The question may seem odd to a parent outside of New York City, but it's a serious one for Gothamites like Pratofiorito. The documentary Nursery University tells the story of five couples--each with different backgrounds and economic circumstances--anxiously scrambling to place their toddlers in exclusive New York City preschools with limited space and price tags upwards of $20,000 a year.

The admissions process alone would give anyone heart palpitations. Some parents are willing to go the distance to get their little darlings into these Ivy League "feeder schools" no matter what the cost.

In Nursery University, the Upper West Side Pratofioritos; Ivy League-educated Roderick and Heidi Moon; Greenwich Village residents Wyatt and Sneha Sprague; Harlem bartender Kris Ashton and his wife Kim; and single parent Aleta St. James all played the admissions game fair and square, speed-dialing the Big Apple's top-notch nursery schools the day after Labor Day for a chance at obtaining the limited applications. They were most often met by a busy signal on the other end.

To help them prepare, some hired high-priced consultants ($4,000 for seven sessions) to assist in navigating the six-month-long admissions process and face-to-face interviews. Others could only cross their fingers and pray they made a good impression.

In a city where the number of children under age five has increased 30 percent since 2000, the admissions process can truly be compared to the stresses of gaining admission to the Ivy League. The nursery program at the highly sought-after Mandell School has an admission rate of 10 percent, compared to Harvard's 7 percent--but unlike Harvard, Mandell puts a cap on the number of applications it will accept. They will only look at 120 applications for 12 available spots. In 2009, Harvard received 29,112 applications and admitted 2,046 students. It's a tough world out there, and the little ones are getting a taste of it at a pretty early age!

As admission rates decrease at top-notch colleges, getting into a prime nursery program becomes much more important. As their kids grow up in a culture driven by pressure and success, it's understandable that parents will do whatever it takes to ensure their children receive the best education possible. Can you blame them?

Of course, not every mother has to jump through hoops to get her child into a good nursery program, but sometimes it does require a little sacrifice. Even though the admissions process wasn't as tough twentysomething years ago, my mother still stood in line at 6 a.m. with other moms vying for a spot into the best nursery school in town.

Have you gone out of your way to get your child into nursery school? If so, leave a comment and tell us about it.

Nursery University premieres Sunday, May 10, 2009 on Showtime. Check your local listings for show times.

Christine Petrozzo
Associate Producer, Momtourage