Beginning September 3, 2012, 40 New York City private and public hospitals will join Mayor Bloomberg's Latch on NYC, an initiative that encourages new mothers to breastfeed their babies.

As part of this program, many hospitals will cease giving out promotional materials and free samples from formula manufacturers, and stop supplementing breastfeeding infants unless medically indicated. In fact, formula will be distributed exclusively by nurses in the hospital, just like any prescription medication, and any mother asking for a bottle will be informed about the benefits of breastfeeding before getting one.

Whooping cough, or pertussis, is on the rise all over the U.S., even in New York City. (Guess that explains why NY1 has seemingly played that whooping cough PSA on a loop for the last month.) Incidents in NYC have gone up 300 percent and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that this may be the worst season for it in half a century.

My 13-year-old raced through The Hunger Games books, my almost nine-year-old is working his way through C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia and my five-year-old is obsessed with Pixar's summer blockbuster Brave. What do all three of these things have in common? Archery!

Archery is the hot sport of this summer (it's in the Olympics, too!). So if your kids have a yen to pick up a bow and arrow and make like Katniss, Susan or Merida, we know exactly where they should turn.

Got a little songbird who's always singing around the house? Maybe it's time to get them out of the shower and into the spotlight. For kids who love to croon, New York City is a Mecca of children's choruses, ranging from casual to competitive to pre-professional, with plenty of performing opportunities for all. Plus members do a lot more than just sing, they also learn how to read music and how to sight-sing, and really expand their repertoire so you don't have to hear that same tune over and over and over again (like you do now).

We've rounded up seven sensational children's choruses in New York City. Best of all, a few are even free to join (although an audition is required).

There's been an update to this law. We've got the info here.


Kindergarten used to be optional for NYC students. Parents who wanted to keep their kids home or delay school until first grade were allowed to do so. Not anymore. Governor Cuomo recently signed legislation that makes kindergarten mandatory for all New York City five-year-olds. There are certainly benefits to this change, but some big questions, too.

Worried about cuts to your children's public school art programs? Upstairs—a recently formed group of young artists and educators—is too. That's why the organization is launching a pilot program of FREE art classes on the Lower East Side this August for children ages 7 to 12.

When kids say they want to play something with their parents, they usually mean they want to beat them at something. But when it comes to sports, there are few activities where a parent can honestly be bested by a person half their size and strength without resorting to throwing the game.

The exception: table tennis, better known as Ping-Pong. Forget size and strength; Ping-Pong is all about focus, aim and perseverance—qualities your kids have probably mastered in front of the Wii or Xbox. Here are our favorite kid-friendly New York City Ping-Pong spots where your little ones can whip you fair and square using a tiny paddle and ball.

Anyone conscious the day the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Healthcare Act couldn't help but hear lots of opinions about what it all meant. Surprisingly, the cheers and jeers on both sides did little to help clarify how "Obamacare" is going to affect us as individuals.