Testing For Kindergarten – The Movie

The Kindergarten Shuffle

Take a gander at the trailer for an upcoming movie about getting into school in NYC. Looks like it’ll be informative and juicy at the same time.

The Kindergarten Admissions process in New York City is a frightening mess. Spots at locally zoned public schools are subject to lottery. Private kindergartens are more competitive than top universities. Navigating specialized programs, such as Gifted and Talented requires IQ testing and again, a lottery.

The Kindergarten Shuffle is a movie designed to help negotiate the difficult process by showing four parents going through an entire year. The 93 minute docu-drama follows a mother and her friends through the public and private school process. We witness first hand a child taking an IQ test, a mother touring public, private, and Gifted Schools. And we are also privy to a private school ‘playdate’ in which children are observed and interviewed by educators.

Writer/Director Douglas Morse drew upon his experience applying to schools with his son Zeke, and the stories of several friends, to recreate the very difficult year of searching for the best kindergarten. He chose to share his knowledge in an informative and entertaining way mixing actors and non-actors in both fictional and documentary settings. The result is a unique blend of genres. “I felt that the docu-drama format would allow us to film situations not normally afforded documentary filmmakers. I was interested in showing a five year old taking an IQ test. I wanted first hand observation of a private school playdate. I also wanted to explore the stress of the process on relationships and working with actors allowed me to do that in a very honest way.”