… a new mom raising kids between LA and Tuscany…

Oh, Preschool…

Mixed emotions here.  I’ve been told by my Italian counterparts how important it is to get my daughter into an asilo, or what we call nursery school or preschool.  She needs to be socialized and learn to interact with other kids, etc. etc. etc.  My Italian nephews started going to the asilo quite early and they seemed to love it – doing art projects, getting little Italian girlfriends or having crushes on the teacher, all while being educated under the prestigious Reggio Emilia tradition.  And so why wouldn’t they go to the asilo?  You pretty much just head to the asilo closest to your home and sign up your kid.  Badda bing!  But it’s different here… or so I’m finding.  Although part of me feels that she’s too young to be dropped off at preschool, (her pediatrician even noted a trend of rushing into preschool and advised us that one year of preschool before kindergarten is plenty), I still went ahead and checked out a few.  And I’m finding that our preschools in Los Angeles are not quite the asilo of Italy.

Might someone explain to me why a preschool would need a family photo along with your application and non-refundable application fee, anywhere from $75-$150, just to start the process? And then, I found that, more often than not, if you somehow make it past the casting process, you are required to have an interview that can take upwards of an hour and include questions that address family income, traditions, and parental education.  THEN… if you pass this test, your child is scheduled for an interview where “they” will assess and determine if he/she is a good fit.  And then, if your child makes the cut, you get to pay anywhere from $1000-$1900 per month.  Lucky you, right?  THIS IS PRESCHOOL!  I don’t think that getting into a Ph.D. program was this difficult!  So much for going to the asilo down the street, right?

Of course, there are ranges of preschools, but what I’ve found is that this is typical of the highly sought after schools in the area, a.k.a, feeder schools. What I mean by this is that parents are led to believe that if their toddler doesn’t get into one of these preschools, the child’s chances of getting into a good elementary school, a good high school, and a top-tier university are nil!  I don’t know… the whole process seems wrong, or at least extremely slimy and elitist.  Yuck.  A family photo, really?  And what if you don’t have an extra $2K/mo?  Or what if you have more than one child?!?!   

So… am I depriving my daughter of a much-needed experience?  I personally don’t think so.  She gets her socialization elsewhere—not that I want to justify or defend anything too much, but—we have regular play dates, a weekly play group, music class, art class, and ballet!  All of which include the parents.  (Of course, these classes might be a topic for another blog entry, but let’s table that conversation for now!)

So what do you think?  Is this whole preschool process normal, or is this just LA?  I had no idea it was like this!  I am going to check out one more tomorrow and I’ll let you know how that goes.  Hopefully it will be better than what I’ve experienced so far.