Moving to West Contra Costa with a trans kid
Hi, I'm a mom of a trans girl who just finished kindergarten. We are moving out of Oakland, and are eyeing El Sobrante, Pinole and Hercules as our next place to live. So far our experience with having a trans kid has been great, in her OUSD school everyone has been accepting and affirming! Can anyone give me insight into how trans friendly El Sob, Pinole and Hercules are? She's such a sweet little girl who doesn't even know that anyone would hate her for being her authentic self. I want to make sure that she's protected from bullying, and that she'll have adults on her side looking out for her. Also, suggestions on towns or public schools to avoid would be very helpful, in case we have to expand our search area.
(For data points, we're looking for a 3b/2ba house under $900k. We work remotely, so we don't have to worry about commute. We'd like to stay close-ish to Oakland in order to maintain our friendships there, but are generally priced out of Oakland, Alameda, Emeryville & Berkeley.)
Parent Replies
I don't have experience living in those areas, but my child just interviewed at The Berkeley School which is a private school in Berkeley, and they appear to have an equitable sliding scale pricing model. So maybe that is something to consider if you end up living close enough.
Have you thought about El Cerrito? Our trans teen came out in middle school and had a great experience at Prospect Sierra. In the two decades we've lived in our house an adult came out on the block and another teen. Acceptance from all the neighbors.
I'm the mom of a trans teen and though your daughter is younger, I wanted to let you know we had a wonderful experience at Summit K2 in El Cerrito. It's not a perfect place (fair amount of teacher turnover) but the teachers are smart and caring, the community is diverse, and the local school leadership has always worked hard to make it an inclusive community for all groups including trans children. Something to think about for when your child is older. Given your price range, I suggest you look into Richmond Annex -- cute neighborhood that's very walkable, good community vibe, more affordable than Kensington or Albany, and easier to get to Oakland than El Sob, Pinole, or Hercules. Good luck with your move!