What is with MDO?

mattslady

Okay, I see this on here all the time and I've thought this for awhile.  Isn't MDO just part time daycare?  I can't help but get the feeling that calling it something cutesie like MDO helps for the SAHM "I want to raise my own children" crowd to feel better about it.  Why not call it daycare?  Or maybe I'll just start saying my kids don't go to daycare, but they do go to MDO everyday for 8 hours.

goodheartedmommy

MDO is 1 or 2 days a week, for 6-7 hours/day.

By the way, I still want to know where you saw me at. 

amiamish

goodheartedmommy:

MDO is 1 or 2 days a week, for 6-7 hours/day.

By the way, I still want to know where you saw me at. 

Not all, some are 1 day a wk only in the mornings... depends on the program. I think it's more of a playgroup/daycare, a place SAH kids can get a little interaction and structure different from home.

springmom

I think of MDO as pre-preschool. ?Usually starts around 2 years old, and is one or 2 days a week for about 3-4 hours (around here anyway). ?A chance for the kids to socialize and give mommy a break to run errands/go to doc apts, etc

pincushions

daycare is daycare is daycare is preschool for anything under 4 is daycare is preschool is daycare.

Who cares? If someone wants to drop their kid off at MDO or daycare. Hell people call daycare school. I don't think it matters.

Andrewsgal

What does it even matter? My kids went to Mother's Day Out last year, and goes to preschool this year. She will go three days a week from 9:00-2:00. I consider daycare dropping my kid off and someone basically babysitting her, so yes last year she was probably in Daycare as you would like to put it. This year they have a strict cirriculum that they follow so it is a preschool.

amiamish

pincushions:

 Hell people call daycare school.

Yup-guilty. Eevery morning I tell Jake: "c'mon, we gotta get you to school!" He's all excited with his little back pack and when he sees the building he starts saying "jacobs school! mommy my school!" 

mattslady

Andrews, you're exactly the type I'm talking about!  Ha, you crack me up!

Andrewsgal

Please explain why I crack you up? Even if my child was in "school" 40 hours a week I would still consider it preschool if there was a cirriculum, it would be daycare if it did not.

I fully admited that my child was in daycare/MDO last year. They called it MDO I am fine with it being daycare.

So please explain.... I love the break I get. Daycare/MDO/Preschool what does it matter? It is a break for me that makes me a better  Mom and DD gets to learn new skills both social and educational.

cristiana

I had never heard of MDO before the Nest. I always thought that it was marketed that way, since who else would need daycare only one day a week or so?

eclaires

Jackson's MDO program was called MDO, so that's why I called it that.  He only went for one morning a week (2.5 hours).  I figured it was called MDO since it was only for 2.5 hours and obviously not workable for someone who was working out of the home - it's just a 2.5 hour break for moms.  Daycare implies a more permanent situation, IMO.

But I couldn't care less about what I call it since if I could afford it I'd send him to daycare 2 days a week or something.  But I'm not exactly MOTY. 

Bellisimo

MDO is MDO...not daycare, not school, it's just Mother's Day Out or Mother's Morning Out, if you will.  Nothing cutesie about it.  It's just a part-time preschool type program that's designed to give Moms a day or two of free time and to provide a place for kids to socialize, learn and develop.  I happen to stay home and don't need "daycare" for my child.  However, I like giving DS the chance to go and play and socialize with his peers, and I like having the time for myself to get things done kid free.  Plus "MDO" is a lot faster to type than the full name of the program that he attends.  If he went to daycare or to preschool then I'd specify.