Kindergarten applications in Manhattan

A Frenzied First Day for Applying to Private Kindergartens
"As the new school year begins, another annual rite of Manhattan education commences: the crush of applicants to private nursery schools and kindergartens, many of which make applications for the following school year available the day after Labor Day.

"So parents swamped the schools’ Web sites and phone lines on Tuesday, reloading and redialing until they got through, and in some cases even turning in the paperwork before noon.
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"At the 92nd Street Y and Epiphany Community nursery schools on the Upper East Side, just getting an application was a race against time. At Epiphany, applications became available online at 8 a.m. for about 30 slots next year. By 9 a.m., parents were being put on the waiting list — to get an application — and roughly 350 applications had been downloaded.

"Early birds had a big payoff: all who complete Epiphany’s application process are guaranteed an interview, said Wendy Levey, the director of the school. “I will interview parents all night if I need to,” she said.

"At the Y, candidates must call to set up a tour to be eligible for an application. The telephone lines opened early Tuesday, and by midmorning the tours were booked for 2- and 3-year-olds."