Moving with Kids? Read this first.

When should I move? This is one of the most common questions families ask me. As a Realtor, Mom of 3 and former school director, I know just how much of an influence the school calendar has on our life decisions.

Moving a family is serious business. Researching, packing, purging, it’s a lot to do, and the stress can be compounded when you add on busy school schedules and extra-curricular activities. By timing your move along with your children’s school calendar, you can help mitigate some of the stress that you and your children will experience.

Planning your move along with your children’s school calendar can be a bit tricky but will pay off in dividends and make the transition into their new home easier for your children, and ultimately, you. School calendars have grading periods with multiple starting and ending dates and predictable seasonal breaks. Timing your move during these annual transition points can help give children a sense of predictability. This is important for children as it can give them a sense of control and security during a large transition.

In Miami, FL, most school years begin on the third Monday of August and end of the second week of June, with summer break lasting about 10 weeks long. This gives parents a wide window of opportunity to move into a new home and help children ease into the transition. The natural end point of the school year makes transitions feel more natural and gives families time to ease into new routines.

If moving during the summer is not an option, there are other options like winter break, provides two weeks to move and spring break, which is usually one week in public schools and two weeks in private schools. These breaks form school provide other opportunities for families to time their move. The dates for those breaks are not as predictable as summer, so parents will need to refer to the current school year calendar. The Miami-Dade public schools’ calendar can be found on their website at https://www3.dadeschools.net/Calendars/home. Schools that are not part of Miami-Dade Public Schools may not run on the same calendar. Parents should refer to the school’s website to confirm the days schools are closed.