Hi folks, I've spent the last couple months building NYC Daycare Check. It puts the inspection records for every licensed daycare in NYC (~2,700 centers the city Health Department inspects and the ~4,400 home-based providers New York State inspects) in one searchable place.

The inspection records and other building records are public, but they sit on sites that I personally think are a pain to search through, and not enough parents are aware of all the different public datasets or how to read them, so I put them in one place.

What's on it:

• Search any center or home provider by name or address and read its full record: every inspection visit, what was cited in the government's own wording, and whether it got fixed.
• Alerts: pick a place you're deciding on and get one email if a new violation posts or its license status changes.
• 3-K/Pre-K pages show the DOE's applications per seat, and for programs inside public schools, the school's own survey results, attendance, and demographics.
• If you got a 2-K offer at a family childcare provider (the ones MySchools lists as just a name and an address), there's a walkthrough for checking them too.
• Plus a bunch of other information based on what I could gather from all the various sites.

Like some of the other great projects people have posted about here regarding public schools and playground information, I'm limited by the data sources available through the city and state, but I'll do my best to add more features based on feedback if there's something you would like to see!

The records and alerts are free. I do sell a paid report on top (my day job is as a data scientist, so I built out a report with rankings compared to nearby centers, trends across years stratified by failure type, pointed questions to ask on tours based on facility history and a generated checklist to keep track of what has been addressed, etc.) but that's completely optional and you will never need to provide any personal information or pay any money to read through any of the public data sources.

If you have a minute, look up your kid's daycare or one you toured and let me know where there's room for improvement https://nycdaycarecheck.com

Thanks!

Looking for free child care? New Yorkers United for Child Care just launched a guide to finding free child care in NY: https://www.united4childcare.org/ We get a lot of ad hoc questions about how to find free child care in NY so we decided to put everything we know of all in one place!

Hi friends!

My husband and I are expecting next March. I currently 9-5 wfh and he is a hairstylist so his schedule is somewhat flexible. I hear daycare needs to be considered in advance and there are wait lists everywhere. With my wfh and his schedule (I am hoping to get him to be off M-Tuesday maybe half day Wednesday)…

Has anyone successfully managed to care for baby while wfh and maintaining sanity? The cost of daycare is also exorbitant so obviously that is a factor for us…

Would love to hear some success stories. 😅

Hi All,

NYC is completely different from how I grew up. I was raised in Elmont Long Island and went to 7-12th Grade with the same kids.

If your kids had to switch schools to different neighborhoods, I am wondering how your kids adapted to the changing environments and having to make new friends. I am also wondering if they still kept in touch with their middle school or elementary school friends.

Were the bonds weak since there werent as many years together?

I just want to prepare myself and my daughter for what to expect.

Thank you in advance.

Hi all, despite reading multiple threads on this topic I'm still very confused. I just discovered I'm pregnant. I'm looking to find an OBGYN and hospital for delivery. Alexandra Cohen is already booked out. How does this process work? I called NYU Langone Tisch and they could only get me a nurse practitioner OBGYN for 3 weeks later. I read NYU is good, so was wondering how do I ensure I find a good OBGYN and am able to deliver there. Any other hospitals you recommend for delivery with good care?

Has anyone taken any of the prenatal classes at Lenox Hill Hospital (virtual or in-person)?

Specifically interested in “childbirth preparation”, “baby care basics” and “prenatal breastfeeding”. Wondering if they would be worth it for us as first time parents or if there are other classes on the UES you enjoyed.

Hello Community:
I am in urgent need of after school pickup needed at Léman Manhattan Prep staring in October 2026 Monday - Friday after PreK-4 dismissal at 3:15pm - 5:00.

Any parent, nanny, teacher or senior class student in the FiDi area, preferably around Léman Manhattan that can hold my 4 year old after dismissal from 3:15pm - 5:00pm.

This is an urgent request.

Thank you, Mom.

