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Day Care vs. Preschool: Which Is Better for Your Family?

Which Is Better for Your Family?

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If you have a 3- to 4-year-old, deciding to enroll her in a day care or preschool can be a difficult choice to make. Are you more focused on teacher training and background or your child’s forming a close bond with the caregiver? Is it more important that your child learn social skills or academics? Do you need full-time or part-time hours? A number of questions loom as you investigate the better choice for your child: day care or preschool?

The primary difference between traditional day care facilities and preschools is hours of operation. Day care hours cater to working parents and often open early in the morning before rush hour for parents to drop their kids off before going to work. Likewise, they may stay open into the late afternoon or early evening to allow parents to pick up their kids on their way home. Preschools, on the other hand, have shorter hours—sometimes mornings only or two or three days a week.

Also, preschools are exactly what their name suggests: schools. The children usually range in age between 3 and 5 and learn in more of a traditional classroom setting. Classrooms often have tables where kids sit and do lessons, as well as various learning centers around the room, such as sensory tables, building areas and craft supplies. Also, certified teachers lead the class with an organized curriculum. In contrast, day cares may include academics throughout the day, but provide more playtime or free time because the kids are in the building for more hours.

For example, all three of my children attended Lenexa United Methodist Church Preschool (LUMC), run by Lori Campbell. When asked what differentiates LUMC from day care facilities, Campbell says, “LUMC is a part-time, part-day program, designed specifically as a place for discovery, exploration and education instead of child care. Also, the majority of my staff have extensive experience and a long tenure, having been teaching here 10 to 15-plus years.”

Day cares also may include academic curriculums in their day, but they are designated as childcare facilities that are open full time. Remember the distinctions between in-home day cares and day care centers. One positive to using a center is reliability. A center will not close if a faculty member is ill or on vacation, because a substitute teacher can be called. An in-home provider may have to close her day care due to illness or vacation. A negative side to centers is that some have high employee turnover rates, leaving your child little time to bond with teachers. At an in-home day care, however, one or two adults are with your child all day, every day, forming a more secure relationship. Also, in-home day cares typically have smaller groups of children, which exposes them to fewer germs and fosters close-knit friendships.

A well-known day care center in the Johnson County area is Special Beginnings Early Learning Center. Director Mary Hornbeck says, “My centers are officially early care and education programs, meaning we provide childcare services while educating the children and preparing them for elementary school. We start lesson plans with even our infants (4 months and older).”

On the other hand, Miss Angel, owner of Miss Angel’s Family Home Day Care describes her program, run out of her house, as more flexible. Angel may spontaneously take all the children to the park, go outside to look for worms or do a craft at her kitchen table. She uses a less rigid method for planning her lessons, choosing the day’s activities based on weather, events around town and the children’s temperament. Angel says her in-home day care kids become “like a family” to one another.

Finally, another concern parents often have regarding day cares and preschools is licensure. Preschools and day care centers all must be licensed in the state of Kansas. In-home day care centers that operate more than 20 hours per week must be licensed as well. If licensure is concerning to you, ask the director of the facility you are interested in to see a copy. You also can check out Kansas Child Care Licensing at KDHEKS.gov and Missouri at Health.mo.gov/safety/childcare.

Choosing a child care center or preschool is not easy for parents. If you work full time and are looking for more of a structured environment where the faculty has early childhood training, a center is probably your best fit. If you work and are more interested in a more flexible program where your son or daughter is likely to bond closely with the caregiver, check out in-home day cares. And finally, if you do not need full-time child care and would like to enroll your child in a school environment, preschools will help him learn social skills and foster his academic progress, readying him for kindergarten. Regardless of where your child ends up, you can take comfort in knowing that he is having fun, making friends and learning something new every day.

 

Olathe mom Karen Johnson has three children, ages 6, 4 and 2. She writes at The21stCenturySAHM.com.

 

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