Hellobee Boards

@everbee: @Modern Daisy: when I lived in NYC (on the UWS), other parents chose that neighborhood for the good schools too. However, with so much overcrowding, they quite often applied to several schools outside of their zone (I think one mom told me at least 5-10 other schools) in case they couldn't get in the good ones nearby. I don't think living near a zoned school is a surefire thing... And it seemed as the years went by, schools were more and more crowded One family I knew moved twice because they changed the zones by a few blocks last year

Also, I'm surprised at the lack of infant daycares? The "preschool" my daughter went to took 3 month old infants... Some daycares are called "preschools" or even "playgroups", so maybe include those in searching? When we lived in Gramercy, we did take our baby to daycare via subway and it worked out well with an Ergo and the center being one block away from DH's midtown office. So that wasn't a bad deal if it comes down to that!

@mrbee: I know it was from one person's perspective, but I think it would have been helpful to include at least a sidenote on what the process generally looks like to gain admittance to your zoned public shool. Especially since so many NYer's move specifically for this reason. Or even a statement like "If we had liked our zoned school the process would have been a lot easier".

@everbee: Thanks! And yes, there are no infant daycares at all in my neighborhood. I called all of the locations that looked like they might be daycares and they only take kids starting at age 2. The closest one is the 63rd st. Y and they start at 6 months.

@MrsSCB: You make really good points. My sister worked in the school system, at a good school with a good reputation, and it turns out all parents are "encouraged" to make very large donations to the PTA for extra resources for students and teachers. It was a really good school and the encouraged donation was a fraction of what a private school would be, but it wasn't the 'free' option people expected.

She ultimately moved out of the city for living space, though, not schools. To buy a 2 bed in one of the good school zones in Manhattan cost more than a 5 bedroom home in the best school district in NJ. It was a tough choice.

@Modern Daisy: Per your request, our guest blogger wrote a followup post on how zones work in New York City, and how they interact with G&T testing:

http://www.hellobee.com/2013/01/11/getting-into-your-zoned-elementary-school-in-nyc-and-the-gt-testing-process/

I don't know if anyone has seen this, but the New York Times has a good piece (it's long) about the G & T program in NYC: A SYSTEM DIVIDED, Gifted, Talented and Separated: In One School, Students Are Divided by Gifted Label — and Race.

I'm still reading it, so I can't make any comments on what I think about the article yet, but this quote from the story below really struck me:

"For critics of New York City’s gifted and talented programs, that image crystallizes what they say is a flawed system that reinforces racial separation in the city’s schools and contributes to disparities in achievement."

"They contend that gifted admissions standards favor middle-class children, many of them white or Asian, over black and Hispanic children who might have equal promise, and that the programs create castes within schools, one offered an education that is enriched and accelerated, the other getting a bare-bones version of the material. Because they are often embedded within larger schools, the programs bolster a false vision of diversity, these critics say, while reinforcing the negative stereotypes of class and race."

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/education/in-one-school-students-are-divided-by-gifted-label-and-race.html?_r=0#commentsContainer

@mrbee: Yes, I've heard about this! I have to see if they have something like this in Brooklyn. Even though my DH is a NYC teacher, he has no clue about K-6.