"Education Center" versus Daycare for an Infant - Your thoughts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally, I like small home daycare centers. When you find a good provider, they really love your kid(s). It's a personal relationship and a personal investment, not just another kid in a large center. There's tons of one-on-one time and it really feels like family. I don't think an academic curriculum is so important at just 12 weeks old. Children really need to learn social skills. How to share, how to play, etc. I think being exposed to the basics (colors, numbers, letters, etc.) is enough, and your child will be exposed to that in a home daycare. Of course, once your child gets older, you can switch to an actual preschool setting. How many children does the larger center have? What language is being spoken at the home daycare?

My DD is now 5 and attends an excellent in-home preschool with no more than 12 children. She is performing above the Kindergarten level in all areas and I really attribute it to her being in a small environment full of love and nurture for her "entire life" (lol). It's all a personal preference, but that's just my 2 cents!

You obvious,y have no early childhood education experience. How would you know what is above the Kindergarten level? Do you honestly believe that a child at a home care can be academically better suited than one at an organized, quality driven preschool? That does not exist. Stop making yourself feel better.

Are you really worried about kindergarten preparation for an infant?

[Anonymous]

It probably depends on the person running the home care.

My sister in-law (who lives elsewhere in the US), when she had children, decided to switch from her legal career to one where she could bring up her kids herself, and ultimately decided to open up an in-home daycare. She took coursework in early education, continues to read and research extensively, and is really committed to providing a great environment with a lot of well-chosen toys and many books. She carefully plans her activities and curriculum, and I would expect that she's at least as organized as typical preschool teachers. I expect the kids at her daycare will be well-prepared for K eventually.

I realize she's not the typical home daycare operator, but I expect there are gems out there if you look hard.

[kdColumbiaHeights]

Has anyone had experience at Little Praudde or others in Columbia Heights that they could share feedback on?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally, I like small home daycare centers. When you find a good provider, they really love your kid(s). It's a personal relationship and a personal investment, not just another kid in a large center. There's tons of one-on-one time and it really feels like family. I don't think an academic curriculum is so important at just 12 weeks old. Children really need to learn social skills. How to share, how to play, etc. I think being exposed to the basics (colors, numbers, letters, etc.) is enough, and your child will be exposed to that in a home daycare. Of course, once your child gets older, you can switch to an actual preschool setting. How many children does the larger center have? What language is being spoken at the home daycare?

My DD is now 5 and attends an excellent in-home preschool with no more than 12 children. She is performing above the Kindergarten level in all areas and I really attribute it to her being in a small environment full of love and nurture for her "entire life" (lol). It's all a personal preference, but that's just my 2 cents!

You obvious,y have no early childhood education experience. How would you know what is above the Kindergarten level? Do you honestly believe that a child at a home care can be academically better suited than one at an organized, quality driven preschool? That does not exist. Stop making yourself feel better.

Pretty snarky! A child can do great in a non-structured/formal environment! Some kids teach themselves to read at three..just from being read to and having books around..

[Anonymous]

Both of my children are at Little Praudde ("LP") and I cannot be happier with the care that they have received. My recently-turned-3-year-old is off to pre-K in a couple of weeks, and she seems to be doing great - she speaks fluent English and Spanish, knows her letters (and can write some), has been able to count to at least 20 in both languages for at least 6 months, is well socialized... I could go on. Don't underestimate the academics that may be offered in a home daycare environment. If we didn't get into a school in the PK lottery, we would have kept her at LP another year.

My 10-month-old also seems to love it there. Both of my children have been there since they were 5 months old. They love the women who work at LP. It is a truly loving environment. Gladys and her team are wonderful.

We go to a Bright Horizons for backup care on occasion, but personally would not want our children in that environment full time for a number of reasons (which is not to say that it isn't the right choice for many).