Newcomer's Handbook for Moving to and Living in Portland: Including Vancouver, Gresham, Hillsboro, Beaverton, Tigard, and Wilsonville

by Geon, Bryan

  Rainwear

  At some point, you’ll need good rainwear. You should be able to find something appropriate at any discount or full-service department store, at sporting goods stores (see Sports and Recreation for a list), or from mail order suppliers such as Land’s End (www.landsend.com) or L.L. Bean (www.llbean.com). Or you might try one of the following sportswear retailers:

  Columbia Sportswear, 911 SW Broadway, 503-226-6800, www.columbia.com, is the company’s downtown flagship store; also consider checking out Columbia Sportswear’s outlet stores in Sellwood, Lake Oswego, and Woodburn Premium Outlets. (See “Outlet Malls” above.) If you’ve just arrived from a desert clime, Columbia has a store at the airport.

  The North Face, 1202 NW Davis St, 503-727-0200, www.thenorthface.com, has lots of high-end mountaineering gear, as well as a selection of jackets made from expensive waterproof/breathable fabrics.

  Patagonia, 907 NW Irving St, 503-525-2552, www.patagonia.com, has pricey, nicely made activewear, including rainwear.

  Odd and Hard-to-Find Goods and Services

  Diaper Service

  Unless you plan to wash ‘em yourself, Tidee Didee (503-777-3856, www.tideedidee.com) is the only game in town for handling non-disposable diapers.

  Furniture Restoration and Repair

  Did you unpack the moving truck only to find that it was a bad idea to pack your unpadded “claw” sculpture next to that Stickley dresser? Portland has many furniture hospitals, most of which are listed online in the Yellow Pages under “Furniture-Repair and Refinish.”

  Childcare and Education

  Even in familiar surroundings, finding quality childcare and good schools is one of the most challenging and overwhelming tasks parents face, and a move to a new area compounds the difficulty. With time and effort, however, it is usually possible to find a good situation for your child, whether it is in-home or on-site daycare, a nanny, an after-school program, or a good public or private school. The keys, of course, are research and persistence, and perhaps a bit of luck. Keep in mind that even institutions with the best reputations may not be suited to your child’s individual needs. Get comfy with the phone book and the web, and, perhaps most important, prepare to talk with other parents.

  Childcare

  Probably the best way to find a good childcare provider is by referral from someone you know and trust. As a newcomer, however, you may not have such resources at your disposal. A good place to start your research is one of several local childcare resource and referral agencies that can help you find and select childcare providers. Call 866-227-5529 or visit www.ccrr-mc.org in Multnomah County; 800-624-9516, ww.caowash.org in Washington and Columbia counties 866-371-4373, clackesd.k12.or.us/ece/ccrr.html in Clackamas County; 360-750-9735, 800-282-0874, www.esd112.org/ccrr in Southwest Washington.

  In Oregon, the Oregon Employment Department (www.oregon.gov/EMPLOY/CCD/) regulates childcare providers. There are several options for care, and each is subject to different regulations. A childcare center is a facility other than a private home that provides care for more than 13 children; such centers must be state-certified, are subject to mandated adult-child ratios, and must offer a program of age-appropriate activities. A certified family childcare home, which is subject to similar requirements, is a facility in the provider’s family residence that provides care for a maximum of 16 children, including the provider’s children. Family childcare homes that care for no more than 10 children (including the provider’s children) need only be licensed with the state; certification is not required.

  A wide range of small-scale childcare providers are exempt from licensing requirements, including providers who care for no more than three children (in addition to the provider’s own children), nannies and others who provide care in a child’s home, and caregivers who provide care on an occasional basis only or who are related to the child. Programs run by government agencies are also exempt, as are preschools (i.e., facilities that offer an educational curriculum for children from three years old through kindergarten-age) that provide care for less than four hours per day. To check on the licensing status of a childcare provider or find out about complaints, call the Child Care Division’s hotline at 800-556-6616.

  Washington requires virtually anyone who is paid to care for children on a regular basis to be licensed (unless the children are related to the caregiver). The Washington Department of Early Learning (www.del.wa.gov) regulates childcare providers in that state. To check the license status and complaint history of a childcare provider, visit the department’s website or call 866-482-4325.

  In addition to the required state certifications, you may want to look for childcare centers that are accredited by third-party organizations like the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), www.naeyc.org.

  What to Look for in Childcare

  When searching for the best place for your child, be sure to visit prospective providers—and make an appointment. A security-conscious caregiver should not let a random stranger on the premises unannounced; a staff member should accompany you at all times. In general, look for a safe and clean environment and a caring attitude. Are areas that children use child-proofed? Are the kitchen, toys, and furniture clean and safe? Are outdoor play areas fenced and free of hazards? Observe other kids at the facility. Do they seem happy? Are they well behaved? Is the adult-child ratio acceptable? Ask for the telephone numbers of parents who use the service and talk to them. It’s a good idea to request a daily schedule—look for both active and quiet time, and age-appropriate activities. Keep in mind that wet Portland winters don’t allow for daily outdoor play. Is there an adequate covered space for active play in winter? Does the facility have adequate insurance? Finally, understand that a license does not necessarily guarantee quality childcare. It is your responsibility as a parent to make sure that the caregiver delivers the standard of care you expect.

