OOF I cannot clap for this enough. I don't have kids and I had assumed that the kind of competition you mentioned was relegated to higher income places like LA, but as I've spoken to more people with little kids in the last few years, it has illuminated just how grotesque and ubiquitous this has become even outside metropolises with gross wealth disparities.

From what I've been hearing, even in slightly more rural places, limited resources (whether it's spots in "better" public schools, or even just access to cheaper recreational areas for kids to learn to swim etc) have become feeding frenzies, and parents with the most privilege -- whether that's connections, wealth, or the ability to have a strong internet connection and wake up at 6am to hit refresh until they secure limited slots-- are the ones whose children will get the head starts. It's obscenely messed up.

But absolutely, compound that with all the resources of private education (baked in college/standardized test training and beyond), and you've got much, much younger kids with unfair systemic advantages.

Very sad. Thank you so much for this comment -- very important points you raise!!!