That's exactly what pre-school is supposed to be.
Now it's "If you don't get into the right pre-school, you won't get into an Ivy League university, so you'll be a failure!".
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/14/nyregion/as-ranks-of-gifte...
Sadly, those parents are often the ones who eschew quality time with their toddlers. Yes it's tiring after a full day of work. Yes it's demanding. But that's also how as parents we help our little ones develop healthy emotional responses.
Just as with startups, children can suffer from vanity metrics. I'm always impressed when my 3-year old can use a 5-syllable word, but I'm acutely aware that it's a vanity metric. What matters to me are healthy emotional foundations which will help my child cope with all the setbacks that will happen when trying to learn.