When is it too early?

Meggan and I have recently been thrust into position to make possibly our first "major" decision regarding Amelia's education. When Meggan was pregnant we were smacked in the face with the harsh reality that getting into a daycare is not as easy as it seems. You can't simply pick one, sign up, and begin going. We began our search virtually as soon as we found out about the pregnancy. Even with that kind of head start, there were several choices that had no spots for us. Well, a spot opened up at our first choice this week. Mia has already been going to our second choice for a month and seems to like it which muddies the waters. We have no issues with her current school, but we could save money at the other school and it does provide a few extras educationally. Meggan and I found ourselves having long discussions over the merits of these two academies....this one is closer to home, that one is cheaper, this one has a more open layout, that one teaches sign language,etc. I have to admit, at some point, I began to feel a little ridiculous. I never went to daycare. I am a product of a public school system so uninspiring and impersonal that despite the fact that I was an excellent student by any measure(one would not classify my college "success" the same way :) ), I cannot remember a single conversation had with teachers, counselors, or administrators regarding college. Meggan was a great student at a small private school that was basically the opposite of where I attended. Yet, we both ended up at a very good university and as luck would have it, both have good jobs. Given the fact that our disparate educational backgrounds led us to the same ending, I have to wonder at what point does a child's path begin to take shape? Of course, I hope Mia has to make the tough decision of Harvard or Yale. And, naturally, I think this can be helped by a good k-12 education. But, can a choice of preschools have an impact?!? I guess the long and short of it is I am having a hard time believing a decision made for a 4 month old will have any ramifications on her future academic success. I suppose time will tell.