Bribing toddlers can be counter-productive, according to Vanessa. Instead, the 28-year-old coaches her young charges how to play together – for $450 an hour. After all, play dates are no trivial matter. They can decide a child’s future.
瓦妮莎(Vanessa)认为，“贿赂”幼儿可能会适得其反。这位28岁的老师会教孩子们如何一起玩游戏，每小时收费450美元。毕竟，游戏约定(play date)不是件小事。它可能会决定一个孩子的未来。Vanessa, who declines to give her last name, is one of a new breed of play date experts that help children prepare for admission to New York’s elite kindergartens. As part of the admission process to these schools that charge up to $40,000 a year, four-year-olds must attend a playgroup where they are tested by teachers for academic ability and their social and emotional IQ.
瓦妮莎拒绝透露她的姓氏，她是一名新型游戏约定专家，帮助孩子们准备纽约顶尖幼儿园的入园考试。这些每年收费最高可达4万美元的幼儿园录取程序中的一个必选环节是，让那些4岁的孩子们参加一个小组游戏，老师们会在游戏过程中测试孩子们的学习能力、社交能力和情商。Play date experts set up situations to see how children respond and then make suggestions for improvement. For example, if everyone has to write down his or her name but there are not enough pencils, they must wait their turn.
游戏约定专家会设置情境，以考察孩子们如何反应，然后提出改进建议。例如，如果每个人都得写下自己的名字，但又没有足够多的铅笔，那么他们就必须等轮到自己的时候再写。
These New York children take a test at the age of four. The ERB – named after the Educational Records Bureau which administers it – determines if a child can get into the best private schools, such as Trinity which includes Lachlan Murdoch and Ivana Trump among its alumni.
这些纽约的孩子们会在4岁时参加一次考试。ERB考试——以负责此次考试的教育档案局(Educational Records Bureau)的名字命名——会决定一个孩子能否进入那些最优秀的私立幼儿园，例如有拉克伦•默多克(Lachlan Murdoch)和伊万娜•特朗普(Ivana Trump)等校友的圣三一学院幼儿园(Trinity)。The exam lasts between 45 minutes and an hour, and evaluates vocabulary, ability to perform fine motor skills and simple maths. There is also an interview with the parents.
该考试的时间为45分钟至一小时，测试词汇量、精细动作能力和进行简单运算的能力。对家长的面试也是考试内容之一。Suzanne Rheault, chief executive of Aristotle Circle, which began offering play date experts three years ago, says that some schools “have a 5 per cent acceptance rate, below Harvard at 6.9 per cent. It’s like a bloodbath getting into these schools.”
Aristotle Circle首席执行官苏珊•罗特(Suzanne Rheault)表示，一些幼儿园的“录取率为5%，低于哈佛大学(Harvard) 6.9%的录取率。进入这些幼儿园的过程就像是一场血淋淋的厮杀。”该公司3年前开始提供游戏约定专家服务。Parents are desperate for advice to help their children get into the schools that are seen as a ticket to an Ivy League university. “There’s a perfect storm – a lot of money, a lot of immigrants with a focus on education [and] a lot of educated parents keen on getting their child into the best school,” she says. “Parents are shameless – they want it so badly.”
父母们急于寻求建议，以帮助他们的孩子进入这些被视为常青藤(Ivy League)大学门票的幼儿园。“这是一座最拥挤的独木桥，许多有钱人、许多关注教育的移民，还有许多本身受过良好教育的父母，都盼望把孩子送进最优秀的幼儿园。”她表示，“父母们顾不上羞耻，他们太需要这些了。”Aristotle Circle, the company that employs Vanessa and was co-founded by Ms Rheault in 2008, sells an ERB preparation workbook with sample test questions in it such as “Apples and oranges are both . . . ”. Children get two points for “fruit”, one for “sweet things I eat” and none for “yummy”.
Aristotle Circle出售ERM考试练习册，里面的考题很简单，例如“苹果和橘子都是……”。回答“水果”得两分，回答“我吃的甜东西”得一分，回答“好吃的”得零分。该公司由罗特与他人在2008年创建，瓦妮莎就供职于这家公司。The bulk of its business is providing tutors at $350 an hour, who prepare children for the tests, and admissions experts for parents desperate for information. But demand for play date instruction is increasing.
该公司的主要业务是提供儿童指导老师和录取专家服务。前者每小时收费350美元，指导老师会帮助孩子们准备考试。后者会为那些焦急的家长提供信息。不过，游戏约定指导的需求正与日俱增。Neither Sara, Aristotle Circle’s most sought-after expert, nor Vanessa wants to be identified publicly. Both are cautious about breaching clients’ confidentiality. But they are also nervous about the public’s perception of the work they do.
Aristotle Circle最受欢迎的专家萨拉(Sara)和瓦妮莎都不希望公开自己的身份信息。两人都担心这可能损害客户隐私。不过，她们也担心公众对自己所从事工作的看法。