New Resident Solutions

New Kids in Town

Adjusting to a community as the new kid in town is like riding a roller coaster. Tumultuous steel loops and dramatic drops hurl riders through high-speed thrills and spills, just as new kids zoom through emotional lows and social circles before coasting into their comfort zone. 

Parents often turn to playgroups, youth sports and educational activities to soften the social blow for their new kid in town. After all, it’s hard enough changing grades—much less schools. Fostering friendships through shared interests often eases this adjustment.

New residents of Chapel Hill find children’s resources here as diverse and delicious as a tin of Southern Season cookies. New Resident Solutions links parents to children’s resources such as the Chapel Hill swim scene, local high school baseball teams, nanny services, Cub Scouts opportunities, home schooling resources, horse farms, art lessons, playgrounds, cycling and hiking trails, nearby museums and much more. 

Another local website, Triangle TRACKS, consolidates links to a wide range of resources for kids throughout the Triangle, from camps and youth sports leagues, to birthday party resources and education opportunities.

Through these sites, parents can link to a children’s museum that whisks little knights and maidens away to a medieval castle; a planetarium that launches astronauts in training out of this world; hiking trails that climb, dip and twist through beautifully preserved natural areas; and recreation centers that provide youth sports opportunities and facilities. It’s all here to help your little—or big—new kid in town find their very own comfort zone, without hurling them through an emotional rollercoaster first.

New Moms in Town Parents often need help adjusting to their new community as well. More and more moms find that settling into motherhood on a full-time basis—at least for a little while—helps ease this transition for the entire family. A 2004 U.S. Census Bureau Report containing the first-ever analysis of stay-at-home parents revealed that of the 5.5 million stay-at-home parents, 5.4 million of them were moms. By 2006, that number had risen to 5.6 million stay-at-home moms. Author Anne R. Pierce extols the importance of bypassing a professional career to take up full-time mothering in her book, “Ships Without a Shore” a provocative indictment of current child-rearing practices. Pierce believes childhood in America has changed, and not for the better. From daycare for babies, to the exhausting array of activities for children, to the storm of lurid and violent shows now deemed appropriate for the young, to the expectation that teenagers build resumes, Pierce argues that childhood has been thoroughly redefined. She believes this radical redefinition has been embraced with remarkably little discussion about what children, by nature, need. Salary.com also recognizes the importance of full-time motherhood by attributing a salary to it. The annual salary for what a stay-at-home would earn—if she were paid—has been upped to $134,121 in 2006 (from $131,471 in 2005). Working moms can add $85,876 to their actual work salary for the “mom” portion of their job. Local online resources help moms who are new to the area learn more about their surroundings. Here are some links to start with. Art & Nature 2ndFriday ArtWalk Birding in Chapel Hill   Best source for creative learning in a farm setting!  This farm and art studio is located among the beautiful rolling hills of North Chatham County.  They provide a safe, structured environment to experience our special brand of Fun with Art and Horses.  Bright Horse and Art Studio      North Carolina Botanical Gardens Outdoor Kids  Triangle Hike  Turning Point Gallery   Sports & Recreation Carrboro Parks and Recreation High School Baseball in Chapel Hill  Orange County Parks and Recreations Swimming in Chapel Hill  Clubs & Organizations Cub Scouts in Orange County  Southern Appalachian Young Friends Education Homeschooling in Chapel Hill Orange County Charter Schools Orange County Preschools  Orange County Private Schools  Orange County Public Schools University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Health Kids Peace Museums Ackland Museum of Art Kidzu Children’s Museum  Morehead Planetarium and Science Center Museum of Life and Science  Parenting Resources Parenting “MeetUps” Triangle Area Nanny Group  Triangle TRACKS: Tools, Resources & Activities for Carolina Kids