Reply to What are the key distinctions b/w pre-school and day care?

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[quote=MerrittAcademyAmy]To PP- 
My name is Amy, and I'm the Director of Admissions at Merritt Academy.  My opinion is that a "daycare" provides child supervision and ensures that children's basic needs (food, clothing, diapering) are met while parents are away.  They may or may not incorporate other activities, and generally do not ascribe to a larger program, curriculum or teaching philosophy (Traditional vs. Montessori vs. Progressive, etc.)

I consider Merritt Academy's program to be a full-time preschool as opposed to a daycare.  The distinction, in my opinion, comes down to the caliber of teachers/caregivers that work directly with the children (are they degreed, is teaching preschool their career choice, or just a job?), whether or not the center ascribes to a particular program or curriculum.

For instance, each preschool class (infants up to pre-K) are lead by teachers with specialized degrees in Early Childhood Education (BA in ECE) or Child Development (CDA).  Merritt Academy's Infant, Toddler and K2 programs are based on the Whole Child Concept ABCs of Developmental Milestones- which can be viewed here: http://www.pbs.org/wholechild/abc/index.htmlTeachers create weekly lesson plans with flexibility and differentiation in mind, so that each child is able to meet the various milestones at his or her own pace.  Our K3 and K4 programs are more academic, and take content from our school curriculum that go through our upper grades.

Since we incorporate a "big picture" approach to each individual child's development and progress, and our teachers are educators (as opposed to simply "caregivers"), our program does not fit my personal definition of a daycare.  [/quote]

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