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Toddlers: 24 Months+
KGsky
member
Difference Between "Preschool" and "Daycare?"
KGsky
member
I'm just curious.? I've often heard and read people say that they don't want just a daycare, but some place that's a "real" preschool.? I always nod knowingly, but secretly, I'm kinda like "huh?"? I guess because when I was growing up the distinction wasn't that great.? I went to a great daycare/preschool, but back then it was called "nursery school," which kind of implies both.? I know I went into kindegarten reading and knowing how to write, and I remember tracing letters and numbers in nursery school.? I imagine that even "daycares" are doing something like this with 3 and 4 year olds, but is that not the case?? DD's "daycare" has a curriculum from 7 weeks on (I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's true!)? and a whole program up through Pre-K designed around specific learning areas.? It's a big corporate daycare, so, that's part of the whole "program" focus, so I'm just curious about what other "daycares" do that doesn't imply "preschool?"
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Re: Difference Between "Preschool" and "Daycare?"
DS goes to a daycare/preschool. I imagine that the daycare part is for the infant and toddlers?? I know they follow the state curriculum for the 3 and 4 year old rooms. They do coloring, projects, circle time and things like that in his current classroom but I imagine it's more free play for them right now. In the older rooms it's more structured play.
I am an early childhood education advocate, so your point/question comes up a lot. The main issue is that there is no standard. Certainly no national standard. So anyone with a paint brush and a shingle can call themselves a "preschool" or a "daycare" or a "pre-K" or a "nursery school" or "child care". So go ahead and try to compare and contrast on who is providing the best preparation for school. It's impossible. Because a "child care center" can provide excellent curriculm and preparation and play time and unstructured time. And a "pre-school" can have terrible instruction et all. And some programs run all day and some run half-day. And some do a mix of both. Heck, some parents send their children one day a week, or 5.
Good luck figuring it out. We all are.
Well our guy goes to a nursery school. They have a curriculum and weekly lesson plans that are sent home to parents, complete with subjects (science, movement, music, etc). You can choose to do AMs only or full day, but kids are required to be there 9:30-2:30 (but your tuition pays for any time between 7-:530 if you need additional hours). Here at least they are certified as a school, meaning they have to meet (minimal) state reqs on food, nutrition, teacher certification, continuing ed for teachers, etc. It does seem to be a hybrid between the half-day preschools described above and daycare. We're in a university town though, and most faculty with kids I know use this place, which gives it a different flavor than other daycares I've checked out (e.g. no fees for summer if you pull your kid out for summer break). IDK, we're happy with it. We call it school. He loves it and is learning stuff.
ETA: We almost moved to NYC this year. And I was terrified (as in having panic attacks when it came up as a possibility) when I started reading up on daycare/preschool/childcare costs, I feel for you.
LOL!! I guess I'm not keeing up with the Joneses either. My brother does that enough for our family. His 3 kids go/went to to a tony pre-school that "gets" you into the right kindergarten that "gets" you into the right high school... My son goes to daycare. I love the one I chose because they emphasize education a lot. He's not yet 3 so they don't do writing/reading but I've seen the older classes doing it. Of course he came home one day asking for milk in Spanish and I had no idea what he was asking for!
My friend's son will go to pre-school in the fall and it's $17,000 a year for a few days a week for a few hours (she is a SAHM). My son is in daycare from 9-6 and we pay the same amount of money. I'm surprised parents are willing to shell out so much for a few hours a week. I used to have a nanny and I put my son in daycare because I think it's so much better than pre-school a few hours a week. He learns so much more and interacts with kids which is a whole level of learning in itself. To each his own I guess- but I'm very happy in NYC with my son's daycare- in fact- if we move to the suburbs- I'm keeping my son at his current daycare and will commute with him into the city.
IUI- BFN IVF #1 -BFP! Allie is our 2nd IVF baby. Born at 36 1/2 weeks after pre-e again
This is what we have and it goes all the way through to a private kindergarten. Up until age 3, it's daycare....although he has a curriculum, they follow benchmarks, have teacher conferences. I'm in education and there's tons of it in the 'daycare' portion. Then when he's 3, he is officially in preschool. He could go mornings or afternoons or all day...he will go all day since DH and I both work full time. And then he gets first consideration for the private kindergarten when he's 5. We call it school too...I guess it's a hybrid of both.
We are also in NYC and trying to figure this whole process out. I am hoping for #2 next year and there is no way I will be able to afford to keep my nanny and then pay $15-$20 for preschool. We are still up in the air what we want to do, thinking about moving to Brooklyn now so maybe get more space and they have some great schools there for a little cheaper. I feel like a bad mom not trying to get DD into the top preschool but it seems absoluately ridiculous that you can apply for financial aid for preschool plus I don't know if I want to do the whole private school deal here. I am reading the manhattan directory of private nursery schools and it is scaring the crap out of me. How can I decide all these things when my daughter is only 2 and her personality hasn't fully developed. Do I do Montessori, Developmental, Progressive, Traditional, Eclectic, All Day, Part Day...so confusing all to learn basic concepts that I learned from my parents.
I'm also looking at this from the NYC angle, so I have no idea if it's different in other places, but in my neighborhood, the preschools have stricter req's of the kids than daycare- must be a certain age (usually 2.5, but they'll make some exceptions if kids are close to that age in Sept.), must be potty-trained or very close to it, have a certain amount of verbal skills, and then, of course, there's the difference in schedules. The preschools around here have set hours (usually 2-3 hours for "part-time" and 4-6 hours for a "full time" day) and anything beyond that is charged as "afterschool care."
I suppose this also depends on the hood, but I found that the daycares around here, for the most part, want you to commit to a minimum number of hours per week (usually a lot). Since I freelance, having a nanny on an as-needed-basis and sending DD to preschool in the fall works better for us financially.
Oh goodness, what you can save by moving just 90 miles or so south. Our preschool in the fall is going to run us about $350/month for 2 days/week (9am-3pm). I pay about $135/week right now for about 10 hours of our nanny.
Well, our hours are t/th 9-11:30, so maybe that makes up for the price difference? Half the time?