  Nannies and Au Pairs

  Nannies

  Hiring a nanny is generally the most expensive childcare option, but under the right circumstances it can be a very rewarding arrangement for everyone involved. In the Portland area you can expect to pay at least $400 a week for a full-time nanny—more (and sometimes much more) for a nanny with more experience or who will be expected to care for multiple children or do housework.

  Several agencies help match nannies with families. While these services tend to charge significant placement fees, many agencies perform background checks or psychological testing (for the nanny, not you) during the applicant screening process. Nannies are not state-licensed, and screening processes vary, so you may want to ask each agency about its specific screening criteria. Most agencies can also help with temporary childcare needs. Local nanny placement agencies include:

  A Brilliant Nanny, 4110 SE Hawthorne Blvd #157, 503-459-4055, www.abnanny.com

  Care Givers Placement Agency, 10211 SW Barbur Blvd, Suite 203A, 503-244-6370, www.cgpa.com

  Karoline’s Nannies, Vancouver, 360-721-0902, www.karolinesnannies.com

  Northwest Nannies, 11830 SW Kerr Pkwy, Suite 330, Lake Oswego, 503-389-5568, www.nwnanny.com

  If you are contracting directly with your nanny for his or her services, rather than going through an agency, you’ll have to get an employer identification number from the IRS and pay certain taxes, including social security, Medicare, and possibly unemployment insurance tax, and you’ll have to withhold income tax—unless of course you’re planning on being nominated for a high-profile federal job and would like a good scandal to torpedo your nomination, in which case by all means neglect to pay taxes for your nanny. You’ll also need to carry workers’ compensation, which you may be able to purchase through your homeowner’s or automobile insurance provider. Several companies offer assistance with childcare employment taxes, including HomeWork Solutions (800-626-4829, www.nanitax.com) or GTM Payroll Services (800-929-9213, www.gtm.com/household/).

  Be sure to check references before hiring a nanny. Although most agen
cies run background checks, if you’re not using an agency or if you simply want a second opinion, several companies can perform pre-employment screening. Look in the Yellow Pages under “Employment Screening” or “Background Screening,” or type “employment screening” into your search engine for links.

  Au Pairs

  Au pairs are young adults, usually college-age women, visiting the United States with a special visa status that allows them to provide childcare and light housekeeping in exchange for room and board, international airfare, and a weekly stipend. The host family benefits from cultural exchange as well as relatively inexpensive childcare, but the placement usually only lasts one year and an au pair might not offer the same level of maturity and experience as a career nanny. Keep in mind that the au pair will be in a foreign country and will be interested in traveling and meeting people her age, but may not have fully considered how restricted her free time will be. At the same time, many parents have unrealistic expectations of their au pair, and assume that she will be a combination nanny, babysitter, and full-time housekeeper, with few outside interests or social engagements. That said, the au pair arrangement can be a great experience for those families and au pairs who understand the trade-offs of the system and have the same expectations for their year together.

  The US State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (202-203-5096, j1visa.state.gov/programs/au-pair) regulates au pair placement agencies and maintains a current list of designated sponsor agencies. The following are some of the approved national au pair agencies that can connect you with a local placement coordinator:

  Au Pair in America, 800-928-7247, www.aupairinamerica.com

  AuPairCare, 800-428-7247, www.aupaircare.com

  Cultural Care Au Pair, 800-333-6056, www.culturalcare.com

  EurAuPair, 800-333-3804, www.euraupair.com

  Go Au Pair, 888-287-2471, www.goaupair.com

  InterExchange Au Pair USA, 800-287-2477, www.interexchange.org/au-pair-usa

  School-Age Programs

  Many organizations offer care to school-aged children before and/or after school hours and during school vacations. In many cases, care is provided on-site at an elementary school, or at a nearby location to which children are transported by bus after school. Check with your child’s school for convenient options. Note that school-age programs that are operated by a public school or other government agency are exempt from state certification requirements (but the programs may choose to be certified anyway).

  Schools

  There are hundreds of public and private schools in the Portland area, and choosing the right one for your child can be a complicated and time-consuming task. While the public school systems in Portland and in many of the surrounding communities rely primarily on neighborhood-based schools (i.e., schools that draw from a set attendance area), they also offer a growing number of magnet programs and specialty schools; add transfer options, private schools, and charter schools into the mix and the range of options is dizzying. Fortunately, there are some sources that can help with your initial search.

  The Oregon Department of Education is responsible for statewide curriculum, instructional, and assessment testing programs. The department issues an annual statewide report card that covers every public school in the state. The annual report cards are available from the Department’s website (www.ode.state.or.us), which also offers a tremendous amount of additional information about public education in Oregon. In Washington, the office of the Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction (www.k12.wa.us) plays a similar role and issues report cards for schools in that state.

