Nursery University
I don’t have time to watch many movies (unless I am on a 17 hour flight…), but I LOVE documentaries.
Documentary. My favorite genre! Before there was “reality TV”, there were documentaries, and Docurama has some of the best!
Newly released just today is Nursery University, a look in to the cut-throat world of nursery school admissions in New York City! Who knew!?
I found Nursery University to be alternately amusing and sad.
The movie follows five families as they navigate the preschool application process.
The facts provided clue us in that there are 15 applicants for every one available preschool spot. Getting into your “top choice” (of preschool) requires an understanding of the game.
These parents believe that getting into the right preschool will give their child an advantage for getting into the “right” elementary school, then the right secondary school, then finally an Ivy League university.
So it all starts here.
I saw some unbelievable things, such as an “adviser” who would help parents in the application process. She charged $4,000 for her services! Yowza!
The families represented were each different: one from Greenwich village who had grown up in the area (self described “townies”) and were just as shocked as I was about the preschool politics, a snobby Ivy League couple who snorted, “It’s not like we are going to send [our son] to a preschool in HARLEM!”, a couple from Harlem who are working hard to give their son every advantage they didn’t have, a nerdy man and his lovely Brazilian wife and precocious daughter, and Aleta St. James, a single mother who gave birth to boy/girl twins at the age of 57.
Some of them I was annoyed by, and some of them I was really rooting for all throughout the action!
For their part, the children were oblivious to the agony their parents were going through- purportedly on their behalf.
Kids! The things we do for them!
I resolved to never move to New York, but I had a great time watching Nursery University and discussing it with some friends (also parents).
I’m kind of inspired by all of the great documentary titles at Docurama. I’m thinking of instituting a monthly documentary movie night for our friends.
If you can get your hands on a copy of Nursery University, definitely check it out! And if you live in New York, maybe you will enjoy the bonus feature: Tips from the Experts: Advice for Getting Into Nursery School!
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08 July 2009, 12:03 pm
I recall seeing a documentary similar to this on PBS, probably Independent Lens or the like. I remember thinking how crazy, cut throat and chaotic it all seemed. I am very glad I did not go through such expense and turmoil and yet my teens have thus far turned out rather well.
I adore documentaries but with my limited TV, usually watch whatever PBS airs. I shall look unto this. Thanks Candice.
16 February 2011, 6:47 am
Thank you,
I am a fan of documentaries films. I build my own Site collecting them now.
Hope one day I can be able to collect all of them.
Thanks again