NP. It's ridiculous to call daycare "school". You can learn letters and numbers by watching something like Sesame Street on TV, and I don't think most sane people would think that their kids are at school while they're sitting on the couch doing that.

And most people who send their kids to bonafide preschool generally call it "preschool" not "school".

I have a preschool-aged kid who I sit and teach cursive writing and reading and all sorts of math (including operations and fractions), and I don't tell people that we homeschool. I say that we WILL be homeschooling next year (for kindergarten) and beyond. I have a younger child who also knows numbers, letters, enjoys doing fairly difficult puzzles, etc, and I don't say that we're homeschooling in that case either.

I guess people just want to say what makes themselves feel better.

Anonymous wrote:I actually have noticed this trend too and think it's weird. Your infant did not just "graduate" to the next classroom, stopping posting pics on FB with her "first day last day"

I think it's just so people feel better about their childcare situation. No no, I'm not paying someone to just watch my kid all day, it's SCHOOL. Just starting the tiger mom frenzy earlier and earlier.

Tiger Mom frenzy? No, White Mom frenzy. Tiger Moms do not think that their children need to be made to feel like a special snowflake just because they exist!

Anonymous wrote:Op here!!! This blew up! I was thinking this would be light hearted. My sister lives in a really nice suburb of Columbus and her and her husband are successful physicians. She has so much more house and land I could ever dream of. I love DC but let's not pretend every other area is a complete shithole.

Exactly.

Op here!!! This blew up! I was thinking this would be light hearted. My sister lives in a really nice suburb of Columbus and her and her husband are successful physicians. She has so much more house and land I could ever dream of. I love DC but let's not pretend every other area is a complete shithole.

Say what you want- much of Ohio has quality affordable childcare.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

I tend to agree with you. When DD was an infant it was definitely 'daycare,' but now that she's two the things she learns amazes me daily: counting, colors, shapes, ABC's. And the ART - so much art. And the choreographed dances. And how to get along with others and share toys.

Her caregivers are certainly teaching her these things, so how are they not teachers?

Because unless it is an accredited preschool with certified teachers with college degrees - they aren’t teachers.

Around here the teachers at some of the better "daycares" do have college degrees and certifications, even in the younger classrooms. (All of our's have certifications and at least some early education training. I believe starting in the 2s classes they also have college degrees. They definitely do in the 3-5s classes.)

+1

In the daycares/preschools/whatever my kids have gone to, the lead teacher has always had a college degree. The assistants usually had at least an associate's degree or the community college daycare certificate. I'm not sure it is even legal in this area to work in a daycare center without some sort of certification.

*A 4-yr college degree.

Anonymous wrote:

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?

I tend to agree with you. When DD was an infant it was definitely 'daycare,' but now that she's two the things she learns amazes me daily: counting, colors, shapes, ABC's. And the ART - so much art. And the choreographed dances. And how to get along with others and share toys.

Her caregivers are certainly teaching her these things, so how are they not teachers?

Because unless it is an accredited preschool with certified teachers with college degrees - they aren’t teachers.

Around here the teachers at some of the better "daycares" do have college degrees and certifications, even in the younger classrooms. (All of our's have certifications and at least some early education training. I believe starting in the 2s classes they also have college degrees. They definitely do in the 3-5s classes.)

+1

In the daycares/preschools/whatever my kids have gone to, the lead teacher has always had a college degree. The assistants usually had at least an associate's degree or the community college daycare certificate. I'm not sure it is even legal in this area to work in a daycare center without some sort of certification.

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.

I have indeed heard SAHMs say they are homeschooling their toddler and pre-school aged children. I also know SAHMs who send their toddler and pre-school aged children to Mother's morning out programs, and they call those programs "preschool."

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?

I tend to agree with you. When DD was an infant it was definitely 'daycare,' but now that she's two the things she learns amazes me daily: counting, colors, shapes, ABC's. And the ART - so much art. And the choreographed dances. And how to get along with others and share toys.

Her caregivers are certainly teaching her these things, so how are they not teachers?

Because unless it is an accredited preschool with certified teachers with college degrees - they aren’t teachers.

Around here the teachers at some of the better "daycares" do have college degrees and certifications, even in the younger classrooms. (All of our's have certifications and at least some early education training. I believe starting in the 2s classes they also have college degrees. They definitely do in the 3-5s classes.)

Anonymous wrote:

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."

It's a trying to seem important, rich person thing. I thought the same thing as some of my friends had kids in Manhattan and would CONSTANTLY be taking about their 6 month old or 1 year old's SCHOOL. Um -- it's called DAYCARE. It got to the point where lots of them were justifying ridiculous real estate decisions -- rents/mortgages they couldn't afford -- bc they couldn't move uptown/downtown/crosstown bc they just couldn't rip their 14 month old out of SCHOOL. Frankly the daycares encourage this -- referring to themselves as schools etc. bc it plants the seed in gullible rich parents' mind that this is a permanent commitment just like grades 1-12 will be, which means we can't possibly switch bc a new daycare opened, it's closer, better priced, whatever.

Yes and yes. I first saw this with NYC friends too.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
What a strange discussion. Why would anyone care what it's called?

You all have too much free time!

We should all care because there is a shame in calling it daycare where there shouldn’t be. We need to be honest about daycare in order to improve it.

The only "shame" in daycare is some random SAHM or folks with nannies trying to pretend their arrangements are better. I have never seen a parent with a kid in daycare feel guilty about it, nor should they.

Nor is there often any difference between a daycare and a preschool. My kid goes to some would call a "daycare" because it goes from infrant to pre-k. But I am quite confident the activities and "curriculum" he is doing is on par with what a "preschool" would do. Hell, even the kids who are too young for "preschool" have a ton of organized, thoughtful activities.

My conscious is quite clear.

Good. So you know your infant is in daycare and not school. Go ahead - say it! Daycare.

My infant, sure. But my 5 year old who goes to the same facility is in "school" every bit as much as a kid who attends a "preschool." The only difference is that mine is full day and full year. Hell, given the activities they do, I don't think it is crazy to call my 2 year olds class "school," but I also don't care because it is a completely semantic difference for which I see no stigma.

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."

It's a trying to seem important, rich person thing. I thought the same thing as some of my friends had kids in Manhattan and would CONSTANTLY be taking about their 6 month old or 1 year old's SCHOOL. Um -- it's called DAYCARE. It got to the point where lots of them were justifying ridiculous real estate decisions -- rents/mortgages they couldn't afford -- bc they couldn't move uptown/downtown/crosstown bc they just couldn't rip their 14 month old out of SCHOOL. Frankly the daycares encourage this -- referring to themselves as schools etc. bc it plants the seed in gullible rich parents' mind that this is a permanent commitment just like grades 1-12 will be, which means we can't possibly switch bc a new daycare opened, it's closer, better priced, whatever.

I call it school and I don't think that there is anything wrong with daycare as a form of childcare. I am not trying to "make myself feel better" or "fool anyone." It is the best choice for our family. Why do you care what we call it?

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.

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?

I tend to agree with you. When DD was an infant it was definitely 'daycare,' but now that she's two the things she learns amazes me daily: counting, colors, shapes, ABC's. And the ART - so much art. And the choreographed dances. And how to get along with others and share toys.

Her caregivers are certainly teaching her these things, so how are they not teachers?

Because unless it is an accredited preschool with certified teachers with college degrees - they aren’t teachers.

Try explaining that to a 3yo. “Sorry Larla, you’re not at an accredited preschool so you can’t refer to Ms. Sanders as your ‘teacher’. She’s a ‘childcare provider’.”