Preschool Applications Process

There's a kind of hush all over the city (New York City), as parents of 2-3-year-olds wait for their preschool acceptance letters.

I envy those of you who live in areas of the world in which you see a sign for a preschool, walk in, sign your kid up, and everything's fine. Here it's worse than applying for college.

The rumor is that New Yorkers are paranoid social-climbers who think that if their kids don't get into the "right" preschool they won't get into a decent elementary school, middle school, or high school, and therefore they'll be screwed for college and will end up leading horribly unfulfilled lives living off the grid somewhere intensely wooded (which actually sounds kind of fulfilling to me).

The reality is that more people stay in the city now when they have kids instead of moving to the suburbs, because they want to spend more time with their children and are willing to trade off space for a shorter commute. But it's extremely hard to open up a new preschool because of all the regulations, let alone being able to afford the space. So there are two to three times as many kids for the same number of preschool slots there were 20 years ago.

That means that every school is competitive, even the ones that don't want to be competitive. And if you want your kid to go to preschool, even a laid-back one, you have to play the game.

The fall before you want your child to start (and here they start either at 2 1/2 or 3 1/2), you start requesting applications. (You should already have done your research on which schools you want to apply to through a combination of reading the NYC preschool guidebooks, researching online, and talking to everyone you meet at the playground.) Some schools have applications downloadable from their websites, while the ones that really do enjoy being competitive force you to call and get on a list to have the app mailed to you. (If you call too late and they've run out of applications, too bad for you.) You fill out the application, which can be as simple as filling in the facts and writing a few two-paragraph descriptions of your child and your educational goals for your child, or as extensive as six one-page essays on any number of topics.

Finish the essay, submit it with the application fee, and wait for the call for the tour. Take the tour (dressing correctly, even though there's little face-time with the admissions people). Then you have the interview. The schools are interviewing the parents, primarily, but many schools have the kids come along for a playdate with other kids to see how they interact. Both parents (if two) should be at the interview.

Most people apply to half a dozen schools, so multiply this work so far by six. Factor in the fact that the interviews are all during the daytime, so you have to take time off work or arrange for a babysitter. Application fees range from $40-100 per school. The amount of time spent is staggering.

And then you wait.

I lucked out this year because siblings always get in. So all I did was fill out the application, send it in with the fee, and bring my younger one in for a playdate interview (to use for class placement--they don't want 15 bossy extroverts in the same class). He's going to be in a section with two of his friends, the younger siblings of kids my older one met when he was in preschool.

But I have friends who don't know how many or if their kids got in anywhere.

What's the process like where you live? Is it a full-time job like it is here? Or is it just a matter of finding a nice place and signing up? (Don't forget to mention where you live, by region and size if not specifics.)

Comments

[Amy F]

Another Minnesotan here. I'm in the inner-ring suburbs of Minneapolis. Nobody here does preschool before age 3 (do the NYC kids have three years of preschool? wow) that I'm aware of. We were trying to move the spring and summer when my eldest turned three and by the time we got our house in August, the program for 3 year olds at our church was filled. This January (just before he turned four), we went to an open house at a pre-k through 12th grade private prep school (my husband teaches there), filled out a long app (but no essays), then had an interview (both the parents and kid talked to admissions, separately). We just found out that he was accepted but will have to wait another month to hear about financial aid (they only offer it to faculty). We had to hand over a large deposit, although if we can't get fin. aid, they will give it back. In case we don't get enough fin. aid, we also applied at our parish's school, which involved showing up at an open house, dropping off a one page form, and a $40 check. I believe they fill up over the course of the spring, although we handed in the app two days after they opened for applications in late January.

I saw places in churches advertising openings in September, so if I'd really wanted my 3.5 year old to go somewhere, I could have done so even for the school year that had already started. But the popular places do seem to require signing up in January for the following fall.

The private pre-k we hope gives us fin. aid usually costs $6500 for non-faculty families. That's 3 hours/5 days a week. The full day kindy tuition is $10,500 and 1st - 12th is about $12,000.

[medea]

I am actually worried about taking a job offer in Tokyo for just this reason. Great job offer, but playschool/kindergarten/daycare all start in April. Even though Tokyo has one of the lowest fertility rates in the world, it's nigh on impossible getting your child into any pre-school programmes if you don't apply in the fall for the next April. Right now we are negotiating for DH to become a SAHD (a big no-no in Japanese culture) until DS can get into something next April.

[tbfan1982]

To the Atlanta mom concerned about Buckhead: I'm not sure where you are, but my niece goes to a school in Roswell called High Meadows. She loves it there, and so do her parents. I've visited the school several times, and it really is an awesome school. The cost is very reasonable as well, I've been told. Hope that helps!

http://www.highmeadows.org/schoolhome.asp

[Jaime]

My daughter went to a FABULOUS preschool with a highly trained and experienced head teacher and a 2-1 child to adult ratio as a tree year old and a 3-1 ratio as a 4 year old. Tuition ranged from $68-82 per month. No waiting list. Wonderful facililty (they had a wood shop for the kiddos!) Terriffic families.

Three cheers for co-op preschools!

[Christie]

media (going to Tokyo)... How old is your DS (I mean, how old will he be as of April 1st)? Depending on his age, he may still be able to get into a preschool/kindergarten this year. You might want to visit some conveniently located ones and ask if there is a spot, just in case. Also check into daycare (hoikuen)... if both you and your husband are working, or planning on working, you may be able to get your DS into a daycare center. For this, I think the first step would be to visit the daycare dept. in your local ward office.

[Christie]

Sorry, medea, I spelled your name wrong!!

[Jenna]

Visiting schools, registering for testing dates...This has been my experience to a T. And preschool is nuts, but the kindergarten application process is a nightmare. I was completely exhausted when it was time for us to choose a kindergarten for my daughter. Working full-time left me no time to think about the ERB and the Gifted and Talented test, or any other aspects of admissions for that matter. But when all of her friends got tutors to give them a boost, I knew that I had to do something to help my daughter. After a long search, I went with Private School Edge, and I couldn't be happier. My daughter's tutor was so patient, kind, and professional. She really knew her stuff! She really walked me through the process and made my daughter feel comfortable and confident. I couldn't recommend Private School Edge highly enough!