What is the difference between daycare and preschool?

[Anonymous]

The difference between daycare and preschool is the hours. If your child goes to a single place, and stays there, or has the option to stay for 8 hours or longer, then it's daycare. If they stay for 3 hours, or 5 or 6 and then go to a different program, even in the same building, that's preschool.

Daycares and preschools can both be wonderful places, or they can be crappy. They can both be Montessori, or playbased, or Waldorf, or Spanish Immersion, or whatever other curriculum you want. Or they can have no curriculum and make it up as they go.

In general, I chose a daycare because I wanted my kid to have fewer transitions. I work full time, and didn't like the idea of my child moving from before care to preschool to aftercare at 3. I'm very picky about early childhood curriculum, so I looked for, and found, a program that had a rich, developmentally appropriate curriculum, and my child thrived there. In addition, I liked the fact that there was a little more breathing room built in the schedule, something I think is true of the best daycare centers. My kid got the same number of stories, and art projects, and songs to sing, and science experiments, and other experiences as a kid might at one of the top preschools with a 4 hour day, but they were broken up with longer stretches of outdoor time, and a nice nap, and a choice time that included opportunities to snuggle close to a teacher for a 1:1 story. Kids also helped more with routines than they often do at shorter day preschools, and the classroom and the playground were set up with places for a kid to go when he wanted to be alone, in recognition of the fact that 8 - 10 hours is a long time for kids to be in care.

If I didn't work, or worked fewer hours, I would have chosen a preschool. I would have wanted the "educational" experiences to be a little more condensed, knowing that I could supplement with time to relax at home. I would have wanted opportunities to meet other families where someone was home so we could go to the zoo or whatever together in the afternoon. I also think that the experience of being a kid who goes 3 half days a week to a program where most kids go 5 full days a week, isn't ideal. Relationships are formed and plans are made when the part time kid isn't there, and it's awkward.

Look at what goes on in your daycare's classes for 3's and 4's. If you think your child would enjoy it, and learn from it, then stay regardless of the label. If it looks uninspired, go tour some other programs.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing.

Not true. The charter we ended up in was heavy handed with the academics. Needless to say we aren't sending our son back for PK4.

There are definitely daycares that are also heavy handed with academics. I toured a daycare once where the director told me her kids were learning about lakes.

"How fun" I though, "you can sing 5 little ducks, and 5 green and speckled frogs, and paint pictures of cat tails, and splash in the water table . . . "

She then showed me the flashcards they used to make sure that all of the 2 year olds could identify the Great Lakes by shape, out of context. Such a useful skill! (not).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing. At centers, it's often referred to as daycare when the kids are little - say under 2. Ours has a preschool curriculum, very low turnover, etc in the upper classes and a waiting list for the preschool age.

In-home daycares often don't have the curriculum aspect for older (2-5) kids.

Not a formal curriculum but lots of in home daycares do all the same activities that are in the curriculum

Our in-home daycare uses a formal curriculum.

[Anonymous]

To me, daycare is where children go for a full day or part of the day, because their parents need someone to watch them while they work, while preschool is where kids go for part of the day, not because they need someone to care for them, but for socialization and beginning academic activities.

[Anonymous]

Very helpful, thanks. I need care all day (I work f/t), so I think daycare is the way to go. My daycare seems to do a lot of projects and activities and focus on learning, but I'll check out the 3's and 4's classes to be sure. Of course, if I get into (free) PS or PK, all bets are off!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The difference between daycare and preschool is the hours. If your child goes to a single place, and stays there, or has the option to stay for 8 hours or longer, then it's daycare. If they stay for 3 hours, or 5 or 6 and then go to a different program, even in the same building, that's preschool.

Daycares and preschools can both be wonderful places, or they can be crappy. They can both be Montessori, or playbased, or Waldorf, or Spanish Immersion, or whatever other curriculum you want. Or they can have no curriculum and make it up as they go.

In general, I chose a daycare because I wanted my kid to have fewer transitions. I work full time, and didn't like the idea of my child moving from before care to preschool to aftercare at 3. I'm very picky about early childhood curriculum, so I looked for, and found, a program that had a rich, developmentally appropriate curriculum, and my child thrived there. In addition, I liked the fact that there was a little more breathing room built in the schedule, something I think is true of the best daycare centers. My kid got the same number of stories, and art projects, and songs to sing, and science experiments, and other experiences as a kid might at one of the top preschools with a 4 hour day, but they were broken up with longer stretches of outdoor time, and a nice nap, and a choice time that included opportunities to snuggle close to a teacher for a 1:1 story. Kids also helped more with routines than they often do at shorter day preschools, and the classroom and the playground were set up with places for a kid to go when he wanted to be alone, in recognition of the fact that 8 - 10 hours is a long time for kids to be in care.

