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So New York City has long been a magnet for young professionals.

We all know that.

But keeping them here once they start families has become a growing challenge. Between 2020 and 2023, and I realize those were pandemic years, the number of children under five in New York City

dropped by over 18 percent, a much deeper decline than the national average. Family cite high

housing costs, limited child care options, and concerns about education as top reasons for leaving.

And it is a longer-term trend, too.

This predates the pandemic.

To address this, the Center for an Urban Future,

a New York-based think tank focused on economic mobility

and reducing inequality, has released a new report.

It's called Five Ideas for Retaining New York City's Young Families.

And it lays out five actionable proposals aimed at making the city more livable for families,

including expanding access to child care, creating more affordable family-sized housing,

and improving middle schools.

We'll go down the whole list of five.

And I'll bring up some others that came up in another

segment later earlier this week that are actually kind of different from theirs. Joining us to

discuss is Eli DeVorkin, the Center for an Urban Futures editorial and policy director and co-author

of the report. Eli, welcome to WNYC. Thanks for coming on.

Thank you so much, Brian. It's such a pleasure to be with you and happy spring.

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