Nursery University (2009)

Synopsis: Set in New York City, the epicenter of a phenomenon cropping up in communities across the United States, Nursery University provides a good-humored look at the oddly competitive environment of... Set in New York City, the epicenter of a phenomenon cropping up in communities across the United States, Nursery University provides a good-humored look at the oddly competitive environment of nursery school admissions. The film tells the story of five families -- each with different backgrounds and economic circumstances -- attempting to place their toddlers in preschool classrooms with limited spaces and high price tags. Nursery University also follows the school directors who must determine which “applicants” to welcome through their doors. Cue the tears, hysterics and breakdowns -- and that’s just the parents.

The New York City preschool scramble officially commences the day after Labor Day when thousands of parents speed dial the schools to request applications for admission. Because demand forces the schools to distribute only a limited number of applications, those who fail to get past a school’s busy signal in the allotted time do not even earn the chance to apply. Parents who do manage to obtain one of the prized applications face long odds because the best schools, which offer priority placement to siblings and legacies, receive an average of 15-20 applicants for each available spot. With a post 9/11 baby boom, the admissions process is considered more competitive than that of the nation’s top Ivy League universities and the demand has driven annual preschool tuitions upwards of $20,000. In a culture driven by the pressure to succeed, parents fear that their children will not gain admission anywhere, let alone the “right” schools -- those feeder schools that send their “graduates” to the top-tier kindergartens -- and then, the notion goes, the finest ongoing schools, high schools, and colleges.

Meet this year’s contestants: Roddy and Heidi Moon and their son Jackson of the West Village, Wyatt and Sneha Kapadia and their daughter Layla of Greenwich Village, Aleta St.James and her twins Gian and Francesca of the Upper West Side, Harlem residents Kim Ashton and Kris Rangooth and their son Kieron, and Tony and Cynthia Pratofiorto and their daughter Juliana of the Upper East Side. The film also features several nursery school directors, including Gabriella Rowe of the Mandell School, Wendy Levey of the Epiphany School, and Jean Rosenberg of the Chelsea Day School.

Nursery University is the first film to gain access into this exclusive environment. In doing so, the film examines inequities in the system, as well as the realities, perceptions, and motivations that have infused the process with so much angst. And while the film raises basic questions about current societal truths that lead to New York’s preschool scramble, the film ultimately conveys the humor, joy and pride associated with the little darlings at the center of all the fuss. --© Official Site [More]

Director: Marc H. Simon

Director: Marc H. Simon
Screenwriter: Marc H. Simon
Producer: Marc H. Simon, Matthew Makar
Composer: Chris Hajian
Studio: Variance Films