare: We won't have family nearby. How easy do you find it is to tap into the local community to find help with kids for occasional nights out? We have used college kids at the nearby university, wondering if Bloomfield has the same kind of opportunity with the college nearby?

Thanks in advance, appreciate anything you feel relevant to share.