Raising Kids in South Park: The Launch of the Parents of South Park Network
July was an exciting milestone for our community. We officially launched the Parents of South Park, a grassroots initiative focused on supporting local families, creating resource-sharing networks, and identifying neighborhood infrastructure gaps.
Our First Initiative: Neighborhood Demographics
To ensure our future city advocacy targets the right issues, South Park resident Guzel Delmont led a deep dive into Census and American Community Survey (ACS) data. The findings highlight a critical challenge for our community: our neighborhood is highly successful at attracting families with young children, but struggles to retain them as they grow.
Key takeaways from the research include:
Adult Boom vs. Child Decline: While South Park’s total population grew by 40.9%, the total number of children under 18 decreased by 16.3%.
The Toddler Boom (+83%): Neighborhood children under the age of five spiked from 135 to 247, signalling a major influx of babies and pre-schoolers.
The School-Age Drop-Off (-56%): The population of elementary school-age children (ages 5–9) plummeted by more than half, dropping from 193 down to 85.*
The data strongly suggests that families love the area, particularly when their kids are young, but often relocate around kindergarten or early elementary age. A primary driving factor is likely the limited access to local public school options and dedicated play infrastructure.
Next Steps and How to Join
We are using these insights to shape our long-term city advocacy. In parallel, we are starting to coordinate local meetups and playdates so parents and kids can support one another and enjoy everything South Park has to offer.
If you are a parent in South Park, please join our growing network by emailing: siddarthselvaraj@gmail.com
*South Park proxy: Census Tracts 2079.01 + 2079.02 + 2240.10. The numbers are 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates. Source: Census Data API