What is the difference between daycare and pre-school (or nursery school)

[Anonymous]

for a 3 or 4 year old? Do both prepare your child for Kindergarten? I get the reason why people in DC prefer pre-school because there is the opportunity to lottery fur free school but other than paying for nursery school vs not paying is there a real difference?

[Anonymous]

Curriculum wise, it's the same thing. Hours wise, daycare gives you sufficient coverage to work full time while preschool is usually part-time and closed several times a year like a regular school.

[Anonymous]

We have done both OP. DD was in a daycare ( with a preschool type curriculum) until she was almost 4. Then we switched to a preschool with a pre-K program for her final year before K.

We loved our daycare but one of the reasons we switched when we did was the nap time. They are sticklers for making the kids lay down for 2 hours in the afternoon. Daycare kids get dropped off and picked up at different times. They also were grouped by age so kids are moving up and younger kids coming in all the time. Its hard to keep a constant friend.
At our preschool all the kids get dropped of at 9.25 and picked up at 2. They have a 20 min rest time while the teachers get lunch organized. They stay with the same kids for the entire school year.

I think a good daycare with a preschool or pre-K curriculum can prepare your kid for K. You have to look at other factors when choosing what will work for you.

[Anonymous]

The intent of daycare is to take care of your child - learning is secondary. If they do a preschool program at daycare and are accredited - great! If not, your child will be behind the kids who attended proper preschools.

[Anonymous]

Nothing really. Both are child care.

Daycare is where kids go to be looked after when their parents work.

Preschool is where kids go for a few mornings a week so their stay at home parents can have a break / run errands.

Both typically do a combination of play and learning activities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have done both OP. DD was in a daycare ( with a preschool type curriculum) until she was almost 4. Then we switched to a preschool with a pre-K program for her final year before K.

We loved our daycare but one of the reasons we switched when we did was the nap time. They are sticklers for making the kids lay down for 2 hours in the afternoon. Daycare kids get dropped off and picked up at different times. They also were grouped by age so kids are moving up and younger kids coming in all the time. Its hard to keep a constant friend.
At our preschool all the kids get dropped of at 9.25 and picked up at 2. They have a 20 min rest time while the teachers get lunch organized. They stay with the same kids for the entire school year.

I think a good daycare with a preschool or pre-K curriculum can prepare your kid for K. You have to look at other factors when choosing what will work for you.

Our daycare "preschool" is similar but not totally that way. Definitely the schedule is more flexible, and the long nap is a bummer (although my 4.5 year old still naps, so it's not so bad for him; we've adjusted and even like having him up until 9!) But there's been a consistent class all year, and the teachers have a real curriculum and plan for every day that they follow. They work on letters, numbers, etc, social-emotional stuff, and do little units on things like "space" and "flowers." I'm guessing my son is getting less practice on things like writing letters and learning sight words than in a real "preschool." But for our particular kid, the big advantage of the daycare/preschool setting is that it is MUCH more relaxed than the preschool we tried. It's designed to be a low-stress atmosphere, where playing, snacking, and being nice to friends is still kind of the #1 thing. We like that! Oh, and I also like that it is year round. Although my DS might come in a little behind the other Kindergarteners, he'll spend the summer still doing the math & language learning that they might not be doing at their camps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nothing really. Both are child care.

Daycare is where kids go to be looked after when their parents work.

Preschool is where kids go for a few mornings a week so their stay at home parents can have a break / run errands.

Both typically do a combination of play and learning activities.

This is it exactly. Anyone who thinks their half day preschool is academically preparing their children for K is a joke. It is all about socialization, learning to share, learning to stand in line, take turns, follow directions, and sit still in circle time. All the good preschools (half or full day) are play based anyway. There has been so much research on this. I actively avoided putting my child in a preschool that had an academic curriculum. Her play based preschool covers a letter a week and the rest she learns through play. As she should.

[Anonymous]

I honestly wonder how much you all think your kids are getting out of 2-3 half days a week? Honest.

[Anonymous]

Preschool is 3-4 hrs a few times a week- usually a SAHM pick up and drops off the kid. Daycare is all day everyday while you work.

[Anonymous]

Preschool can be all day - you can pay for morning and then afternoon sessions, all the way up until 6 or 6:30 p.m., depending on the place.