If I didn't work, or worked fewer hours, I would have chosen a preschool. I would have wanted the "educational" experiences to be a little more condensed, knowing that I could supplement with time to relax at home. I would have wanted opportunities to meet other families where someone was home so we could go to the zoo or whatever together in the afternoon. I also think that the experience of being a kid who goes 3 half days a week to a program where most kids go 5 full days a week, isn't ideal. Relationships are formed and plans are made when the part time kid isn't there, and it's awkward.

Look at what goes on in your daycare's classes for 3's and 4's. If you think your child would enjoy it, and learn from it, then stay regardless of the label. If it looks uninspired, go tour some other programs.

Good luck!

This was an extremely helpful post and I totally agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The difference between daycare and preschool is the hours. If your child goes to a single place, and stays there, or has the option to stay for 8 hours or longer, then it's daycare. If they stay for 3 hours, or 5 or 6 and then go to a different program, even in the same building, that's preschool.

Daycares and preschools can both be wonderful places, or they can be crappy. They can both be Montessori, or playbased, or Waldorf, or Spanish Immersion, or whatever other curriculum you want. Or they can have no curriculum and make it up as they go.

In general, I chose a daycare because I wanted my kid to have fewer transitions. I work full time, and didn't like the idea of my child moving from before care to preschool to aftercare at 3. I'm very picky about early childhood curriculum, so I looked for, and found, a program that had a rich, developmentally appropriate curriculum, and my child thrived there. In addition, I liked the fact that there was a little more breathing room built in the schedule, something I think is true of the best daycare centers. My kid got the same number of stories, and art projects, and songs to sing, and science experiments, and other experiences as a kid might at one of the top preschools with a 4 hour day, but they were broken up with longer stretches of outdoor time, and a nice nap, and a choice time that included opportunities to snuggle close to a teacher for a 1:1 story. Kids also helped more with routines than they often do at shorter day preschools, and the classroom and the playground were set up with places for a kid to go when he wanted to be alone, in recognition of the fact that 8 - 10 hours is a long time for kids to be in care.

If I didn't work, or worked fewer hours, I would have chosen a preschool. I would have wanted the "educational" experiences to be a little more condensed, knowing that I could supplement with time to relax at home. I would have wanted opportunities to meet other families where someone was home so we could go to the zoo or whatever together in the afternoon. I also think that the experience of being a kid who goes 3 half days a week to a program where most kids go 5 full days a week, isn't ideal. Relationships are formed and plans are made when the part time kid isn't there, and it's awkward.

Look at what goes on in your daycare's classes for 3's and 4's. If you think your child would enjoy it, and learn from it, then stay regardless of the label. If it looks uninspired, go tour some other programs.

Good luck!

This was an extremely helpful post and I totally agree.

+1

[Anonymous]

I think only one of these replies mentioned the education level of the lead teacher. My child's Pre-K teacher has a Master's degree. In many daycares the lead teacher only has a CDA. Not saying that the teacher with more education is necessarily "better," but it makes a difference, especially to ESL children.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the PP who said it's the hours. Most "preschools" are in the morning and don't serve lunch and are mostly used by the SAHM and nanny crowd. Daycare is all day. No kid is following a preschool curriculum for 8-10 hours a day at a daycare. They're napping, playing, etc. and then they accomplish the preschool type stuff during the day at various points.

I agree...depends what you're looking for but I think the most important thing is to find a good preschool or a good daycare. Either is fine.

[Anonymous]

One other critical difference...most preschools follow a traditional school calendar. So summers off, long breaks for holidays, etc.

Daycares run all year round.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One other critical difference...most preschools follow a traditional school calendar. So summers off, long breaks for holidays, etc.

Daycares run all year round.

Most daycares do that too. They have school session from about Sept-May. Then they switch to summer camp session for the summer. At least our daycare does this (TCCC in Tysons Corner).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One other critical difference...most preschools follow a traditional school calendar. So summers off, long breaks for holidays, etc.

Daycares run all year round.

Most daycares do that too. They have school session from about Sept-May. Then they switch to summer camp session for the summer. At least our daycare does this (TCCC in Tysons Corner).

I guess my point is there is some provision for summer care even if they're calling it something else. All of hte morning-only preschools I looked into (a lot in NoVa) just close shop for the summer.

[Anonymous]

Daycare offers full day, 7am-6pm care for some, where as schools and preschools offer a structured academic environment for the morning, and may or may not offer before and aftercare for working families.

[Anonymous]

What about places like Appletree in Fairfax?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think only one of these replies mentioned the education level of the lead teacher. My child's Pre-K teacher has a Master's degree. In many daycares the lead teacher only has a CDA. Not saying that the teacher with more education is necessarily "better," but it makes a difference, especially to ESL children.

My child had Master's degreed teachers in both his 3 and 4 year old years at a "daycare". I've worked at "preschools" with teachers without bachelors or even AA's.

I totally agree that the educational credentials of teachers are important, but you need to look at that school by school, rather than making assumptions based on the number of hours the facility is open.