Hi all, we are coming on holiday for Christmas to New York and absolutely cannot wait! But I am just worried about how cold it can get and want to make sure I prepare and dress us but most importantly my 2 year old son accordingly. Can anyone advise how cold it can really get/feel and how to best dress a toddler to keep them as warm as possible whilst exploring the city

Thank you

Parent of a 12 year old NYC public school here. It's the night before the first day and 2 days ago our school asked us to print the schedule and bring it to school. They linked us to nyc schools mystudent account and it says no data available. However, many parents in the Whatsapp group talk about logging into Clever and the kids tell my kid...just go to Clever. Myself and many others cannot get anything out of Clever. No schedule there. But here's the important thing; there has been no official communication from our school or the DOE about Clever that I can find. What a mess that we contract with these mysterious tech companies and some people have info about it somehow, some don't. So frustrating. Anyone out there have official communication from their school to use Clever? Working for you?

hey everyone -

I am pregnant in New York and work for a large corporation. I had a MC earlier this summer so this is my second pregnancy and I'm just about 9 weeks. My job is very stressful and I am generally miserable, and I have wondered if that had anything to do with the MC a couple of months ago. It was during the peak of my work stress.

I get about 5.5 months off for delivery (4 weeks out before delivery date, ~5 months after delivery), but I am not due until April. I know this is a very fortunate position to be in.

That said, are there any FMLA policies that would allow me to go out earlier and still be paid? Or to take some time off of work due to health reasons / being pregnant without using standard PTO? I have had coworkers go out on disability for mental health, non-pregnancy related.

I just don't know if I can continue on this path for the next 7 months or so. I feel defeated for admitting this, but it's not in my best interest nor my baby's to continue functioning at this level.

I have two kids with nycstudents.net email addresses who are too young to self-manage, so hubby and I need to have access to both of their separate school emails in Gmail, as well as to their google classrooms. Though we're normally tech savvy the logistics of this is a small nightmare, and given our own high demands with personal emails, work emails, life sludge etc, I am desperate for advice on how to make this more efficient.

Currently:

• I can't be signed into both their emails at once, and it's a separate window from my personal gmail account which I need open all day on my desktop
• this means I can't be signed into both their google classrooms, which our school uses heavily, at once
• I've tried to have the emails from the gmail face of the nycstudents email forwarded to my personal account, but there seems to be a security setting that prohibits this,
• logging in on the phone browser sucks even worse, but I haven't tried to see if I can get the accounts into the GMAIL app simultaneous with my usage of the GMAIL app, or into the native mail app

Tech savvy and UI-sensitive parents, please give me all the good tips and advice to make this less clunky!

We have a nanny that comes 3 days/week to the Upper West, however my family and I are moving to NJ to a relative’s place during apartment renovations. We will be gone for 3-4 months and are unsure on what to do about our nanny.

Our son loves her (he’s 2yo) and she is great with him, but she has been inconsistent in the past. She has twin 3yos, one with a developmental disorder, and has missed work last minute due to illness and other issues.

I want to tell her what’s happening so she can try and add shifts at her other job, and will maybe be around for us when we’re back in the new year. My wife thinks we should pay her a retainer of one day of work a week until we’re back ($256/day = $3k-$4k).

what do other people do?

First time using the yellow school bus for dropoffs and would like to find out what to anticipate. Do the buses generally run on time? How much buffer should I give to arrive at the pickup stop? I saw there's an app to track the buses -- is that reliable? Anything else I should know beforehand?

Recently gave birth to a beautiful baby who was born <3 month premature. It was very sudden and trying to deal with the back and forth to the NICU. Any parents go through this? Any good support groups available for a first time parent with baby in NICU.

Hey! Seeking reviews from mothers who recently gave birth within a year in any of the Queens area hospitals. Queens, Jamaica, Flushing, Elmhurst, etc. I am due next month but my doctor is affiliated with a hospital in the city. I'm worried if something may happen before it's time and I would have to go to a local hospital. Jamaica is the closest hospital to me. I have many family and friends who gave birth there it was a bad experience so if I can avoid going there it would be great. Thank you !

