Young family considering Bed-Stuy
I’ve read posts on brownstoner and other blogs and I know this is can be an unpopular subject. I’m pregnant with our 1st baby (due in Nov), and my husband and I are considering moving to Bed Stuy. We currently live in Park Slope. My husband grew up in Bed Stuy, and my mother-in-law still…
I’ve read posts on brownstoner and other blogs and I know this is can be an unpopular subject. I’m pregnant with our 1st baby (due in Nov), and my husband and I are considering moving to Bed Stuy. We currently live in Park Slope.
My husband grew up in Bed Stuy, and my mother-in-law still lives there (grandma to babysit- a huge plus!). We love the sense of community and the gorgeous brownstones in Bed Stuy, and we like that there is less of a “scene” then in the Slope (no disrespect to Park Slope…). At the same time, I’m a little worried about feeling isolated with a baby in Bed Stuy, especially coming from the “baby land” that is Park Slope.
I have a mixed background (Puerto Rican and Jewish), but I definitely “look white” and I’m wondering if I’ll be able to assimilate into and be accepted by the community- especially by other young mothers in the neighborhood. This is not a “safety” issue [I’ve seen many other posts, some offensive, about feeling “safe” as a white person in a black neighborhood. I think that’s ridiculous and that’s NOT what this post is about.] This is much more of a social issue, and a larger question about being a mother and raising kids in Bed Stuy in 2007+.
Are there any other women- especially mothers of babies or young children- who live in Bed Stuy today and can talk about the “motherhood community.” Where do you take your kids? What parks are good? Is it easy to meet other mothers? If you are either of color or are white, do you know mixed families in the neighborhood? What are your feelings about the racial & social diversity in Bed Stuy, as a woman/ mother?
I’d appreciate any honest (and not hater-esque, please) feedback. Thanks!
-Rachel
We have lived in Clinton Hill/Bed-Stuy for about 8 years now and have particiapted in all kinds of kids activities and made tons of family friends. If you are friendly and outgoing, you will have no trouble. It’s a wonderful diverse group of parents here who can be quite welcoming.
Boundries are very fluid between Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Bed Stuy. It helps if you have a car, but it’s not totally necessary you can take the 52, 26, 25 or 38 buses just about anywhere or walk if the weather is nice.
Here are some terrific Bed-Stuy/Clinton Hill/Fort Greene baby/family resources:
1) Choice Cafe – excellent food, lots of strollers, esp. weekend mornings (corner Grand & Lafayette)
2) soon-to-open kids store across the street from Choice on Grand (also offering music classes, etc)
3) Underwood Park, corner of Dekalb & Washington – the epicenter of it all
4) new playgroup at Embora, corner of Washington & Fulton
5) playgroup at Lafayette Ave. Pres. Church (almost impossible to get into at this point)
5) storytime at local libraries
6) Fort Greene Kids listserve, over 1,000 families strong, there’s also a bedstuy kids listserve, but it’s much less active
7) Clinton Hill CSA (chcsa.org)
8) Fort Greeen Park Farmers Market
9) The Co-op school (preschool)
10) PS20 and PS11 (up-and-coming public schools)
Re 261 – I assume your twins are applying for pre-k, which has very few spots and effectively no out of zone spots. My son is going into kindergarten, which although not mandatory is “universal” in New York, so there are many more classes and spots. Until recently 261 attracted upwards of half its incoming class from out of zone, but the Brooklyn Brownstone Baby Boom has created a greater demand in zone, which made applications more “competitive” and stressful. But most out of zone kids we knew who applied early (and there are open houses starting in the fall) got in. One large group which did not was those kids who were otherwise zoned for PS 38. There seems to be a non-aggression pact between the principals, where the head of 261 agreed not to poach from PS 38 zoned kids. Makes a lot of sense institutionally, but of course a disappointed for those who live inside PS 38’s boundaries but hoped/expected to skip over to PS 261.
Honestly, I am not sure that the four short years between birth a high school anxiety are enough to count on now failing to schools to be better. PS 20 and PS 11 were not failing, just unimaginative, and even so they have a long way to go before one could be excited and confident of the schools as a whole. Right now, I think those folks who are putting so much work into them are excited about the process, excited about improving a resource in the community, excited about some of the other kids and families joining in the endeavor, but even they wouldn’t say the schools are close to a finished and over-all acceptable product. Most seem to have great faith in (a) the ability of kid to do well in elementary school (b) their own ability to provide enrichment when necessary. But I haven’t heard anyone I know who is zoned say, for PS 56 or the Bedford Village School, enroll their child there. And they seem very orderly – just really really uninspired. So my point is, be ready to do what New York City parents have done for generations – lie, scratch and plead to get your kid into the school you want. PS 20 is really big – maybe by the time you send your kid to school it will be a destination school (as it does for some now – the principal spent the first parent night berating those who had faked addresses to get in) and you will want to stend little Bedford or Stuyvesant there.
