Parents Jam Preschool Fair for Information

By April Koral
POSTED FEBRUARY 1, 2008

For hundreds of Downtown parents, the time is fast approaching to wrench themselves from the arms of their two-year-olds and enroll them, for at least a few hours a day, in preschool. But which one?

At the sixth annual Downtown Preschool Fair last month, 17 schools set up tables in the lobby of Stuyvesant High School to help parents make the big decision. The event was organized by the Battery Park City Neighbors’ Association along with the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy.

Minutes after the doors opened, hundreds of parents were crammed around the tables, peppering the directors and their staffs with pointed questions.

“How do you deal with separation?” “Are your floors safe?” “Will there be a Mandarin-speaking teacher?” “Is she a native speaker?” “Is the curriculum theme-based?”

And the question on everyone’s lips:

“Do you have any openings?”

There was the rub. It’s not so easy to get into a preschool, many parents discovered. Some directors told parents that they should consider 2009. Others had openings only in some age groups or half days. Nearly everyone had waiting list sheets that quickly filled up.

The Downtown Preschool, which is opening its doors in September, would not even reveal its address (they haven’t signed their lease yet, they explained) and do not have a website. No matter. There was a line of parents waiting to speak to them.

Sam Sabbagh told Kevin Artale, the administrative director at the Park Preschool, that he wanted to sign up his son Jimmy in the school’s new branch on Barclay Street, which is opening in September.

“We haven’t enrolled a single child yet,” the director told him.

“It’s our first choice,” Sabbagh countered.

“I don’t see why you wouldn’t have a spot,” Artale said reassuringly.

Afterwards, Sabbagh confided that he had been warned that the competition for preschools would be a hassle. “It’s very trendy to have kids,” he said.

Debra Schatzki, the Battery Park City mother of a two-year-old, thought the fair was “fascinating.” “Every school has a different priority,” she said. Her husband, Nick, liked meeting the directors.

“The best way to judge [a school] is by instinct,” he said “If you go by the eyeball, she’s top-notch,” he said, pointing to one of the directors.

“I really bless the people for doing this,” he added. “You’re actually interacting with the person who will take care of your child.”

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