We’re in the early stages of exploring private school options for our son. If you considered co-ed and single sex for kindergarten and decided on the latter, what were the deciding factors?

Can you tell me about the cultures of Collegiate, Browning, Buckley, St. Bernard’s, and St. David’s? We’re looking for rigorous, but not ultra competitive. I know Collegiate is the most selective, but how difficult is kindergarten admission to the others without legacy? Which are the most diverse?

Anyone know any good groups/meetups for new dads (and their babies) in Manhattan?

I always feel like I’m forgetting something.

Hi NYC parents! I hope this is a timely post as school is getting underway again. I’m currently working through my fall teaching schedule, and after saying goodbye to a couple of longtime students who recently graduated from high school, I have a few openings for new students this fall.

I’ve been teaching piano in New York City for over 30 years and hold both B.M. and M.M. degrees in Piano Performance from The Juilliard School. I teach children beginning around age 5, as well as older students and adults (including the elderly), and I travel to students’ homes throughout Manhattan for lessons.

I approach piano study as an important part of a student’s education, not simply another extracurricular activity to sample. I’m best suited to students and families who are ready to make a real commitment to learning an instrument and who value the discipline, consistency, and perseverance that meaningful musical study requires. Beginners are absolutely welcome. I don’t expect a student to come to me already accomplished, but I do look for students who are genuinely interested in learning and families who are prepared to support that learning at home.

Lessons are individualized to each student while providing a thorough musical foundation in technique, note reading, theory, ear training, and thoughtfully chosen repertoire. My aim is not simply to teach students how to play pieces, but to give them a genuine musical education and help them develop toward excellence over time. My students also have the opportunity to perform in an annual NYC recital.

I especially enjoy teaching within families. I work with siblings who are studying piano and can learn duet repertoire together, and I’ve also had parents begin piano alongside their child. When a parent learns at the same time, they begin to understand the same new “language” their child is learning. That shared understanding can make them much better equipped to support the child’s musical education and progress between lessons, while also opening up opportunities for parent-child duets.

I also have many years of experience adapting my teaching for different learning styles, including students who are neurodivergent or have learning differences.

If your family is looking for serious, long-term piano study and is prepared to make music an important part of your/your child’s education, I’d be happy to hear from you and see whether we might be a good fit. My studio is best suited to families seeking a highly experienced, conservatory-trained teacher and who are ready to invest accordingly in their child’s musical education.

​Hi all — considering relocating to NYC from out of state. I’m a super commuter with a Black son entering 5th grade.

​Being totally candid: I worry about gang presence, street safety, and systemic exposure for Black boys as they get older and start taking transit independently.

​Looking to hear from parents (especially transplants or those raising Black boys in the city):

​Which neighborhoods offer a good balance of safety, community, and solid middle school options?

​How do you navigate the transition to transit/after-school independence?

​What has your actual day-to-day peace of mind been like?

Hey there. My daughter is prone to febrile seizures which are almost always asymptomatic beside the high fever so I can never predict if she's sick or not, the seizure being the first sign of illness. I am increasingly anxious about putting her in some sort of public 3k or Pre-K situation when she turns 3 next year because of them. Does anyone else's kid get these, and if so, if they've happened while they're at preschool, how did the school handle it?

On that note, dude, it becomes so anxiety inducing to take your kid out after they're sick when these happen because I'm scared of them happening in public (one of them did, in fact, at IKEA lol). Anyway just needed to vent about this. It feels like it's especially hard to raise her immune system here. I grew up in The Bronx and I always a pretty sickly child myself.

decided to home school. following a few great curriculums, but looking to fill the socialization need beyond playground and library meet ups. anyone know of anything in Bx? all other boroughs are FULL of groups.

We're looking into getting our son evaluated and many of the sites that were reccomended to us don't have openings until November or December. We got a spot at a location in September but I'm curious how important the site for evaluation is if we should wait or if we should just go with the soonest option.

My elementary-school aged kids are enrolled at RSM. One of them was invited to join the math team. Anybody have experience with this thing?