Anonymous wrote:I used to think this is silly too. Then kids came along, they started at an all day preschool program and we say "school" because it is a preschool and we wanted them to be excited about going.

Exactly. It is not about being pretentious, I just want it to feel special for my kid and for them to start taking the idea of "school" seriously. If I treat it like it is just a nothing place where I dump my kids off, is that better? I think not.

My toddler's preschool teacher has a master's degree in education from a well-respected university. I give them tons of credit for yes, teaching those kids. My toddler learns tons of things that are not academic per se, especially vocabulary associated with various dramatic-play ("pretend") scenarios. The teacher is every bit as much a professional as someone teaching K-12, and has my admiration for skillfully wrangling a bunch of toddlers and ensuring that they learn something while having a lot of fun.

Anonymous wrote:My sister is here (lives in my hometown in Ohio) and she told me she noticed 3 of my friends talking about their infants "school." She was laughing and thought it sounded rediclous to call daycare school. She just thought it was a bit pretentious and over the top. I've never thought about it before but I guess the word daycare is fading out. Just a funny observation I thought I would share. It's now an inside joke. "O does baby Larla have a spelling test today." "She's probably tired from her chem final."

I assume this has been covered (haven't read every post), but there's a difference between preschool and daycare. Preschools are closed during the summer. They operate from 8:45-3 (roughly). Some would argue the focus is different at a preschool than a daycare. Historically, daycares were set-up as child care facilities to provide DAY CARE for your child. Preschools were set up to prepare children for school. PRE SCHOOL. That's the history. These days many daycares offer more, and some don't. It just depends on the place.

13:39-I cannot believe that you would try to demean any teacher. You are behaving badly and should examine your motivation. How about if you spend 8 hours a day with 2 year olds and see how much teaching and learning goes on.

Anonymous wrote:If I meet someone and ask about their career and they say they are a teacher, I envision an actual school teacher. It would be absurd to find out that they are actually a daycare provider in charge of toddlers.

How can the teaching profession come to be respected when we blur the lines like this?

How can you be respected when you put people down based on their profession? It is possible to be a highly trained and skilled infant/toddler teacher. I know at least two who have bachelor's degrees. If you think it's unnecessary or a waste, you are pretty ignorant.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I call it school, because it's where my 2yo has learned to count, his shapes, Spanish, etc. He has teachers there. How is this not school?

You'll never hear a SAHM say they "homeschool" a toddler. It is just something that sounds better than daycare. Of course they learn things at daycare. They are learning all the time. They learn things at the mall and in the yard. If it makes you feel better then go ahead but you aren't fooling anyone.

Then you haven’t met some of my high school friends. One posts daily on social media about “homeschooling” her 2 and 4 year olds, and appears to have a network of similar “homeschooling” friends with similar age kids.

I also don’t really get this debate. I use school and daycare pretty interchangeably to refer to where my kids go during the day. This is partly because their daycare has “school” in its name and because my 3 year old calls it that, as school is an existing concept she understands (from books, older cousins, etc). Usually with adults, I say daycare but I get so used to calling it school around my kids, that I know I slip and say it to adults sometimes as well.

And this is why I called it school to other adults. Because that's what my kid called it, and I got used to calling it that. It's not because I felt guilty or needed to make myself feel better. It's because I didn't give it nearly the amount of thought that some of you seem to.

And frankly, when the kids are three and four years old, it's pretty much the same as any other preschool, which people call "school" without recrimination, except that the hours were longer.

We called it daycare until she moved to the twos room, at which point SHE started calling it school. I went along with it because she liked her daycare, and I figured that calling it school would cause her to have positive associations with the idea of school.

The threes and fours rooms had actual preschool curricula (play-based), so it made even more sense to call it school. There was basically no difference between what she did all day and what kids in DCPS PS3 or PK4 were doing all day (except that she had a better student-teacher ratio and more field trips and outings).

I'm surprised by the people on here who think parents who use daycare feel guilty about it. I can afford a nanny, as can most of my friends, but most of us in dual-professional families choose center-based daycares. I love my daycare and unequivocally think it's the best set up for my kids. I say school sometimes because it's shorter and easier to say. Other times i say daycare. Why on Earth would anyone care about this?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I call it school, because it's where my 2yo has learned to count, his shapes, Spanish, etc. He has teachers there. How is this not school?

You'll never hear a SAHM say they "homeschool" a toddler. It is just something that sounds better than daycare. Of course they learn things at daycare. They are learning all the time. They learn things at the mall and in the yard. If it makes you feel better then go ahead but you aren't fooling anyone.

Then you haven’t met some of my high school friends. One posts daily on social media about “homeschooling” her 2 and 4 year olds, and appears to have a network of similar “homeschooling” friends with similar age kids.

I also don’t really get this debate. I use school and daycare pretty interchangeably to refer to where my kids go during the day. This is partly because their daycare has “school” in its name and because my 3 year old calls it that, as school is an existing concept she understands (from books, older cousins, etc). Usually with adults, I say daycare but I get so used to calling it school around my kids, that I know I slip and say it to adults sometimes as well.

If I meet someone and ask about their career and they say they are a teacher, I envision an actual school teacher. It would be absurd to find out that they are actually a daycare provider in charge of toddlers.

How can the teaching profession come to be respected when we blur the lines like this?

I had no idea the idea the use of school for kids not officially in kindergarten or higher would be such a hot button issue. We use The Goddard School. They have the word school in their name and I tell my 4 yo to get ready for school. I discuss with my peers about how the preschool program has helped my shy child develop into a more outgoing child, and I am glad I choose to go with a center instead of a home daycare due to the exposure to more kids and staff. When my boss asks if I can stay late for a meeting I say I am covered until 6:30 at daycare. I see no problem in using daycare or school interchangeably and everyone knows my kids are not public school age. I also don't feel guilty working and 'outsourcing' raising my kids so the use of daycare is not a guilt associated word in my life. I don't think before reading this I ever noticed what word people use and really don't care if you call your child care provider a center, daycare, school, nanny, or grandma.

Anonymous wrote:Why does this matter? I am stunned at how many pages of comments there are on this "problem"!

.

It is very important for a surprising number of people to ensure that parents who use daycare realize how horrible they are and to acknowledge they are wracked with guilt over abandoning their child.

Why does this matter? I am stunned at how many pages of comments there are on this "problem"!

Sometimes I say school just cause it’s faster.
It’s daycare for my two year old, but whatever.
Ps- I LIVE IN OHIO

I used to think this is silly too. Then kids came along, they started at an all day preschool program and we say "school" because it is a preschool and we wanted them to be excited about going.