"Here's the community in a nutshell: The nurse at Wilmot School said to me, 'I'm his Mom when he's at school,''' Polovin recalled. "She doesn't have to do that, but they are so concerned and accommodating." Trustee Bob Benton, who has two adult children who grew up in Deerfield, said what stands out about the village is the citizen involvement. ''When I first got involved, the mayor then told me that it was a statistic that we have more citizen involvement in village activities per capita than any other place in the country," Benton said. "It's amazing how many people have said, 'Sure, I'd like to help.''

Volunteer spirit

And volunteerism translates into a lot of opportunities for families to connect and children to excel - whether on the ball field with a volunteer coach or in school reading alongside a volunteer helper. "I have a lot of friends here," said Polovin, who is a community volunteer herself. “And I feel like I could count on any one of my neighbors in a pinch."

Benton laughed and said young adults who move out like to joke that they're finally leaving "Deadfield." "It's amazing how their perspective changes when they have kids of their own," he said.

Among the best

A special report in Business Week magazine recently ranked the 50 best places to raise children - for less. No surprise to local residents, Deerfield made the list.

Quite high on the list actually, coming in at number three behind Groesbeck, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati, and Western Springs, Illinois. The magazine in its report said it worked with national real estate researchers at OnBoard in New York City to find communities that offer children - and their parents - the right combination of safety, community, and education. The magazine used five criteria in its search: test scores, cost of living, recreational and cultural activities, number of schools, and risk of crime.

Deerfield's spot on the list should come as no shock to village residents. Week after week, the pages of the Deerfield Review contain stories reporting on the excellent education provided by educators in Districts 109 and 113, the many programs available through the local park district, and the continued efforts of village officials to provide public services while keeping a lid on the village's property tax levy.

This year's report card data once again confirmed the achievements of local students. At District 109, 96 percent of the students at Kipling, South Park, . Wilmot, Walden, Shepard and Caruso met or exceeded state goals in all state tests, as opposed to only 73.8 percent state wide. Deerfield High School's composite ACT score was 25.3, compared to a state wide composite of 20.3, and the school along with its sister school Highland Park posted the highest average score on the English portion of the test, 25.9, of any school in Lake County.

The Deerfield Police Department's semi-annual analysis of crime statistics pays tribute to the village's low crime rate. The most recent report in August listed a crime index of 107, making the village among the safest communities in the state. The index includes violent crimes such as murder and aggravated assault as well as property crimes like theft and burglary; and 97 of the 107 were thefts.

The Park District continues to provide outstanding recreational opportunities through a top notch golf and learning center, a jewel of a park downtown in Jewett Park, and a community center that offers a variety of children and adult programs. Park commissioners have even recently taken steps to expand on that by voting to purchase the former Multiplex property for an indoor gym and pool. The latest census placed the village's population at 18,400 with a median income of$107,194. Median home value is in the $600,000 range, not inexpensive, but not astronomical either. Those 18,000 some residents can truly feel blessed to be living in one of the best communities in the nation to raise children.

A Pioneer Press Publication Thursday December 6, 2007