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Which is Best for Your Child: Daycare or Preschool?
by Shauna Smith Duty
The Dilemma
When Mom and Dad have to work, who will take care of the emotional, social, physical, and educational needs of the children? Daycares provide socialization and activities to keep kids stimulated, but preschools offer a defined curriculum for kindergarten preparation. Parents face a monumental decision when approaching childcare. The program your child attends, and the caregivers or teachers working there, will influence his overall behavior, development, and attitude. So which is better, daycare or preschool?
It’s not quite that simple. According to Pam Schiller, PhD and Senior Author of The DLM Early Childhood Program and other early childhood curricula, daycare is primarily custodial care, though many centers offer programs that exceed custodial care standards. “It is not unusual to find childcare centers that offer educational programs.” So, in short, daycares supervise, feed, and otherwise care for the safety and well being of children, and sometimes they offer educational programs.
Preschool, Schiller says, focuses on a planned program for 2.5 to 3 hours each day. “There are a fairly large number of families who choose a preschool that will focus on academics. These parents often believe that their children are getting a head start.”
Education and Development
Parents feel secure knowing their child is gaining an education while they are away from Mom and Dad. There is security in having a purpose other than custodial care for parent/child separation. But is preschool really important for young children?
La Petite Academy, a national childcare chain, offers Journey, a preschool program run within their childcare centers. According to their website, “Following standards set by the leading early childhood education professional organization, Journey incorporates learning activities that focus on developing early-literacy and pre-writing skills.”
Primrose Schools, another big player in the realm of childcare, are accredited by three early childcare organizations, and their goal, also, is to prepare children for school. Dr. Mary Zurn, vice president of education at Primrose School Franchising Company says most parents notice distinct differences between daycares and preschools. While health, safety, cleanliness, consistency of care, and social and emotional development are basic attributes preschools and daycares should share, preschools often stress cognitive skills. They may have smaller student-teacher ratios so each student receives individualized attention, and they often follow structured lesson plans. Preschools can be more costly than daycare centers because of the expense to employ trained teachers to administer curriculum, as well as the expense of the curriculum and materials required to teach it effectively.
Some daycare centers offer pre-literacy activities and kindergarten prep, too. Activities childcare providers have incorporated in toddler classrooms for decades, such as coloring, reciting the alphabet, writing letters, and identifying colors and numbers, prepare students for kindergarten. The difference between accredited preschool programs and educational programs at childcare centers is standards. With an accredited preschool, parents know exactly what and when their children will learn. In daycare centers that do not have standards for educational programs, the curriculum depends upon how teachers structure their classes.
With the No Child Left Behind Act, pre-literacy and pre-writing skills have been given more attention than ever before. After all, today’s parents want to give their children the best—the best schools, the best education, and the best opportunities for their futures. While school preparation is admirable, Pam Schiller says, “A child’s success in public education is not so much based on the fund of facts that he or she carries into kindergarten, but much more likely, it will depend on his or her ability to control their social and emotional behaviors.”
Free Time: Socialization and Physical Activity
If three, four, and five year olds are focused on school preparation in preschool, when can they play and socialize? Social skills are a major part of toddlers’ and preschoolers’ development. Schiller says, “All children need an environment that promotes experiences that strengthen their ability in all areas of development—cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and language. To neglect any area during the crucial first six years of life is to do a huge disservice to children.”
KinderCare Learning Centers, another national childcare chain, describes their philosophy online. “Our guiding principle is to help your child master the skills needed to succeed in school and in life — including a strong sense of play!”
Schiller describes preschool programs as lasting 2.5 to 3 hours per day, so there is ample time left for free play and interaction with other children. This is why many daycare centers now offer preschool programs. Is the extra time used for physical activity?
According to an article in USA Today (November, 2004), researcher Russ Pate conducted a study for the University of Southern Carolina-Columbia, and paid for by Gerber Products, to determine whether children in childcare get enough physical activity. The study revealed that children engaged in 7.7 minutes per hour of moderate to rigorous activity, most of which was outdoors. Is this enough activity?
In 2002, The NASPE, National Association of Sports and Physical Education, released the following guidelines for toddler and preschool activity.
Guideline 1. Toddlers should accumulate at least 30 minutes daily of structured physical activity; preschoolers at least 60 minutes.
Guideline 2. Toddlers and preschoolers should engage in at least 60 minutes and up to several hours per day of daily, unstructured physical activity and should not be sedentary for more than 60 minutes at a time except when sleeping.
Guideline 3. Toddlers should develop movement skills that are building blocks for more complex movement tasks; preschoolers should develop competence in movement skills that are building blocks for more complex movement tasks.
Guideline 4. Toddlers and preschoolers should have indoor and outdoor areas that meet or exceed recommended safety standards for performing large muscle activities.
Guideline 5. Individuals responsible for the well-being of toddlers and preschoolers should be aware of the importance of physical activity and facilitate the child's movement skills.
When visiting and interviewing childcare facilities, consider the amount of free time children have for imaginative play, exercise, and socialization.
Quality Child Care
Zurn suggests parents consider exactly what they want from childcare prior to exploring options. Educational, social, emotional, and developmental needs of a child should be considered, as well as the family budget for childcare expenses. Many national and regional daycare and preschool programs have websites that describe their philosophies, offer contact information, and some have virtual facility tours. The Internet can be a great asset for previewing childcare centers and preschools.
Once your expectations are determined, tour multiple facilities, consider what you like and do not like at each, and make sure to gauge your comfort level with the caregiver who would be your child’s teacher.
According to Schiller, parents should consider:
* Longevity of staff
* Staff knowledge of early brain development (which should dictate the curriculum)
* How staff relates to children
* An equal balance of physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and language focus
* Cleanliness, safety, appropriate toys and equipment
“I always tell parents to use their five senses. Does it smell right, look right, sound right, feel right?” says Schiller.
Find What Works
Families are as different as each individual that comprises them. What your family wants for your children may not be right for another family. This is why Zurn is adamant about parents clearly defining expectations prior to beginning a search for the right daycare or preschool program.
Daycare centers and preschools are not the only options for childcare. If neither of these options meets the needs and expectations of your family, consider in-home childcare, a nanny or au pair, or Montessori school. Many children’s preschool years are spent with a relative who stays home, such as a grandparent or stay-at-home mother. Your family has valid needs and expectations. Outline these, and you’ll be more prepared to find the perfect childcare.
Shauna Smith Duty is a freelance writer and homeschooling mother of two in Roanoke, Texas. Visit www.shaunasmithduty.com to read more of Shauna’s articles and find out about her latest projects.
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