Getting into an “elite” preschool is a waste of time and money. It doesn't matter where your kid goes to preschool so long as he or she is loved and safe. It is a bullshit process that needs to change in the name of equity. Apply to preschool needs to be more reasonable.
Seeking prestige as early as preschool to get your kid into a prestigious grade school, to get into a prestigious private university, to then end up wondering what's next is not the way to go. Spend more time with your children and teach them usable skills instead.
Applying To Preschool Is A Bore
I had my second interview this week at Presidio Knolls School, a preschool I applied to a year ago. After our initial visit, I went to interview with the admissions director 1X1 who asked me a bunch of questions about my thoughts on parenthood, cultural immersion, and why their school.
This week was an hour-long play date “interview” where teachers and the admissions director would observe our 22-month-old son’s behavior along with 11 other children. His fate would be determined by how well he played with blocks and sat in a circle to listen to a story.
Because only one parent was allowed in the classroom per child, I observed outside. And what came over me was a feeling of disdain for my boy being judged.
As I watched the teachers walk around with their clipboards taking notes on each child, I kept thinking to myself, so this is the beginning of how we all start assimilating into the Borg. What a bunch of BS.
Because demand outstrips supply here in San Francisco, there’s probably less than a 10% chance of my son getting in. And then I started thinking to myself, rejection would be wonderful!
I’d rather save $31,500 a year on tuition, spend the next 18 months taking care of my boy full-time with my wife, and teaching him everything he could learn in preschool much more efficiently. Besides, our house already looks like a preschool (pic).
I used to have a weak mindset where I would feel blessed if any school accepted our boy given the low acceptance rates. After all, we are but stay at home parents with no power or prestige. We aren't willing to go to work for 12 hours a day and not see our first born grow up.
Now I have a power mindset where I feel any school would be blessed to have him. He is a wonderful boy with a kind heart and full of determination.
As parents, we’d do a lot of volunteering and actively be involved in school activities because we have time. Does having power and prestige really matter if you're in the office all day? Further, we could help boost the school's popularity (or hurt) through our platform.
A clear example of the power of platform was when I wrote the post: The Best Place To Buy Property In San Francisco Today. This post put Golden Gate Heights on the map in 2014 and it made this neighborhood the second most popular neighborhood to buy property in the entire country in 2017 according to Redfin.
Anybody who bought in 2014 is now up ~40%. Now that is real power.
The majority of real estate agents mentioned Golden Gate Heights and this post when I asked about best places to buy in San Francisco since 2015 without them knowing that I was the author. It was a hoot.
The Preschool Application Process Is Madness
The reason why there's so much demand for parents to send their kids to preschool is because they're too busy working soul-sucking jobs for prestige and money.
Parents today don't have the time or energy to take care of their kids. See The Average Amount Of Time Parents Spend With Their Kids A Day Is So Low. Our kids are the most precious thing ever, and to trade spending time with our kids for more money and a higher title has to be one of the saddest things ever.
Our kids need us, especially during their first five years of growth. Yes it's hard and I've had my own challenges. But I don't regret any of the time I've spent with my kids. They really grow up so fast.
Having strangers take care of our kids during this phase is suboptimal. A preschool teaches a kid how to socialize better and be more patient. Those are good traits to have.
But in this day and age of meetups and technological efficiency, there's no need to neglect your kids for double digit hours a day anymore.
Don’t undersell yourself. Just like how it’s important to have a strong money mindset to get rich, it’s important to have a strong belief in yourself that you are absolutely good enough.
You don’t need anybody’s permission or validation to do anything. There is less of a need to assimilate than any time in history. Believe in yourself even if nobody else does.
Related posts:
Would You Give Up $1,000,000 To Go To Private School?
Is Private Grade School K-12 Worth It?