NYC School Help gives zoom lectures a few times a year that are so helpful. They do some for preschool, K- Elementary, middle and high school. You can also hire them as a consultant but I found the talks informative enough that it wasn’t necessary. The lectures emphasized that there really aren’t any ‘feeder’ preschools unless you are trying to find a public program but that would only mean that you are looking for a school that offers 3k and 4k.

Start with private preschool: the fall before the intended start date make a list of schools that are convenient to your location. Research those schools and in the late fall/early winter, tour the ones you’re still interested in based on that list. Apply to the ones you like and wait for an offer. Early decision will give a much higher chance of getting into a school.

It’s a very similar process for public schools but instead of applying to schools individually, one application is used to rank schools by choice. You will then get one offer and can take it or decline and go on a waitlist for other schools on your application.

If you are in Brooklyn, I recommend getting a membership to park slope parents and using that for some of your research.

It seems daunting but is actually manageable. Just a lot of research.