Anonymous
Post 10/21/2013 10:29     Subject: When is daycare "school?"
To have a preschool in Washington DC you must have a bachelors or associates with 15 credit hours (one semester) in early childhood education, you can also have a CDA certified by DC with years of experience. The official DC classifications are teachers, assistants and Aides and for a person to become a teacher and be hired she must be approved by OSSE before she is considered for the position.

For a facility to be licensed you MUST have a curriculum with lesson plans and weekly reports. They outline which lesson plans are approved. This is all checked once a year by OSSE. It is checked also by random visits.

See the link below or google OSSE Earlychild hood licensing.

http://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/publication/attachments/611_Licensing_Regulations_29_DCMR_3.pdf

Short answer, if it is in DC and they are licensed as they should be, they do have teachers that work there and should have a curriculum. You cannot open a center without a license and OSSE does check. Even in the infant room which is 6 weeks - 30 months there is a curriculum which is fitted to the development of the child to enhance their growth and abilities pertinent to their milestones for the age. It varies so much because each month a child goes through so many different stages quickly at the younger years and it looks like play - but they are learning.

As for Virginia and Maryland - I do not know how their centers are regulated. Best bet, ask the center to show you their curriculum. They should have a copy of the curriculum that is used by the entire staff to build their daily activities.



Anonymous
Post 10/21/2013 10:26     Subject: When is daycare "school?"
From age 2.5 and up I called it school. It made it sound much cooler and more grown up for DS.
Anonymous
Post 10/21/2013 10:14     Subject: Re:When is daycare "school?"
Anonymous wrote:Let's think about the word "daycare" for a minute (my pet peeve!). Are we caring for the "day" or are we caring for the child? At the very least, let's call it childcare and because they are learning so much (of course, not algebra or chemistry, but children are learning foreign language, how to socialize appropriately etc) why wouldn't it be called school?? I don't know... I think the idea of "school" should be implanted in a child's brain as early as possible. What's the harm and why does it bother some people?


You must really hate the term "babysitting!" All those squashed little babies!
Anonymous
Post 10/21/2013 10:10     Subject: When is daycare "school?"
Anonymous wrote:I always feel like it is because people feel insecure about their daycare decision and so they refer to it as school (when speaking to other adults).


Isn't it precisely as plausible that people who have this as a pet peeve are feeling insucure about their decisions not to send their children to daycare? Maybe a better approach is just to not psychoanalyze either group based on the choice of one word.
Anonymous
Post 10/19/2013 20:33     Subject: When is daycare "school?"
Anonymous wrote:http://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.htm

Some child care workers are ECE certified - early childhood educators.They have done a certificate or diploma in ECE. Not have centers have a requirement that all workers have to be ECE trained.


You are very well meaning but you have the wrong terminology. A degree in ECE (Early Childhood Education) is a 4 year degree. One can also have a masters in ECE. There is no such thing as an ECE certificate or diploma. I can assure you that the vast majority of daycare workers only have a CDA which is the very minimal daycare certificate. Teachers in private preschools have degrees from colleges and universities in the area of education.
Anonymous
Post 10/19/2013 10:22     Subject: When is daycare "school?"
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.htm

Some child care workers are ECE certified - early childhood educators.They have done a certificate or diploma in ECE. Not have centers have a requirement that all workers have to be ECE trained.
Anonymous
Post 10/19/2013 10:14     Subject: When is daycare "school?"
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Everyone in life is a teacher, just like everyone is a learner. We all teach others. A certified teacher is different. Just like being a registered nurse and saying you are a certified nurse is different from nursing your child or nursing your family back to health. Very few day care centers actually have certified teachers.


Your last sentence is incorrect.


Really? All the workers in your daycare and all the daycares you know of are certified teachers? To be a certified teacher - "Teachers in all states must have a Bachelor's degree. Many states require appropriate teacher preparation coursework before employment or the completion of a content-based or teaching-based Master's degree within a stated number of years. Additionally, to be permanently certified, many states require that teachers pass exams on pedagogy, general knowledge and knowledge of a content area".

The majority of daycare workers I have come across are not certified teachers yet they are called teachers.
Anonymous
Post 10/19/2013 09:55     Subject: When is daycare "school?"
Anonymous wrote:Everyone in life is a teacher, just like everyone is a learner. We all teach others. A certified teacher is different. Just like being a registered nurse and saying you are a certified nurse is different from nursing your child or nursing your family back to health. Very few day care centers actually have certified teachers.


Your last sentence is incorrect.
Anonymous
Post 10/18/2013 21:38     Subject: When is daycare "school?"
With DS I say school. With adults I say preschool.
Anonymous
Post 10/18/2013 20:46     Subject: When is daycare "school?"
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I always feel like it is because people feel insecure about their daycare decision and so they refer to it as school (when speaking to other adults).


Agree.
Anonymous
Post 10/18/2013 19:55     Subject: When is daycare "school?"
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So does your 9 month old get held back a year if she didn't stack her blocks right? Do you prep your kids for the curriculum and the testing of expected outcomes? I can just see prep centers for 1 year olds being trained how to stack the blocks better so they will do better in meeting the outcomes of the curriculum! If you played with blocks at home do you let the 'teacher' know that you did extra homework and maybe even worked a little ahead in the curriculum - stacking 4 blocks instead of just 3? What if your child is sick and misses a lesson, do you have to do make-up work on block stacking?

The thought of infants and toddlers being in school makes me laugh. Do any SAHMs refer to themselves as homeschooling their infants and toddlers and to the play and learning activities they do during the day as curriculum?


Sorry, but you seem to be about as mature as my 2 yo. He takes toys and calls "Mine!" and doesn't want others to play with it. You take a word "School!" and don't want others to use it anyway other than how you use it. Grow up. Use it the way you want and stop wasting time and energy trying to teach others how to use it the way you want.


Unfortunately the tongue in cheek aspect went right over your head. I guess as an infant you didn't go to a rigorous enough school. I do think it is quite humorous that people seriously refer to block stacking as part of a curriculum and think that learning can only take place in formal institutions and then pretend this is why they send their infant to school as otherwise the poor infant would never learn to be properly socialized or know how to talk or walk or stack blocks - thank goodness for curricula in institutions of education! I wonder how anyone learned anything back when school started at 5 or 6 and infants and toddlers didn't go to school. I am not trying to teach you anything - you can use it however you wish to your heart's content and I will still think it is humorous when you tell me with a straight face about your 9 month old meeting the outcomes of their curriculum at school.
Anonymous
Post 10/18/2013 17:59     Subject: Re:When is daycare "school?"
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Wow. Real bunch of judgmental assholes in this forum. Guess they are starting to creep over from General Parenting. Bummer.

Oh, and who the hell cares? Sheesh.


You're being pretty judgemental yourself, don't ya think? Just sayin. People can have stupid pet peeves without being assholes, I'm sure you have some yourself.


Just pointing out fact. They are using their pet peeves to criticize people (trying to make themselves feel better so they call it school? Really?). These are not just their pet peeves. They are being assholes. Mountains and molehills.


Is everyone who disagrees with you an a-hole? Good grief.


Nope. Just the ones who need to feel superior.