We’re moving into a new apartment in Gainesville. Any advice for kid’s education/childcare?

Now that you found the perfect non-student apartment in Gainesville for your family the next thing on your to-do list is searching options for kid's education/childcare. Gainesville offers a lot of options for a young family and options in education and childcare are no different. Whether you are looking for public, private, and anything in between Gainesville options for education and childcare offer something for everyone.

Childcare/Preschool/VPK

Let's start with the youngest bunch. A good place to start is Fun 4 Gator Kids website. Here you can view at home daycares, private childcare centers and preschools. For public options if your child is four years old, they can go to VPK (voluntary pre-kindergarten). For more information on VPK contact the Early Learning Coalition of Alachua County.

Public School K-12

Alachua County Public Schools would be your option for K-12 education. Click here for the new students and families welcome section. Due to Covid-19, they implemented an online enrollment/registration application. If you first want to find out your zoned school before applying there is a link to do that also on that page. Just enter your address and all options for K-12 are available. Our district also offers additional options such as magnet programs, charter schools, and a virtual school option Alachua eSchool of Alachua County.


Private School

For private school, we again recommend Fun 4 Gator Kids website for a great starting place. You can view private school options that are faith-based and non-faith based. Many private schools offer scholarships to cover tuition costs or visit Step Up for Students for more scholarship options.

Virtual School/Homeschool

If you are interested in exploring all your options, there is also virtual school or homeschool. Fun 4 Gator Kids website also includes sections for each option. For virtual school, the school district has its own Alachua eSchool of Alachua County and there is also Florida Virtual School (FLVS). Florida Virtual School offers full time and a flex option for those that want to take extra classes or explore different courses even if they attend another public or private school. Alachua County has an active homeschool community. Fun 4 Gator Kids lists some resources to explore different groups and options available.

Alachua county prides itself on great education and the number of options for all kids of every age leaves little to be desired. It all depends on exactly what fits your needs and wants as a family. Due to Covid-19 childcare and education may look a little different than usual. Some places may not be as open as before for a tour but there is still a lot of good information to narrow down your choices online so that you can find the perfect spot for your family. Word of mouth is also a great way to learn more. If your Gainesville apartment has a community pool or playground area where you could meet your neighbors, they could be great resources. There are also many groups on Facebook where you can find more experiences and feedback.

Welcome to Gainesville. We hope your family loves it as much as we do!

These are the opinions of writers and not the opinions of SwampRentals.com or any of our advertising partners.