kateinbrooklyn

So long as you're realistic about rent, then New York City is totally doable with small children. Most kids start preschool when they are 3 and at that age, the only option is private. At 4, your eldest will be eligible for public pre-k although it might be difficult to get him/her in during the middle of term. New York has plenty of wonderful public schools, but you have to be zoned for them. There is a big network of mums groups in NYC and there's even one for British Expat mums.

The Upper West Side is lovely and child friendly. I'd say that if you're only going to be here for a few years and you want to be in Manhattan, then go for it. In my opinion, nothing beats it.

I live in the Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens part of Brooklyn, which is incredibly child friendly, and a very easy commute to midtown Manhattan. However I would move back to Manhattan in a heartbeat.

kateinbrooklyn

Ha! Just noticed that you're posting from Maidenhead, which is my home town!

talkto_menow

It would be helpful if you could say more about your budget. Manhattan is always more expensive than other boroughs and its also not family friendly at all. Your best option will be probably to hire someone to look after your children. Your eldest may qualify for UPK program run by state that provides free child care at any kindergarten or school. I do not know if it's somehow tied to the residency. When looking for apartment in both East and West Side of Manhattan, you should know that apartment that is closer to the Central Park is going to be much more expensive. The area between Broadway and Amsterdam Ave should be less expensive, but West End would on par with prices near Central Park. There is also Riverside Drive that might be more affordable, but the area near Columbia University might be expensive too. Further north prices would go down. You might find more affordable choices on East Side (between Lexington and 2nd Avenue). There is also a lot of development going on right now in Queens (Long Island City) and there are parts of Queens and Brooklyn that have very good commuting times and much better living conditions.

Jerseygirl

What type of school are you interested in state...know as public schools in the US...or private? Private schools are incredibly expensive. My daughter went to private school in NJ...kindergarten starts at $30K+ per year..plus extras. I expect NYC schools would cost more.

As others have said...what is your budget for rent? How many bedrooms?

fbf2006

OP, it mostly depends on your budget.


I do want to say that there are many good private preschools/kindergartens in NJ that are definitely not $30K a year, my goodness.

Jerseygirl

Are those private schools or just kindergartens?

Pulaski

A colleague of mine used to live in Manhattan with his wife, but they moved out after their first child was born. There was a private day care near where they lived, and the annual fee was $40,000, and IIRC there was a waiting list for enrollment; my colleague's child was not on the waiting list.

That was probably 8-10 years ago so I assume the fees have gone up since then.

robin1234

Great, thanks for those recommendations. Irvington Delight looks nice. We are down in that area every so often, Levantine is my favorite so always nice to try new places...

Jerseygirl

Sounds about right. Then there all all the add ons...

My daughter's school used to hold a fundraiser each year...you were expected to donate. Parent donations included 2 week holiday villa in the Caribbean...including transportation. At the private school in UK parent donations were a box of chocolates or a cheap bottle of vino.

Pulaski

That wasn't a school I was talking about, it was a day care for 0-4 year olds!

Jerseygirl

In that case...I'll take the karma back.

Pulaski

I'll take all the karma I can get. It's tough to get a steady supply of karma these days.

That said, I hit the jackpot earlier today, getting karma three times for the same post!

MorsePacific

Can't speak for schools, but it really does depend on your budget.

My girlfriend and I have a combined income of ~$140k and we're just about to sign a lease on a $2900 a month 2Bed/2Bath apartment in Queens, not including bills. I was given prices northwards of $6000 per month for Manhattan for the same sort of space.

Manhattan2017

Small world! How long have you been in NYC?

Thanks - we had a look at those areas in Brooklyn and haven't discounted them. I've spent 10 years commuting from Maidenhead and it's ~1.5hrs each way into the City so the idea of a 15/20 min commute is very appealing and life changing with a young family.

Would look for a public school for the 4yr old if possible and then the 2 yr old would be in nursery a couple of mornings a week.

I'll tell the wife to check out those recommended posts / groups.

Thanks!

Manhattan2017

Would be loooking for public schools ideally - and would probably only put my youngest in 2/3 mornings a week if we can do that.

Budget for rent around $5/5500k per month and if we can get 3 beds then perfect (4&2 year olds share now so 3rd bed is for a playroom and visiting grandparents!)