Raising a family is no walk in the park. Everyone always tells you to enjoy the early years because they go by so quickly. Though one day you’ll indeed look back and wonder where the time went, admittedly, it can feel like you’ll be wiping bottoms for the foreseeable future. It’s great to make memories when children are small, the best memories are those created in the best places so if you’re considering a move to Chicago then have a read below.
It’s so important that you pick the right city to settle down in. Chicago, and specifically, North Park can feel like the perfect place for many families. If you are thinking of settling down in Chicago, you are about to make one of the best decisions for you and your family. Not only is the Windy a great place to raise kids, but you will also be surrounded by a vibrant mix of different cultures and an upbeat environment.
Finding that perfect home
Obviously the first thing you will need to do before considering a move to Chicago, is of course to find somewhere to live. A good start would be to use an online apartment search in Chicago resource such as Zumper. Zumper is a least used by millions of people to find houses, apartments and rooms. Zumper has thousands of quality listings so a suitable family home in Chicago should be easy to find. There are lots of filters such as – location, bedroom count and price and all applications can be done easily online too. Zumper means you only need to look in one place, rather than browsing multiple websites and adverts.
If you need a reason to consider moving your family to Chicago then have a read below. These are just a few reasons as to what makes this city the perfect spot.
Plenty of playgrounds for kids
When you settle down in an area, you need lots of room to run and Chicago has plenty for your toddler. Toddlers need to move, run, and stretch their limbs for their mental and physical abilities to advance healthily. That can be hard to do in a cramped neighborhood or apartment with a tiny rooftop deck.
Lucky for you, Chicago is chock-full of playgrounds for your little ones to explore. Slides, climbing walls, monkey bars, skating rinks, tunnels, mazes, splash pads, slides; the playgrounds have it all. Best of all, these playgrounds are highly accessible to kids of all ages, which is great news is you have older kids as well.
The daycare is affordable
Child care costs are soaring all across the country. The average cost of full-time childcare in the U.S today stands at an insane $16,000 each year. In some states, childcare costs even outweigh tuition costs at a flagship university. By all measures, childcare is getting more expensive than almost any other consumer good or service that’s tracked by the government.
That’s why parents in Chicago are so lucky to have a wide range of affordable childcare options to choose from. Whether you are in the market for a formal child-care center, family, or in-home care, there is an option for all toddler parents in Chicago.
Before you settle for daycare in Chicago, make sure that you carry out extensive research to ensure that it is a great fit for both you and your baby/ies. When you visit the potential daycare, be sure to pay attention to how the staff is interacting with the little ones.
Ideally, you want to settle for a daycare center with warm and friendly staff. Ideally, they should also be on the floor playing with the kids. During their toddler years, children need close, loving, and interactive relationships with caregivers so that they can thrive. So pay close attention during your site visits.
Pick a great pre-school program in Chicago
Preschool is a great educational foundation for your toddler if you want them to be fully prepared for their educational future. Chicago has lots of amazing pre-school programs that you can choose from but not all are created equal. So the decision shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Before you decide about which preschool to attend, determine what your priorities are. Try and envision the thing that you want your child to achieve by the end of their pre-school adventure. Do you want them to have a firmer grasp of the fundamentals of academics such as numbers and alphabets?
Or do you want the pre-school to build more on their ability to connect and socialize with others? Before you settle for a program, ask for recommendations from neighbors or other toddler parents in Chicago and always carry out a site visit and bring your toddler along to determine whether the school is a good fit for them.