Regarding schools: if you’re pregnant now, you will have a few years before that becomes a heavy duty concern and a lot can change in a few years (just look at Williamsburg and Ft. Greene).
Please disregard the negativity expounded by “Hold one Minute” above… last time I checked, story hour at Brownstone Books was free and the parks gatherings are DEFINITELY free.
There is also a growing effort to found a small, community based school with high academic standards in the neighborhood with reasonable tuition.
This is all being built from within the community and is an extremely grass-roots effort.
Putnam-Denizen,
How are you getting your son in P.S. 261? There is a waiting list and if it’s not your zone school you’re at the bottom of the list. My twins are starting pre-school this September @ P.S.38 also in Boerum Hill. I think P.S.38 is an up and coming school. I guess we’ll see. If not, I’ll see you at P.S. 261.
First of all, CONGRATULATIONS in advance.
My wife and I (and our 4 month old son) feel very welcome and supported here.
They hold “story hour” at Brownstone Books 2x a week and my wife has started a “mothers-gathering” in Fulton Park at 11am weekdays. There were tons of moms there with their kids and she’s constantly recruiting new parents.
We’ve had a few kiddie gatherings at Bread Stuy as well…
There are plenty of kids on our block and we know of 2 other couples who are planning to have kids in Bed Stuy, so it’s definitely a growing movement.
This is love the I love Kensington on my floor we have african-american/caribbean, Russian, ndians, Jewish, Middle Eastern all living together with no problems..now thats diversity. Kensington is one of the most diverse areas in NYC.
Six years ago I bought my place on the Clinton Hill/Bed Stuy border (according to the definition above inside Clinton Hill, but definitely less affluent and dicier in feel than say St James and Greene). At the time I didn’t look at Stuyvesant Heights (although I had dated someone who lived there) because (1) my son to be mother seemed overwhelmed by Clinton Hil proper and (2) I wanted to be able to walk to BAM, Prospect Park, Dekalb, etc. Perhaps as a gay man co-parenting I had different expectations and wishes than you. Like the poster above I have found myself taking my son to Underwood Park rather than closer parks because his classmates (Montessori School and now PS 20) are there, as well as folks I knew in different contexts. (Occassionally I have grabbed a cup of coffee at Outpost and taken him to Crispus Atticus at the corner of Classon and Fulton, but have found it underpopulated and ill-designed). My immediate neighborhood strikes me as less affluent and established than Stuyvesant Heights, and we haven’y met any kids his age on the street. there is one British woman and her child around the corner who I met at a party a year ago, but my smiles are met with lack of recognition (Probably she is not Bristish at all, but rather Kiwi, and I insulted her at the party!). That said, I have found identifying a child friendly commercial establishment key. In my case it has been Grand 275, which shelters a wide assortment of queers, parents and artists of all colors and thus addresses many of my community needs. Does Bed-Stuy proper have such an institution – I don’t know (altho many old timers reject the name of Clinton Hill altogether and say that Fort Greene and Bed-Stuy met someowhere around Washington Avenue). As I think about your question, I am counting the number of paretns I know in my area and in Bed-Stuy, and one thing that stands out is that they are a bit individualistic. if they chose to live in a changing neighborhood or outside their expected class enclave they are a bit jealous of their role and don’t seem to be immediately wanting to recreate the easy class assumptions and solidarity of Park Slope or the emergent haute bourgeoisie of Fort Greene. Okay I am really overthinking this, but I have just returned home after a four hour drive. Oh another thought is to really consider your shcool strategy, because there seems little doubt you will want to avoid your immediate neighborhood schools. Charters have waiting lists, and once accessible Brooklyn schools are filling up. pS 11 and PS 20 are cited as being up and coming, but my experience at PS 20 was mixed (great pre-k, but an earnest yet decidely not getting it principal) – we’re jumping to PS 261 in Boerum Hill. Best of luck…
We hope you enjoy it here everyone is welcome although whites seam to be moving in 10 to 1 but who cares.
Look into Mocha Moms at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. I don’t have children, but have a number of friends in the area who have met a great network of other moms through this group.