The inside story

I have a confession. I love, love, love documentary films - almost to the point of obsession. I wrote my senior thesis in college about documentary films (it was awesome). I sat in the library for weeks watching documentary after documentary and then I wrote some short 60 page paper about my “findings”. Any who - I found two yesterday that I greatly enjoyed.

Well, both deserve commentary but one is far more controversial than the other (so I'll skip that one). The documentary that I’m skipping, but I’ll at least give you the title is “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed” with Ben Stein. Sidebar – I used to love his show, Win Ben Stein’s Money – with Jimmy Kimmel. This particular documentary discusses intelligent design – hence why I’m not touching that one with a 10 foot pole.

The second one, was fascinating to me – “Nursery University”. Have you seen this?!?! It was so foreign to me! It discusses the preschool process in New York City. The movie sets the stage discussing the baby boom since 2000 and how there just aren’t enough “good” preschools.

It is funny to me, the principal of the Mandell school talks about how preschool isn’t the key to Harvard. If you listen to some of these parents on the documentary, you would think you went from 3 year-old preschool class to Harvard.

I can’t imagine that process. Can you relate?! Is the preschool market in your area competitive? I have to say with the baby, (yes, he is in “preschool” 2 days a week), I just made a few phone calls in July, he started in August. I toured the schools, talked to them on the pone. There were no applications. REALLY?!?! APPLICATION FOR PRESCHOOL?!?!

The application process in NYC starts the day after Labor Day and you don’t get accepted to March – then the tuition for these schools is insanity - $8,000 for a few hours a day for my preschooler?!?!

Maybe living where I do, I’m blessed or naïve. I believe that preschool is strictly ABC’s, sharing/caring, maybe a song here or there, nap, snack and home. Maybe I’m not obsessive enough, I don’t know. I got sucked in, fully intending to do a lot more around the house, but couldn’t!

Now – I don’t know if anyone is out there reading this anymore. But if you are – tell me did you have a huge preschool app process? Do you know anyone who lives in NYC who has lived through this drama!?! Is this everyone who experiences this stress or are this just the upper, crust elite?