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Infants, Toddlers, & Preschoolers
Who is using all these preschools?
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Anonymous
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OP here - for the record, I'm not looking to get my kids into private schools. We can't afford that - they will be attending public schools in Silver Spring. I just want them to be in a great environment as an introduction to the social/academic environment of the school world. I'm not hung up on whether it's called a daycare or a preschool, it just happened that most of the places I was finding online were calling themselves preschools.
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Anonymous
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I think that the posts about sacrifices are ridiculous.
Nanny + preschool is a "choice" only for the very wealthy who are not making sacrifices. |
Anonymous
Not on this thread. |
Anonymous
No, not on a daycare thread. Ha. |
Anonymous
| What exactly makes this a daycare thread? |
Anonymous
That's a ridiculous statement. If you do a nanny share, it's manageable, especially if you're bringing in two FT incomes. |
Anonymous
That's a ridiculous statement itself ... wouldn't it depend on how much the FT incomes are? Not all FT incomes are six figures ... |
Anonymous
If you're making under $100K in this area (combined salary), then most likely someone's staying home and sacrifices are being made in terms of preschool (co-oping, for example, which is much cheaper). I seriously doubt that anyone in that income bracket is looking into FT childcare (however one defines it). |
Anonymous
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OP -- I share your concern. There are many excellent half-day programs and, I agree, fewer excellent full-day, full-year programs.
For my first child, I opted to continue with a nanny and a part-time preschool. As another poster wrote, this is so helpful on days the child is sick and allows a lot of flexibility. But it is hard to afford. With two kids, the problem is also that I might double the number of sick days! Recently, I've been visiting full day schools to educate myself on what's available for my toddler going forward (the older son being safely ensconsed in the public schools, thus presenting "only" an after-school problem). I visited Ohr Kodesh, which seems to be adopting the model that makes sense to me. They will have a core pre-school that goes for the first half of the day, followed by naptime and enrichment in the afternoons for the full-dayers. The problem is that they're closed so many days for Jewish holidays. I'd love to find a secular version of that. I also visited Children in the Shoe in Bethesda which is NAEYC accredited as well. This is more traditional daycare. It seemed fine, but it did not have the same enriching atmosphere of the good preschools I've visited and had fewer organized extras like movement and music. The classrooms were very small and the playground was on rubber over asphalt. I'd use it if I didn't have another choice, but I wasn't excited. I called Wonders as I have heard many good things about it, but they told me to forget it for next year and probably the year after as they were already full. I have also visited a couple montessori schools that did offer full-day options. Chevy Chase Montessori and Franklin Montessori in Van Ness. So you might also investigate those or others closer to you. I really liked Chevy Chase Montessori, but it is also very expensive. |
Anonymous
What? I don't understand this last statement at all. |
Anonymous
Temple Emanuel is similar to the Ohr Kodesh schedule and is closed for far fewer days b/c it's in a Reform temple. What about Evergreen Montessori? |
Anonymous
New poster here, but the ORIGINAL post is ridiculous because you are saying that Nanny + preschool is only for the VERY wealthy who are not making sacrifices. Our HH is not very wealthy. We make 170K/yr and have a baby and a 3.5yr old and nanny. The nanny makes $13/hr (because she brings her child along) for 40hrs a week. I then have my toddler in preschool that cost me $600/mo. My total out of pocket expenses are $30,000 for the nanny (inc additional employment taxes) and my cost for preschool + summer camps is $7,200/yr. This brings my total childcare costs to 37,000/year. This is a HUGE portion of my take home income. We bring home $8800/mo and PAY $3,000/mo in childcare expenses. You don't think this is a sacrifice for this VERY WEALTHY family? A VERY WEALTHY person does not have to spend 34% of their income on childcare. Yes, it is great that we can stretch the budget and make this work, but it certainly would be a hell of a lot easier financially if I took my 2 children to daycare to the tune of a $2,000/mo. I do this to gain back time with my children, as I don't have to do drop offs and pick ups and my nanny runs errands and does light cleaning. |
Anonymous
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I have done both, so let me offer my perspective:
My oldest was in daycare preschool. A respected (Bright Horizons) center in DC. We then had a second child, and after maternity leave ended, DD2 went there too, in the infant room. It worked well and I was generally happy -- DC1 learning age-appropriate things, etc. As DC1 approached age 3, I visited traditional preschools in order to compare. Some were not that much different than the daycare preschool. Lots of free play, circle time, etc. Others were very different -- more lessons, more structure, more rules -- more school-like. The overwhelming difference, though, was the teachers. The daycare teachers, although some were certified teachers, were MUCH less engaged with the children. The daycare preschool room was more chaotic. The teachers seemed to know very little about child development. As my child got older, more inquisitve, and more defiant at times, they were less and less equipped to handle him. I observed the room frequently, and most of the kids wandered the room for much of the day. Although there was one "gem" of a teacher, one gem is not going to make up for a handful of non-engaging babysitters. I found out that the "CDA" certificate that many daycare teachers have is a SIX week course. That's right, six weeks. The traditional preschool is entirely different and I am so, so glad I made the switch, even given the added costs and inconveniences. Our particular school offers extended care until 6, even on a drop-in basis, and offers summer camp as well, so it is friendly to working parents. We are not utilizing these benefits right now because we had to get a nanny (when I took DC1 out, I took DC2 out too), but I am glad to know they are there for years down the road. (We are in VA, so the school would not be an option for OP, but I am sure there are equivalent places in MD.) I know this is not an option for everyone, given the costs. Assuming just one child, the school with aftercare and summer camp would run around $22K, while the daycare is more like $13K. So it's a significant difference. Just wanted to provide my input as someone who has done both. |
Anonymous
Saying you are not wealthy while making 170k is ridiculous. |
Anonymous
I should have said that it is a REASONABLE choice only for the very wealthy. My kids are in a full-day preschool- not a daycare (though I have nothing against daycare- just want to make sure OP understands that there are other options). My children have smart and engaged teachers. The core day is 9-1, they take a nap, and then have an hour and a half more of school in the afternoon. Yes, we have to drop them off and pick them up but it's a pleasure. |