[Anonymous]

These threads depress me with how quickly they devolve into women attacking each other over life choices made for a variety of reasons/due to different circumstances. I wish we could be more supportive of one another and respect that people make the choices that work for them and their families. Attacking someone for making choices different than yours does not serve anyone well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I honestly wonder how much you all think your kids are getting out of 2-3 half days a week? Honest.

Socialization, making friends, getting used to school routine, pre-reading, art projects, play time with things we don't have at home. He gets dance and music, too.
He goes 3 mornings a week. That's less that a child in ft daycare; and more than a child who doesn't go to any preschool or daycare.

Is your kid in ft daycare? Or do you keep your kids home? I'm trying to figure out why you're opposed to traditional preschool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have done both OP. DD was in a daycare ( with a preschool type curriculum) until she was almost 4. Then we switched to a preschool with a pre-K program for her final year before K.

We loved our daycare but one of the reasons we switched when we did was the nap time. They are sticklers for making the kids lay down for 2 hours in the afternoon. Daycare kids get dropped off and picked up at different times. They also were grouped by age so kids are moving up and younger kids coming in all the time. Its hard to keep a constant friend.
At our preschool all the kids get dropped of at 9.25 and picked up at 2. They have a 20 min rest time while the teachers get lunch organized. They stay with the same kids for the entire school year.

I think a good daycare with a preschool or pre-K curriculum can prepare your kid for K. You have to look at other factors when choosing what will work for you.

Our daycare "preschool" is similar but not totally that way. Definitely the schedule is more flexible, and the long nap is a bummer (although my 4.5 year old still naps, so it's not so bad for him; we've adjusted and even like having him up until 9!) But there's been a consistent class all year, and the teachers have a real curriculum and plan for every day that they follow. They work on letters, numbers, etc, social-emotional stuff, and do little units on things like "space" and "flowers." I'm guessing my son is getting less practice on things like writing letters and learning sight words than in a real "preschool." But for our particular kid, the big advantage of the daycare/preschool setting is that it is MUCH more relaxed than the preschool we tried. It's designed to be a low-stress atmosphere, where playing, snacking, and being nice to friends is still kind of the #1 thing. We like that! Oh, and I also like that it is year round. Although my DS might come in a little behind the other Kindergarteners, he'll spend the summer still doing the math & language learning that they might not be doing at their camps.

Yeah, our daycare's PK4 program is like a low-key preschool. They have a curriculum that they follow (play-based), using weekly units on seasons, holidays, etc. They have a daily schedule for circle time, art projects, science/math concepts, etc. They also have lots of free play time, go to the playground and the parks daily, and have tons of field trips (it's near the Mall and they go to the Smithsonian's Discovery Theater a lot, as well as the museums, free music performances, various festivals, etc.). Every parent I have talked to who had older kids go through the program says their kids were absolutely prepared for kindergarten, whether in DC, MoCo, or NoVa. My kid is reading, plays well with others and follows classroom rules and procedures, and I have no worries that she won't be prepared for kindergarten.

Other bonuses: no scrambling for summer camps, because it's year-round. My kid has known most of her classmates since infancy, and she's really comfortable in the environment. The class size is very small...always less than 14, and often less than 12 kids. We love her teachers.

I think a good daycare preK program is just as good as a good preschool in terms of kindergarten readiness, but individual programs can vary, so I think the specifics of the program are more important than whether it's daycare or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing really. Both are child care.

Daycare is where kids go to be looked after when their parents work.

Preschool is where kids go for a few mornings a week so their stay at home parents can have a break / run errands.

Both typically do a combination of play and learning activities.

This is it exactly. Anyone who thinks their half day preschool is academically preparing their children for K is a joke. It is all about socialization, learning to share, learning to stand in line, take turns, follow directions, and sit still in circle time. All the good preschools (half or full day) are play based anyway. There has been so much research on this. I actively avoided putting my child in a preschool that had an academic curriculum. Her play based preschool covers a letter a week and the rest she learns through play. As she should.

This a million times. Preschool should not be "academic." That's not how kids that age learn, and it's not appropriate for them.

[Anonymous]

There are daycare organizations that are curriculum based at that age. DD is in one. In effect, there is no difference between where she is now and the other preschool options besides hours. BUT, as PP noted, in either case, the point is socialization, learning to follow directions and share, circle time, etc. Yes, there are flash cards, handwriting, sight words, etc., but frankly the former is really what they should get out of it.