Public kindergarten

Some parents are surprised to discover that New York has many strong public schools. “I can’t imagine paying for private school when my kids can attend this one for free,” says Nancy Smith, whose daughters Roma, 7, and Beatrice, 5, both go to P.S. 41 in Greenwich Village. “The teachers are always available and the after-school programs are amazing—everything from Mandarin to karate is offered.”

Getting started To find out what school you’re zoned for, dial 311; then call the school office to arrange for a tour in September. (The more desirable the school, the faster its tour schedule will fill up, so call early to reserve a time.) If your local kindergarten doesn’t fit your needs, the next step is to research other public options. InsideSchools.org provides detailed information, as does Hemphill’s book New York City’s Best Public Elementary Schools. Below, some of the alternatives you’ll want to consider.

Gifted and talented Each NYC district offers programs for gifted and talented students; they may be entire schools, separate classrooms within local schools or special classes. Three schools, all in Manhattan, take children from anywhere in the city: the New Explorations into Science, Technology & Math School on the Lower East Side, the Talented and Gifted School in East Harlem and the Sarah Anderson School on the Upper West Side.

To apply, pick up an application at a school in early fall; it will likely be due in December. Your child will then be registered to take a city-administered exam in the winter. When you apply, the application form requires you to rank your G&T schools in order of preference. The city tries to match every qualifying child to a school on his or her list, but a match isn’t guaranteed. While nail-biting ensues as parents wait for placement letters (which generally go out in March or April), the results, most say, are worth it. Having trouble imagining your Dora-watching, juice-box-chugging tot as gifted? He doesn’t need to be reading Chaucer, says one mom—just apply and see if he gets in.

Charter schools These schools—such as the Bronx Charter School for the Arts or the Renaissance Charter School in Jackson Heights, Queens—are publicly funded but operate independent of the Board of Ed, so they can set their own curricula and have more flexibility in hiring and firing teachers, explains Hemphill of InsideSchools.org. They’re generally located in places where the public schools aren’t strong. Children are accepted by a lottery drawn in winter or spring, depending on the school.