"Why do all your friends say school"

[Anonymous]

I've never been to Ohio at all, but agree with your sister. I think people think "daycare" sounds a little .... not trashy, but ... maybe like they're too poor to afford a nanny? So they make themselves feel better by calling daycare school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think once they're 3-4- it's "school" it's pre-school, pre-k, etc. And it's good to have the kid start thinking about going to school, learning, etc. But anything before... c'mon get over yourself. Totally just to make themselves feel less guilty about the cost and time away from their kid.

Seriously?

When my 18 month old moves the dirt on the floor of my kitchen around with a swiffer, I tell him he's "cleaning".

When my 22 month old splashes in the pool, I call that "swimming".

When my 2 year old leafs through a book and names all the trucks, I comment on his "reading".

Many things that infants and toddlers do are approximations of things that older kids and do, and in every day speech we don't distinguish. Daycare in a center has somethings in common with school, and leads to school down the line. So, calling it school, especially when speaking to a young child, makes sense. It's not about not feeling guilty, it just fits in with the way we speak to young kids in general.

Judging people, on the on the other hand, is a terrible thing to model for your young children. OP and her friend sound awful.

yuck, you are the one who sounds awful. Pretentious AF. Self-aggrandizing starts early in your house eh? I don't know why you can't use the word daycare in front of your kids, unless you think it's a bad word, or something unworthy of your precious little one. PEople do this because they feel like daycare is low class. Let me break it down for you, your kid is getting the same care and attention at daycare and at school. IT just makes you feel better to call it school. Your kid is not going to school. They are playing in a safe space with supervision while you go to work. What do you call grad school at your house "pre-job?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've never been to Ohio at all, but agree with your sister. I think people think "daycare" sounds a little .... not trashy, but ... maybe like they're too poor to afford a nanny? So they make themselves feel better by calling daycare school.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents feel bad about sending their kids to daycare I guess so everyone calls it “school”. I call it daycare.

Yup this. My sister called it "school" when her daughter was an infant. It's daycare, people.

[Anonymous]

My baby went to daycare. When she moved to the 1 yr old room, they had an official preschool program, so we began calling it school. There are part-time preschool programs for 1 yr olds, so I'm not sure why if I send my kid from 9am-1pm it's "school" but if she's there from 6am-3pm it's "daycare." Her middle school provides aftercare but they call it an after school study hall. Should I make sure that I'm not glossing over the issue that I'm NEGLECTING my child and ABANDONING her at school by calling it "study hall" and make sure I call it "aftercare" and hang my head in shame at my failure as a mother? Because I'll get right on that.

Does you complain that people call "Mommy's morning out" programs "school" ?

I also called the mommy and me music classes "music lessons" rather than "random chaotic playtime with other germ-vectors and their parents."
And let's not even begin talking about toddler "gymnastics!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I called it daycare until my kids started calling it school, probably around age 2. So I followed suit. You do you.

+1. Don't see the big deal. Also with older siblings that go to school its easier for the younger (2 and 4 yo) kids to view it the same.

[Anonymous]

you're overthinking this... no one I know that calls it school does so for image reasons

[Anonymous]

I hate when people refer to daycare as school. Sorry, they are not the same. The standards and regulations are quite different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think once they're 3-4- it's "school" it's pre-school, pre-k, etc. And it's good to have the kid start thinking about going to school, learning, etc. But anything before... c'mon get over yourself. Totally just to make themselves feel less guilty about the cost and time away from their kid.

Seriously?

When my 18 month old moves the dirt on the floor of my kitchen around with a swiffer, I tell him he's "cleaning".

When my 22 month old splashes in the pool, I call that "swimming".

When my 2 year old leafs through a book and names all the trucks, I comment on his "reading".

Many things that infants and toddlers do are approximations of things that older kids and do, and in every day speech we don't distinguish. Daycare in a center has somethings in common with school, and leads to school down the line. So, calling it school, especially when speaking to a young child, makes sense. It's not about not feeling guilty, it just fits in with the way we speak to young kids in general.

Judging people, on the on the other hand, is a terrible thing to model for your young children. OP and her friend sound awful.

It's one thing to tell your kid it's school so they start thinking of it like that like the other activities you mentioned. It's another thing to call it school to other adults and social media and to yourself. My kid is with a nanny. Should I start saying "we're home schooling??"

My friends are all wise enough in the ways of the world that when I post a copy of my baby's first "school picture", they can figure out that it was taken at daycare and not at Harvard. They are also smart enough to figure out that when I post a picture of my baby "reading" I don't mean he's decoding the words and analyzing the text. They aren't threatened by me using the same words for these things, because their self esteem doesn't depend on feeling superior.

Why are you policing other people's vocabulary. If someone says "I have to drop Suzie off at school", you know exactly what they mean, so what's the big deal?

[Anonymous]

From WikiPedia... "A school is an institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students (or "pupils") under the direction of teachers." So yeah, my 2.5 year old'd Montessori Center is a school as far as I am concerned. If you don't feel your 2, 3 or 4 yo is learning and being taught anything in your DAYCARE than perhaps you should change where they go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From WikiPedia... "A school is an institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students (or "pupils") under the direction of teachers." So yeah, my 2.5 year old'd Montessori Center is a school as far as I am concerned. If you don't feel your 2, 3 or 4 yo is learning and being taught anything in your DAYCARE than perhaps you should change where they go.

That IS a school.

But little 15 month old Larla at Kiddie Corner is NOT at school. She's at daycare, and her parents don't want to say that.

[Anonymous]

My favorite is when summer daycare is called camp. No your six month old infant doesn't go to camp

[Anonymous]

You don't feel as guilty telling people/sending your kid to "school" as opposed to "daycare"

[Anonymous]

I'm in North Carolina and every church around here runs "pre-school" starting at 1 year old. Yes, one. "Larlo is going to Good Shepard pre-school in the fall when he's 16 months!" They seriously send their toddlers to "pre-school" three times a week for half day. They play. It's not school, and anyone who knows anything about early childhood development knows pushing academics on kids this young is a terrible idea. It's insane. And they all think I'm crazy there I won't be sending DS in the fall when he's barely 18 months old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last week, my almost 3 year old goes to "preschool" full day. All the cartoons/books/video are talking about how fun a school is, and she wears a backpack & bring her lunch bag daily. It is a really structured facility stressed on academic learning, and every students have to be evaluated twice/year & setup goals/needs from the school teacher. DD likes to claim herself she is a big girl, need to go to school.

Yiiiiikes. That sounds extremely developmentally inappropriate.

+1 I would run. Fast.