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Much of what you’ve heard is true: The application process for private schools is a little absurd and can feel like a full-time job. A good sanity saver? Keep the number of schools you apply to as low as you can (your preschool director can guide you to a realistic number), as it’s easy for your child—and you—to burn out on the process. “It’s unbelievable what a time commitment it is,” says Shereen Russell, whose two daughters are both now at Chapin. “I couldn’t make it to the last interview—I was just too tired.”
Getting started Considering that kindergarten tuition can run you a mind-blowing $30,000 (most schools offer aid packages), private school isn’t an impulse buy. Start culling your list about 18 months before your child will enter kindergarten. To do that, ask yourself what’s most important to you and your family: location? reputation? teaching philosophy? single-sex or coed? Your nursery school director should be able to help. “The teachers and I work with parents to help figure out their child’s learning style and to talk through their options,” says West Side Montessori’s Basso. “The better armed parents are with information, the lower their anxiety.”
It also helps to keep an open mind. Many parents start the process sure that school X is their top choice but decide after doing their research that school Y is a better fit for their child. Spend some informal time at the schools, too. Attend a school play, ask to sit in on a parent association meeting, observe a morning drop-off or an afternoon pickup to get a real sense of what being a family at that school is like.
Admissions Not unlike college admissions, there are a lot of hoops to jump through in the private kindergarten application process. Here’s an overview:
The test Your child will take the Educational Records Bureau (ERB) exam in the spring or summer before she applies. She can take the test at her nursery school, if offered (ideal, since she’s familiar with the setting), or at an ERB testing center. The test costs about $400, though some schools allow you to apply for a waiver.
