Childcare: The school does not provide on-site child care, so if you are going to need it, start looking early. Most day care facilities have limited space, and you'll want to take the time to find a provider who both you and your children feel comfortable with. Fortunately, there are several facilities that are relatively nearby. One great place to start your search is to check out the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services. You can search for registered home providers and larger day care facilities by zip code. You can even click on each provider/facility's name to view when they were licensed and whether or not any adverse actions have been reported against them. Additionally, you can read up on state regulations yourself, so that you can more readily judge how the facility is run when you are there. Once your child is in day care, make sure you check in once in a while to make sure that standards continue to be met to your satisfaction. The best advocate for your child is you.
Some families opt to hire a nanny. This may be especially helpful if both your spouse works swing- or late-shift hours, at least when you are in the clinical years, when your schedule changes depending upon your rotation.
One of the lesser known helpful hints is that the financial aid advisors at the school can increase your budget for dependent care expenses. John Strieb is the point of contact for medical students, and you will need to contact him to request your budget adjustment. You'll find him extraordinarily helpful for all your financial aid questions. You can call him at 210-567-2635 or you can get more information at the official Financial Aid website.
Another great resource for advice is the MSToo's, and organization designed to support spouses and significant others of UTHSCSA students. They organize playgroups and occasional outings for kids & parents as well.
Schools: Most students with school age children will live within the Northside Independent School District. Click on the link for information about schools in the area, policies, or to do a street search to see whether or not you will live in the boundaries for an NISD school.
There are also private schools throughout San Antonio, including schools run by religious organizations.
Things to do for fun: There is almost no end to the resources available to entertain your kids. San Antonio is home to two major theme parks, SeaWorld and Six Flags Fiesta Texas, and the San Antonio Zoo is easily accessible, affordable, and located within Brackenridge Park, a huge park with availability for picnics, walks and fun. Also check out the Witte Museum (good for adults, too), the San Antonio Children's Museum, or one of the many live performances and activities brought to town by Kaboink. For no-cost fun, most public libraries and local bookstores offer kid's story hour. For older kids, life in a larger city offers all the benefits of after school activities, paid private lessons, scouts, etc. For more ideas check out the following search engines:
sa360.com
mysanantonio.com
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