Prek placements and wait lists 2020

By Joyce Szuflita
Prek placements are out. Check your account in MY SCHOOLS for results.

Placements:

Many people are happy. Congratulations to them.
Of course, I am hearing from families who have gotten placements way down at the bottom of their lists or schools that they haven’t ranked at all. The City will make every effort to place you in a school from your list, but they don’t guarantee you something from that list. Families are often surprised that they got a low placement. That application is a list of your preferences, that is all (very important but not strategic). You are likely to preference very popular programs that can’t possibly take all the students who apply, and small programs that don’t have enough seats for all the families who may have a high priority. You haven’t disadvantaged yourself by doing that, but you know… expectations management.

Your ranking of the school doesn't advantage or disadvantage you for a placement. Families often think that their ranking of the schools equates to leverage and it doesn't. Watch this vimeo to get an idea about the algorithm.
The DoE tries to match you to the school that you have ranked the highest along with your priority for various programs and seats available.
The priorities are clearly laid out in the Prek Guide (pg 11).

Wait lists:
Families are asking what they should do to improve their chances of getting off a wait list. Contacting the schools (usually the Parent Coordinator - DON’T bother the Principal with this!) is not forbidden. It is not necessary but if you are feeling like you MUST do something - let them know that you are active on the wait list and will take the seat if offered. Remember the school staff is all working from home, homeschooling with their own kids driving them nuts. If I were in their shoes, I would be working my last nerve. They do not know why you were placed where you were placed and they don’t know your chances of getting off the list. They may be able to tell you how deep into the list the school was able to go last year, but they can’t guarantee anything. The wait lists are much more transparent than in previous years and I can't imagine a school doing much deviating from the assigned list. They can’t pick who is the hardest case and they don’t care about how much you love them. This is a one year placement. You get a very different ‘do over’ for Kindergarten. This prek placement has very little to do with what you will be offered for K.

The problem with wait lists moving is that everyone only gets one choice. Think about it. If people get two choices, they can decide between them and a seat will open at the school not taken. With only one choice, where are they going to go? Do you think people are leaving the City? Did NYC empty out in 911? Do people want to pay if we have to do ‘Zoom school’ at private school in the fall? There may be some disruption and there may be more seats in play or not. Predictions are nutty.

The wait list numbers can also move around in a weird way. In the early days, sometimes the wait lists move backwards. This happens because families with higher priorities may be adding themselves to wait lists that they weren’t previously on. They have a higher priority so it may bump you down. This is depressing, but not uncommon from time to time.

There can be a little movement off the wait lists at prek (although it is not impossible). There are usually MANY MORE seats in a zoned school at Kindergarten. The classes are bigger and there are more of them. Some zoned schools don’t even have prek classes at all. Your luck at prek absolutely doesn’t predict what will happen at Kindergarten. Prek is a free lunch. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. What other metaphors can I butcher? We want these programs to be free, high quality and convenient. Two out of three ain’t bad.