Contrary to what you may have heard, raising a kid in NYC is awesome.
We see this question a lot: Why would parents choose to raise kids in NYC? Our answer is, why wouldn’t they? New York City is a fantastic place to raise a child. Between the countless available resources and the proximity to practically everything, growing up in the city makes things better and easier for both kids and their parents.
There are many benefits to raising a child in NYC. Just to drive the point home, we’ve dug up a number of studies and reports that shed some light on the importance of the issue at hand. Here, then, are five reasons why raising a child in NYC can be a fantastic experience.
1. There’s a Strong Parent Community
Studies have shown that having a social network is an immensely important part of the parenting process, helping first-time mothers find mental and emotional well-being, smoothing the parent-child tension during early adolescence, and even reducing the risk of postpartum depression. In other words, having a strong social support system is important in all stages of parenthood, and NYC’s parenting communities make it easier to build such a network.
There are hundreds of Meetup groups and parent-specific communities in the city. Many neighborhoods have their own parent-centric groups both online and off (such as the popular Park Slope Parents and First Time Upper West Side Moms), which encourage parents to go out and meet other parents, share their experiences, and introduce their kids to people and places that they might not otherwise explore.
2. Parents Enjoy Virtually Endless Resources
Raising a child is as much about the parent as it is about the kid. Studies have shown that parenting classes, workshops, and counseling all help parents gain confidence and competence in their parenting — especially first-timers. This is another way NYC shines. The city offers hundreds of classes for parents on topics like childbirth and postpartum care, breastfeeding, parenting tips — even special classes for parents of twins, to name just a few.
3. The City Offers Tons of Kid-Centric Classes and Events
Want to help your child grow and develop? Enroll them in any one of the many enrichment classes available in NYC and reap the rewards. A music class can help your child process languages and speech easier; a sports class can help her learn to make better, more moral decisions; and so on. NYC offers classes for kids on everything from soccer to the ukulele. Aside from classes, there are also museums, festivals, parks, and so many special events that TimeOut has an entire monthly calendar dedicated to all the kids’ goings-on. All offer a chance for young ones to learn and grow.
4. City Life Puts Kids Close to Everything
Although 92 percent of households across America own a car, fewer than 50 percent of New Yorkers do. This is partially thanks to car- and bike-sharing programs and a solid public transit system (well okay, fairly solid). But more importantly, the general closeness of everything in the city makes it easier — and cheaper — to hop on a train, bike, or just walk to somewhere interesting. This opens up kids to participating in more extracurricular activities, and parents to getting more involved with their kids’ schools. When everything is just a train trip away, parents can spend more time with their kids, even during the commute.
5. It Exposes Kids to a Diverse Group of People
It’s crucial for children to learn to communicate and express emotions, and while a lot of this learning happens at home, evidence suggests that cultural and social learning have a bigger hand in a child’s overall personality development. A mixed learning environment has been shown to have a positive effect on a child’s ability to learn, while general exposure to more cultures makes kids more tolerant and accepting of differences. It’s a good thing, then, that NYC is home to people from a huge variety of cultural, racial, and economic backgrounds. They don’t call it the melting pot for nothing.
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