Those "interviews" for a 4 year old are fukcing overblown. My son had to do them, it is literally a counselor asking him if he can count to 10, what his first and last name is, etc. If he actively doesn't show some form of personality disorder and doesn't try to eat the carpet, it's good. It's really an IQ test.
Fuck up a kid? See above. That's an absurd fucking concept for a 4 year old. It's a counselor in a room asking questions that child will never remeber, like how many parents he has, etc. I can't speak to the parents aspect, there's a lot of shitty parents, and probably a lot more shitty rich parents. That being said, one of the things that private schools will tell you is that the older your child gets, the harder to gain admission into the school is, per se. That's becuase classes are small, and demand rises the older the kid gets, assessment tests get harder, etc, so they sort of tell you that by getting them in at the pre-school traunch, where they will always remain enrolled unless they flunk out or are expelled, is the path of least resistance. It's a compelling pitch, particularly if your child might have a penchant for eating carpet.
But I reject the concept that this "fucks up a kid" out of hand.
Robin Hood is fucked up. I know the stats on Austin supporting damn near the rest of the state, but there's some Houston districts that give a ton of money as well and don't see shit back.