Photo Courtesy of Edwin Torres/Mayoral Photography Office
First Lady of New York City Chirlane McCray helped unveil the new NYC Children’s Cabinet initiative Growing Up NYC.
By Forum Staff
It might have just gotten a little easier to rear your kids in New York City, at least that’s what the de Blasio administration is saying about its new initiativeGrowing Up in NYC.
Growing Up NYC is a digital how-to resource geared at introducing parents and caregivers raising kids in New York City to the full gamut of resources available to them here in the city.
The initiative was born in the NYC Children’s Cabinet, a multi-agency initiative created to bolster communication and coordination among city agencies and provide a space to identify and analyze individual and common areas of work that impact child safety and well-being.
Growing Up NYC provides guidance to City agencies on how to prioritize and implement policies and programs that advance the well-being of children and young adults ages 0-24, and allows parents and caregivers to easily access a vast array of resources. Busy parents can easily tap into the wealth of ingo from their smartphones.
A “mobile first” platform – accessible by phone, tablet or computer at nyc.gov/GrowingUpNYC – the digital guide was designed to offer accessibility to City services, programs, and events for families and children up to age 12 for millions of New York parents. Some critical offerings include access to everything from after-school programs to parenting classes to temporary cash assistance programs and where to find fresh foods in their neighborhoods.
For those who prefer to hold the information in their hands, a hard-copy resource guidebook that contains expanded information for youth up to age 24 will be available in libraries across the City.
The new initiative is grounded in the first-ever policy framework to help City agencies make strategic, evidence-based investments in programs that promote child health, development, and safety.
Growing Up NYC builds off of previous Children’s Cabinet campaigns – including Talk to Your Baby and NYC Baby Showers – that address the developmental needs of children from birth to age three. The Cabinet’s new policy framework will support the cognitive, social-emotional, and physical development of all New York City children by shaping City policies, agency practices and program development around the following key elements:
1.Guiding Principles: a set of eight core beliefs and values to shape agency work;
2.Universal Risk and Protective Factors: Factors that are critical to understanding the balance required to meet developmental needs;
3.Age-Graded Transitions: A series of developmental milestones that children should successfully meet over the course of their lives;
4.Program Spotlights: Comprehensive “spotlights” of relevant investments and programs to highlight the City’s work on these issues; and
5.Well-Being Indicators: Selected indicators that will be measured to assess the City’s Progress toward its goals
Each year, the Cabinet will assess the implementation of Growing Up NYC and how its investments in children are impacting the well-being indicators. Findings will be made available through the Annual Scorecard for Child Well-Being and Safety.
“Growing Up NYC will help provide parents and guardians with a road map of programs and resources for our youngsters, like the fantastic cultural institutions and parks that New York City has to offer. I encourage families to take full advantage of this program and the many exciting opportunities in NYC,” said Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña.
