<p>This is both funny and sickening because it is true, especially in New York. Certain Manhattan preschools that have reputations as "feeder schools" to the elite NY private schools, who appropriately (and somewhat presumptuously) call themselves the "Ivy League". Competition for these preschools is very intense, and many children are coached and tutored for the preschool interviews and tests. This comes from the partially flawed logic that a more prestigious preschool will get one into a more prestigious high school, which will thereby get the child into a prestigious college. It is sickening to think of the lengths that people will go to get their children into good colleges. This is a sad example of college-obsession manifesting itself in parents far too early.</p>
<p>You know something guys, as intellectuals, which we all are on this board, voice your opinion. There's a lot of crap out there, write him an email giving him your views on this article. That guy's an idiot.</p>
<p>Yeah haha the "ivy league" prep schools. I never questioned that arrogant name until I started becoming interested in college, and then I realized just how obnoxious my school really is. :)
I believe that admissions rates for All Saints and the 92nd Street Y are at an all time low, and that their preschools are each about $25,000 a year</p>
<p>I don't get what's so sickening about it. Who are you to judge what others consider to be in the best interest of their child?</p>
<p>Raising one's child for the sole purpose of going to an ivy league...I pity those children</p>
<p>I see something saddening about the things that these socialite parents do to ensure their kids get in. We are people, and so we judge. Why should we refrain from expressing our discontent with preschools that require interviews and standardized tests, which parents are now sending their four year old to prep for! I see something wrong there, no matter how you try to justify it. I think I'll keep on judging ;)</p>
<p>In response to boredofeducation's question, I believe that it is not right for a child's parents to be so singlemindedly focused on getting their child into an Ivy League school. Not only does it distract from other, more important aspects of childhood, but it sets both the child and parents up for failure and disappointment. While it is not wrong to want the best for one's children, it is important to remember that what is best for the child may not be what the parents and conventional society believe would be best for the child (an Ivy League Education)</p>
<p>Lemonjello - I personally would never raise my child in such a manner, and I agree that it is quite ridiculous how far these parents will go to ensure a shot at Ivy League at such a young age, I was just trying to say that people have the right to raise their children their own way, and people should respect that.</p>
<p>Here is a link to an article that illustrates my point about preschools, especially the 92nd Street Y. <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MarianLeadership/message/56%5B/url%5D">http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MarianLeadership/message/56</a></p>
<p>This article, from the Wall Street Journal, describes how Jack Grubman changed his rating of a stock because the CEO of the company agreed to use his influence at the Y to get Grubman's twins into the school. Grubman also said that "it is statistically easier to get into the Harvard Freshman class than it is to get into preschool at the 92nd Street Y." Imagine that. Something is wrong with this system. Also the article describes how "pre-preschools" are the vogue now, helping wealthy Ivy-obsessed parents get their children into these elite preschools.</p>
<p>Given all the pre-school obsession, cc should create a new website, <a href="http://www.preschoolconfidential.com%5B/url%5D">www.preschoolconfidential.com</a> (if it doesn't already exist) :)</p>
<p>Geez! What exactly is so great about the preschools?!?! I hope they aren't teaching SAT tips already! LOL. Did any of you see "Daddy Daycare"? The parents put their kid in a pre-school that sounds like the one in the articles - I didn't know those existed in real life! </p>
<p>Geez, when I said people had a right to raise their kids the way they want, I didn't know it was like this!!!!</p>
<p>Wow, this is crazy! lol</p>
<p>(In response to boredofeducation's first post)</p>
<p>The sickening aspect of these parents' mentality is how their vision is so narrow sighted, their goals so shallow, their actions so potentially damaging to their children. By forcing these kids onto the track of constant academic "measurement", even from the age of three, the parents imbue their progeny with a need for superiority over their peers and a devotion to nothing but personal success. "You want to play, to have fun with your friends? You don't have time for play or friends--you should be studying! Don't you want to get into a good college?"</p>
