Sadly, such a simple process could not be farther from the reality in many urban areas. In cities across the country, vast numbers of small children apply for too few spots at popular preschool programs. We all wish it were not so, but we must cope with the fact that the wonderful nursery school down the street may be flooded with more applications than its staff has time to read. What is a Savvy parent to do?
As one place to start, The Savvy Source’s indispensable Preschool Selection eBook offers in-depth insight and advice about how to choose and then gain admission to a preschool that fits your family’s values and needs.
In addition, through our preschool reviews, Savvy has gathered the collective wisdom of hundreds of parents who have been through the process and found spots for their children at preschools they love. As the admissions season begins, we’ve been sifting through their comments and advice, looking for ways to make a child’s preschool application stand out.
The first thing all experienced parents will say is to do your research, and do it early. (The Savvy Source preschool directory makes it easy!) It may seem absurd to begin looking into preschools when your baby isn’t walking yet, but you’ll need to make all of these inquiries sooner or later, and we promise that getting it done sooner will serve you well. Once you’ve identified particular programs that seem appealing, you’ll want to learn as much as you can about their admissions procedures. Believe it or not, preschool applications can be as complex and unique as the schools themselves.
You’ll want to know, for example, from what age a school accepts inquiries. If you are able to put your child on a wait list from the very earliest age, don’t tarry: make the call, and get it done. A parent at the popular 65th Street Preschool Cooperative in Seattle advised, “Get on the list EARLY. There is a significant wait list so start early, even if you’re not sure you want your child to go there.” Another admitted that she “contacted the school to be placed on the waiting list during pregnancy.” And she was smart to do so. When her child’s admissions year rolled around, the school could see that her interest in was of long-standing.
It’s well known that most schools offer priority admissions to siblings of current students, but new parents may not realize that many well-regarded programs give preference to families from an affiliated community such as a church, synagogue, day care, community center or the like. As a parent at Calvary Nursery School in San Francisco noted, “We were members of the church, which helped us enormously getting into the school, I'm sure.” When spots have been filled by siblings and (in this instance) church members, very few tend to be left over for the rest of the applicant pool. Not that we suggest joining a place of worship just for its preschool! But if you love a certain school’s values and its community, it’s not impossible that its affiliated institution would also have a great deal to offer your family. At the very least, it’s worth taking into account.
In particular, if the preschool is part of a larger community center that offers classes for babies and toddlers (i.e. the local Y or JCC), then it’s a great idea to sign for a few of those classes in the early years so that the teachers can get to know your family and perhaps act as a reference. One parent at the highly regarded Rhinelander Nursery School in Manhattan noted that the fact that her daughter “did attend classes there since she was a year old” was instrumental in her admission to the preschool.
Read the rest of this article (and much more) at The Savvy Source...
More from The Savvy Source:
• Months, weeks, days, hours, minutes... Our favorite books and toys for counting days and telling time
• Wise Words from Jacque Grillo on the important milestone of beginning preschool.
• Find great activities in your town every day with Being Savvy Local.
• Share your favorite things with your family and
friends on our new My Savvy Source.
