According to the new census, a full 23% of Darien,Ct’s residents are under the age of 18…this is the highest in the state. Come on up. Plenty of people to play with.

This video speaks for itself..another great Darien Ct resource…another great reason to raise a family in Darien CT.

But what I hope to really accomplish here is to fill in a much needed gap between information and insight…Information is everywhere.You know how it goes…3 bedrooms, two baths, dead end street… misleading photos.If you ask me its dead end information.

What is it like to live on that “dead end” street? Does it lead to the town dump? Or a nice little park? And what about those three bedrooms? Does the master bedroom face train tracks. You get the idea. I’ve posted about this before and its all about context baby. When you’ve gotten your Zestimate or whatever they are calling it these days come to www.TheGoldCoastStandard.com to find out what the neighborhood is like,how long your kid will have to ride on the bus and whether the highway is expanding into your backyard.I also provide links to Darien Patch and local newspapers to increase your feel for the place. After all you cant live in a Zestimate.  And that’s what I hope to accomplish in 2012. If I sell you a home in the process, well, win-win. Call me. 203-554-0951 or just keep tuning in here. There is much to learn grasshoppers.

There are five elementary schools in Darien, Tokeneke,Royle,Ox Ridge,Hindley and Holmes.Those schools all feed into the Middlesex Middle School and ultimately to Darien High School.Almost everyone I know who has looked for a home,knows someone already here in town.Invariably, they tell me they want to buy in oneschool district or another because they were told it was the best one. Mind you I’ve heard this about every one of the five elementary schools. . Come to Darien but don’t worry about the schools districts. They are largely the same….excellent.

Half day kindergarten or whole day. (right now its whole day).  Then there is enrollment projections and facilities.(we’ve got all new schools now,although we are outgrowing them-again),teachers aides (can we afford them?), teacher salaries and benefits (always  going up,never down) and special education funding.

This year is no exception and I want to recommend reading Darien Patch and their coverage of events in order to get a real flavor of what’s in the offing this year.

I could write about it endlessly but Patch and its reader blog do a much better job.

In the end, first ,a budget is proposed,then people gnash their teeth,parents cry foul and  finally the budget gets approved with a modest increase over last year.In between,great drama and wringing of hands. Dont take my word for it. Follow the goings on and decide for yourself.

Ultimately, the kids and  the town of Darien win out, but its always a tussle.

This is a brand new town video produced by my office at William Pitt Sothebys International Realty in Darien.I helped with the production and personally I think it turned out well. It gives a good feeling of what Darien, Ct is all about . Im even in the video a couple of times.See if you can spot me.

Well,I am a mother of three children all of whom have gone through the Darien Public School system.In fact, my youngest, Andy graduates from the High School next week.

All of my children were very different students with different interests ranging from basketball and rugby to musical theatre and a capella singing.In addition to excellent academics,they all had great after school and social experiences.

This week the Darien Times published the results of a report given to The Darien Board of Education.It showed that 85% of Darien High Schools graduating class will be attending a four year college. Just over 5% will be attending a 2 year school and three students will be attending a college prep school.The remainder of students will take a job after graduating and the remainder of 13 students are undecided.

Within,the group attending four year colleges,72 will attend “the most competitive”, 80 will attend highly competitive schools and 39 will attend very competitive institutions.The ratings are based on Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges.

You can find more specific school information at http:www.schooldigger.com.

For those of you with little ones,I have written a comprehensive article on Nursery schools in town.Click here to read it.

In addition to a full program for kids at the fabulous Darien Library,organizations such as the YMCA, YWCA and Darien Parks and Recreation  and Darien Arts Center offer a full plate of activities for kids.

This years Spring catalog from Darien Parks and Rec just came out and there is something for every kid in town.Little League,Soccer,Lacrosse Hockey,Sailing Golf,Softball,Tennis,Swimming,Music lessons,Karate and even Fly Fishing for kids.

Some of the more unusual activities include….. a course called Jump Around.Then there’s Rocketeering,Green Engineering,Little Scientists and yes, folks CIRCUS YOGA.

Circus Yoga it seems, combines the flexing, and stretching poses of yoga  combined with circus skills like pretend tight rope walking,peacock feather balancing,and juggling scarves.

But Circus Yoga shouldnt be just for kids! Maybe we can do sometihng like,  Darien Realtor Arabian Stallion riding, or Trying to Stuff as many Realtors as possible into a Volkswagen. How about No Practice Trapeze for Loan Officers?

Seriously however, when you buy a home in Darien,  you get an unparalled choice of kids activities..(peacock feathers not included).

Below is a link to a 2010, CNN Money Report showing New Canaan,Darien and Westport as the Top Earnings towns is their Best Places to Live report.

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/moneymag/0807/gallery.bplive_topearners.moneymag/2.html