Would you send your 3-year-old to a tutoring center?

More parents are doing moving in this direction, reports The New York Times, which takes an in-depth look at this trend.

As competition in education has spread down, the tutoring industry has followed.

Research suggests that there is little benefit from this kind of tutoring; that young children learn just as much about math, if not more, fitting mixing bowls together on the kitchen floor. But programs like Kumon are gaining from, and generating, parents’ anxiety about what kind of preparation their children will need — and whether parents themselves have what it takes to provide it. For those whose idea of enrichment is introducing “Buenas Noches, Luna” into their toddlers’ bedtime reading ritual, this is yet another reminder that no matter how much you do, there is always some other program that — who knows? — just might mean a difference.

I know Kumon well. I attended Kumon for several years during middle school, practicing multiplications and fractions and other math skills. It was just something that Asian American kids did when I was growing up. (I can't say the extra math tutoring made me a better student.)

But now, it's becoming more mainstream across the country. Interestingly enough, Asian countries such as South Korea -- where almost all students also attend so-called "cram schools" after normal school hours -- are trying to crack down on excessive tutoring so that kids can be more like kids.

There's also the issue of costs: The Times says parents pay $200 to $300 a month for their toddlers to spend up to an hour twice a week being tutored at a Junior Kumon center. Not every family can afford such a price, though I also know parents are willing to sacrifice personal needs so that they can help their children (as my parents and others have done).

This article reminds me of a discussion that I had with my sister, whose oldest son tested into gifted and talented. And he's only in first grade! Apparently, there is G&T for kindergarten students as well. She's debating whether to put my nephew into the gifted and talented program.

Are we putting too much emphasis on accomplishments so early on in a child's life? I'd love to hear from parents who have toddlers in tutoring sessions and those who do not.

Do you have mixed feelings about this as I do?