<p>This approach is overwhelmingly negative. For one thing, it deprives the kids of psychologically healthy childhoods. Because they are chained to their textbooks, these hapless youngsters don't develop normal social skills; they simply don't realize that most people enjoy life for what it is and can see past the quest for "achievement". Consequently, the children will have trouble relating to this majority when they eventually become independent members of society. They develop into "elitist snob[s]", who never experience the joy that accompanies social belonging--after all, how can they belong, how can they be a member, when they are committed to rising above and looking downward?</p>
<p>To avoid this trap, parents should teach their kids the values of humility, not pride; service, not achievement; cooperation, not superiority. Forcing them to compete for spots in private preschools in order to gain parental approval is in no one's interest, least of all the children's.</p>
<p>And we wonder why kids are so f....ed up nowadays. You cannot force a kid to be someone who he's not, that is be a societal robot. These years are the most important in development, and kids need to have the ability to express themselves naturally and just "be a kid." If you pressure the kid into following a path to an Ivy at ALL costs and ingrain this mentality into them, they will only set themselves up for disappointment and emotional stagnation as far as maturity goes. Some kids fit this mold and are classic high achievers, but most do not fit this profile. I firmly believe kids will follow the right path if nurtured correctly, and this frankly isn't the correct way.</p>
<p>"You know something guys, as intellectuals, which we all are on this board, voice your opinion. There's a lot of crap out there, write him an email giving him your views on this article. That guy's an idiot."</p>
<p>Sometimes the inability of people on this board to recognize parody blows my mind.</p>
<p>I must say that when I read the title of the article, and of this thread, I thought it might be about the 4x better odds of admissions for legacies!</p>
<p>Interesting that you mention that. Legacy status is also an advantage at these preschools (or at least the 92nd street Y). It's mindboggling that legacy could matter at a preschool, but yet it does.</p>
<p>I went to the 92nd street Y when I was little, and let me explain what all the hype is about. The teachers there really are better than anywhere else. They can tell you the difference between a 3 year old and a 3 year 3 month old. They make sure that kids get to play outside no matter what the weather's like (they put up a covering over the playground when it rains). And most importantly, the school gets you into any K-12 school in the city. It's really hard to get in anywhere no matter how smart you are in New York, so parents try anything that might help.</p>
<p>although I will admit, nobody's ever asked me what nursery school I used to go to, and it's not something that I'm really proud of or otherwise. It's nursery. It doesn't really matter. Although had I not gone there, it may have been harder to get into my school. All in all, we were very happy with the school and it was worth it.</p>
<p>Of course, it wasn't 25k when I went. It was probably half that. I went in the early 90's. I'm in 10th grade. I think I'll be applying to either Columbia or Penn when the time comes. Oh, and my parents never hired tutors when I was 2 or anything like that. They weren't ridiculous. And we didn't pay our way in. My mother's brazillian, so that added diversity to the classroom, which is something the Y really valued. </p>
<p>It was awesome.</p>
<p>actually, the article's quite a good piece of satire. randomperson =) agreed.
the author was speaking out Against parents like that.</p>
<p>Wow...I never even thought about what preschool I went to...
I guess they do consider your college application based on the high school you went to and all of that, but, more importantly, what you did WITHIN the parameters etc. of that high school. You can go to a really tiny, crappy, rural high school and still get into Harvard (like I did) if you go out of your way to create things and do things that are not simply "available" as opportunities the way they are in some elite high schools (I'm speaking in generalities, by the way).
Also, I agree: the Ivy-obsessed parents are just setting their kids up for disappointment even if they DO get into Harvard/Yale/Princeton/wherever, because the poor kid will always think that they're not doing well enough compared to their classmates, their roommate did more science camps and research than they did, blah blah blah. I've seen it a lot, and the happiest Harvard students tend to be the ones who went to Harvard because they loved it. My mom actually DIScouraged me from applying because she thought I'd get my hopes up and be "crushed" (in her words). I did anyway. Parents should understand that education should be enjoyed for its own sake, not as a means to another end that, ironically, is the exact same thing (education) on a higher level.
Wow...that was a long post. Ah well.
I'm going to try to start a new thread called "How to get into Harvard"...hope to see some of you there!
~lowellbelle~</p>