  The Chalkboard Project (www.chalkboardproject.org) is another good source of information about Oregon public schools. This organization is involved in a side project, the Open Books Project (www.openbooksproject.org), which allows parents—and others—to track how educational funding dollars are spent in Oregon; the website includes report cards for each school and district, provides information about statewide educational spending and spending by district, and allows for district-by-district comparisons.

  Other sources for gathering specific information about schools include Great Schools (www.greatschools.org), a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing clear and objective information about local schools; and the National Center for Educational Statistics (www.nces.ed.gov), a federal center that collects and analyzes information from states. Information on private schools is notoriously hard to come by; they are not subject to state curriculum requirements, and do not have to release certain information (such as standardized test scores or teacher credentials) that public schools are required to disclose.

  When researching schools, bear in mind that statistics and summary progress assessments paint a picture that is at best incomplete. While objective measures may help support or guide your decision, there is really only one way to choose a school, public or private, that is right for your child: visit.

  When visiting a school, pay attention to your gut reaction. Ask yourself these questions:

  Am I comfortable here? Will my child be comfortable here?

  Does the school feel safe? Are the bathrooms clean and free of graffiti?

  Do the students seem to be engaged? Is student work on display?

  Are classrooms crowded? (Class sizes can vary enormously from school to school.) Do teachers appear to be overworked?

  Are adults present throughout the building and grounds?

  Are desks, instructional materials, and computers plentiful and up-to-date?

  Does the school offer academic and extracurricular opportunities for students to explore their own special interests, such as art, music, sports, or science?

  In an elementary school, pay attention to the way the children are moving around—are they interacting naturally, but staying on task? In a middle school or high school, notice how students interact with each other and with teachers at the beginning and end of class, and in the halls.

  Ask elementary teachers about reading and math groups and find out if children move up as they build skills.

  Are parents encouraged to volunteer? To paraphrase JFK, ask not only what your school can do for your child, but what you can do for your child’s school. The level of parent and community involvement in a school is one key to that school’s success.

  Public Schools

  Public schools in the Northwest face many challenges, including rapid growth in districts on the urban fringe, declining enrollments in inner cities, and an increasingly diverse student population. In Oregon, a roller-coaster ride of inconsistent (and often inadequate) funding over the last decade or so has exacerbated these problems. As the Oregon Blue Book, the state’s official government directory, succinctly puts it, “Oregon public school finance is unique and very complicated for several reasons.” In a nutshell, mandatory property tax limits reduced local governments’ ability to fund schools, and today about two-thirds of the money for public schools comes directly from the state. While state funding has helped reduce the disparity in resources between districts, it leaves school funding vulnerable to economic cycles and competing demands for limited revenue (despite a state constitutional amendment, passed in 2000, which requires the legislature to appropriate sufficient funds to allow schools to meet legally established quality goals). State funding also means that communities which place a high value on their schools have only a limited ability to increase support for those schools using local tax revenues.

  A funding crunch in Oregon during the recession of the early 2000s led some districts to cut electives, increase class sizes, and (most infamously) lop several days off the school year to reduce costs. In response to this deterioration in school services, some parents placed their children in private schools or simply moved to more affluent school districts. An improved economy—and in many districts, voter-approved property tax levies—helped stabilize school funding until the most recent recession, beginning in 2008, led once again to declining tax revenues and moun
ting pressure on school budgets in both Oregon and Washington. The financial picture has improved somewhat with the economy in recent years, but fundamental school funding issues, which are hardly unique to the Northwest, have not been resolved. That said, some districts are in a much better financial position than others.

  Unlike in many states, school district boundaries in Oregon and Washington do not necessarily correspond to city or county boundaries. For example, five different school districts serve the city of Portland, and the Portland Public Schools district draws from both Multnomah County and a small portion of Washington County.

  Both Oregon and Washington have educational service districts (ESDs), which generally encompass multiple districts and which provide certain programs and services that are too costly or specialized for districts to provide on their own. Most parents don’t deal directly with ESDs.

  Portland Public Schools

  The Portland Public Schools district—the largest of five districts that encompass parts of the city of Portland, and the most populous school district in the state—serves some 47,000 students. Although enrollment had declined for many years, it has recently stabilized and has even begun to increase slightly for several years. Close to 85% of Portland children attend public school, and Portland remains one of the few large cities in America in which the middle class has not largely abandoned the public schools. To be sure, Portland Public Schools is emerging from a time of great uncertainty and turmoil that included state funding cuts, a round of school closures, controversy over standardization and core curriculum issues, and a narrowly averted teachers’ strike in 2014. Immediate challenges include a high dropout rate, several consistently low-performing schools, and equity issues between schools and neighborhoods; state report card ratings run the gamut from “needs improvement” to “outstanding.” That said, some Portland schools are among the best in the state.