Most parents know that their child's educational future will involve nerve-racking school visits, multiple applications, and astronomical tuition fees. Just usually not until college. Enter the slightly bizarre and ultracompetitive world of New York City preschool admissions. In the new documentary Nursery University, filmmakers Marc Simon and Matthew Makar followed five families as they navigated the stressful process of getting their toddler into school. Nursery University is in select theaters now and will be available on DVD on June 30.
Why is it so important for parents to get their kids into certain nursery schools in New York City?
Marc Simon: Two main issues: One is to put kids in a position to receive as good an education as possible at the early education level. Second, there is a sense, for those who are staying in New York City and who are committed to education in New York, that [attending] certain good schools may assist their kids' opportunities to go to better ongoing schools.
Do parents use nursery school as a social-networking tool?
Matthew Makar: We didn't come across this in the film with any of our families. [But at some schools,] parents see an opportunity to kind of get into the social-networking hub with parents who are in other businesses.
MS: Nursery school—just like any organization where parents mill about together—is an opportunity to be involved in a social network, and certain schools are deemed to present better social-networking opportunities than others. That's the perceived notion of some folks.
Did you see the admissions process causing the couples any stress?
MS: During the filmmaking process, we absolutely witnessed the stresses that parents endure, both that this process puts on them and the general parenting stress that they go through.
How has the economic downturn affected the nursery-school-admissions process?
MS: Surprisingly, or maybe only surprisingly to some, the economic downturn has not reduced the competition—neither for admissions to nursery school, nor for exmissions to the ongoing schools. In fact, many of the [schools'] directors said that this cycle has been as brutal as any other. The economic downturn has reduced the ability of many schools— at both the nursery school and ongoing school levels—to provide scholarships and financial aid."
Did you find that the process was more about parents and their egos? Or about finding the best fit for their children?
MS: Certainly in the families we followed, it was not about the parents' egos but about finding the right fit for their children. Is it true that, out there in New York, parents' egos get involved with this? Absolutely.
What advice do you have for parents?
MM: Just make sure you're prepared going into this process. Understand what school is the perfect fit for your child but also understand what school is attainable for your child and you.
