Veterans Park Elementary School

By the fall of 2010, I had been long-term unemployed for 4 years, with few prospects.

It was then that I realized the best thing I could do for our son with the money I'd saved would be to invest it in his future; and that meant an early start on his education, in a place with higher standards than Florida schools in general.

It was a decision my wife and I made together, to bring our son to Ridgefield, CT; where our research indicated the school was very highly rated.

He was only 4 at the beginning of the 2010 school year.

At the time, Connecticut schools would allow children his age to begin Kindergarten; provided they turned 5 before the end of the calendar year.

Likewise, Hawaii and Alabama; and since it would just be him and me, my wife nixed Hawaii because it was too far away, and I vetoed Alabama because...well, it's Alabama.

(I held out for Hawaii until 2 weeks before the beginning of the school year...can't explain why in this small space, but I was there 2 months before she became pregnant with him and it's true what they say - you don't come back from Hawaii the same person that arrived.)

Her rationale was the direct flight on JetBlue; she could come up every weekend, if she wanted.

So, we got an apartment in Ridgefield within walking distance to VP. Imagine this; a 51 year old man and a 4-5 year old boy in a 500 square foot efficiency.

What a great experience for him - and an eye-opening one for me!

The Town of Ridgefield itself seems to emphasize primary education. There are museums and cultural centers everywhere. The library is truly the 'town center' and everyone walks there to read books, listen to music, surf the web and socialize.

There are craft shows and concerts across the street in Ballard Park, adjacent to a downtown center with specialty shops ranging from antique furniture stores to new-age psychics...and in a clear homage to Pixar's 'Toy Story', every kid in town wants to go to 'Planet Pizza' for lunch on Saturday.

I could write volumes on how the town as a whole promotes those things that in the past made America great.

Sure, there's school-sponsored sports, music and fine arts; but it's balanced by an early emphasis on scientific investigation and citizenship. Connecticut is the 'Constitution State' and they haven't forgotten that in Ridgefield, which was the site of a Revolutionary War battle.

These are the things that make a town a community; for a kid or an adult.

The three or four months we were there made me nostalgic for my own primary school upbringing on eastern Long Island; at the time, one of the best school districts in New York State.

The whole downtown area turns out for Halloween, Christmas and New Years; clearly with the interests of the kids in mind.

The point of it all is that Veteran's Park is very much the 'heart' of the community - for the children who attend, their young parents, and the old ones like me who long for a time when education and academic achievement were promoted; not just by their parents, but by the community as a whole.

Combined with high academic standards, teachers and administrators who care about reaching them, and a commitment to each student's success, and you have something very special indeed; in Ridgefield, Connecticut.

As for my son, he's on the honor roll at the best public school in Palm Beach County; and has been since completing Kindergarten there 2 years ago, all year during first grade and well on his way to that goal this year. He's in an 'enrichment' program with other high-performers, and is the youngest second-grader in the school district.

His Kindergarten teacher at Veteran's Park - Mrs. Dunphy - was new in the job in 2010, but I think she understands children this age very well; her son is a year younger than mine.

As a result, she did remarkable work with all the children in her class.

Because my son had such a good start, he enjoys going to school, is reading 3-4 books on or above his grade level every week, writes some remarkable stories of his own, builds his own toys out of cardboard and duct tape and expresses an interest in scientific topics that are clearly years ahead of his age.

Sure, his mom and me read to him since the time he could lift his head. I spent 4 years unemployed from the time he was 1 before taking him to Connecticut; and we did everything I could think of to prepare him for school. He was already reading by the time we got to Ridgefield, and doing basic math.

Perhaps my personal commitment to parenthood is why the town of Ridgefield and Veteran's Park so resonated with me. I felt like I wasn't the only parent of the same understanding. I felt like I was 'home'.

I'm finally employed, about 65 miles away. As soon as my wife can get a job in the region, we're relocating - to Ridgefield, CT.