Pre-School
When you do a Google search for "preschool admissions," the top ten hits are all prestigious New York City preschools. Perhaps this is an indicator that in most other places, preschool is not something that requires an arduous application process. The exception to this assertion would be L.A., where some say the competition among parents of toddlers is equally intense. A number of articles evidence the foaming-at-the-mouth frenzy preschool applications precipitate in certain circles; yet most articles conclude that the idea of the "right" private preschool tends to be more about the mystique of a name than actual educational superiority.
When it comes to paving the way for academic achievements down the line, level-headed observers say preschool doesn't matter much. One Dartmouth admissions officer cited in the "Cracking The Kindergarten Code" New York Magazine article says that going to a top-tier New York private school may even hurt junior's Ivy chances. The Ivies, she says, "bend over backwards" not to admit kids from Brearly or Fieldston. In the end, one expert says, crazy as it may seem, your child might be better off at a preschool that truly matches your philosophy and your child's needs, rather than at a preschool with Ivy-like admissions criteria and name recognition.
