https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 24 Jun 2026 03:10:02 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2187224 Fri, 22 May 2015 14:11:07 +0000 JoyfulKiwi 2187224@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@honeybear: in my state, Colorado, to be a lead teacher (or even a "filler" teacher) you need to meet a whole host of requirements. You need classes specific to child-care &amp; an exorbitant amount of contact hours before you're qualified to be alone with a group of children. That's for every center, daycare, preschool, etc. I think it's a good thing; it assures that a 17 year old kid, no matter how sweet &amp; loving, isn't left totally in charge. I don't think master's degrees are unnecessary, especially for true preschool classrooms meant to prepare a child for kinder; preschool takes a lot of skill &amp; knowledge!</p> <p>ETA: why would a person who took the time, financial burden, and effort to get higher education and then deliberatly choose the low-paying position of preschool be assumed to not be competent? Not trying to be snarky, I'm genuinely wondering what else would make a teacher more competent than other. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2187216 Fri, 22 May 2015 14:08:19 +0000 hilsy85 2187216@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@honeybear: I would assume that someone who has a master's degree in early child hood education or child development is more educated about those topics, therefore more qualified to work effectively with/teach appropriately those populations (not that those without those degrees are unqualified, but that there is a range of good to best). And of course other qualities (patience, love of children, experience) count as well, but I'm not really sure how having higher education in the field you are working in is a marketing scheme? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2187209 Fri, 22 May 2015 14:04:55 +0000 honeybear 2187209@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@hilsy85: @regberadaisy: I understand that a master's degree in education is a requirement. My point is that it is a very silly one that is premised on marketing. In that respect, it appears to be working. I completely agree that teachers should be qualified to teach, I just don't accept that a master's in education is any guarantee of competence. The fact that this is the "industry standard" doesn't mean that we have to accept it uncritically. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2187146 Fri, 22 May 2015 13:19:32 +0000 daniellemybelle 2187146@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@regberadaisy: Or the preschool offers before &amp; after care. That's what ours does. It is still hard for parents working full time traditional jobs because they close for every holiday under the sun and over the summer.</p> <p>I feel like around here, the big differentiator is the schedule. My daughter goes to a "preschool" even though she is not yet at preschool age. The core hours are 9am-3pm and they follow a school calendar rather than being open year round. They do offer before &amp; after care so you can send your child from 7am-5pm. Once they get to the 3s and up classes, it is more academic from 9-3 and before &amp; after care is just play. I don't know if the teachers have degrees. From 6 months - 3 years it is essentially daycare or "Mommy's Day Out." </p> <p>Because I work from home and have a flexible schedule, this has been a great fit for us. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2187145 Fri, 22 May 2015 13:17:07 +0000 regberadaisy 2187145@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@honeybear: that is a requirement for the lead teachers. All other teacher either hold a bachelors or working towards their bachelors in education. These were the more expensive and education focused day cares. Ones where the wait list is almost a year!</p> <p>At my daycare, though the teachers are loving and I know LO is cared for, lead teachers have a bachelor or working towards one. And a lot of times fillers aren't even in education major. They just have prior experience and/or good with kids. I definitely notice the difference because at the filler teacher level there is a huge turn over. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2187136 Fri, 22 May 2015 13:12:35 +0000 sunny 2187136@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ok phew. From what I gather, it sounds like the program she is in is similar to preschool programs so I feel a lot better. I thought I had totally dropped the ball on this and she was going to be so behind her peers by kindergarten! Thanks for all the feedback :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2187117 Fri, 22 May 2015 12:49:20 +0000 Andrea 2187117@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@regberadaisy: yes, mostly SAHMs. I see nannies and grandparents for those that have two working parents. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2186786 Fri, 22 May 2015 07:54:02 +0000 Mamaof2 2186786@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Daycare - like a babysitter - someone watching your child but not focusing on academics, cheap</p> <p>Pre-school - Teachers with college degrees, set curriculum, usually accredited thru some program, expensive </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2186742 Fri, 22 May 2015 06:40:49 +0000 hilsy85 2186742@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@honeybear: that is a requirement for all lead teachers at every preschool we toured. I don't think it's unreasonable, considering that these are private (and expensive) preschools, and parents want to ensure that their kids are properly prepared for school, and that the hours they spend there will be properly enriching. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2186737 Fri, 22 May 2015 06:37:00 +0000 looch 2186737@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@regberadaisy: My son goes to a preschool program at a nature center. Right now, the 4 year old program (I think the 3s is the same) is morning and afternoon sessions, 2 hours 45 minutes each. </p> <p>There are 3 WOHMs (myself included), the rest are SAHMs. One kid is in all day, one has a nanny that does drop off and pickup, mine has grandma/grandpacare. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2186722 Fri, 22 May 2015 05:25:21 +0000 honeybear 2186722@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@regberadaisy: I know this is slightly off-topic, but whoa, hold up. Daycares (and/or preschools) require their teachers to have <i>master's degrees</i>? That's insane. I wouldn't hold a degree of any sort against anyone if they went to get it based on their own interests and motivations--sometimes it's good for people to decide to change careers/jobs--but I definitely don't think it should be a job requirement. That would exclude way too many people who would be excellent caregivers, or force a lot of people to go get completely unnecessary degrees. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2186699 Fri, 22 May 2015 03:39:53 +0000 lamariniere 2186699@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've been curious about this too since I see so many posts about preschool, and it seems like many preschool programs are only a few days per week or have short hours. </p> <p>Where we live, there isn't a difference between daycare and preschool. Starting at 3, daycares integrate concepts like letters and numbers and other academic concepts. Ours seems to be very play-based. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2186461 Thu, 21 May 2015 19:47:02 +0000 Mrs. Bee 2186461@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sunny: it's not necessarily academic-focused so much as our daycare was mixed ages and free play. it was a very small daycare with limited resources and now we're at a much larger preschool with more resources. i loved our daycare because it was so loving, and small and that's what kids need at that age.</p> <p>for the most part they play most of the day at olive's preschool, but they incorporate thinks like science (growing a plant, caterpillars, etc) and writing/math into their art, and generally have a much broader range of things they do.</p> <p>3's programs are still pretty much play-based, which it should be! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2186387 Thu, 21 May 2015 18:57:42 +0000 hilsy85 2186387@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@regberadaisy: either a sahm or they have a nanny for the other hours. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2186386 Thu, 21 May 2015 18:56:26 +0000 sunny 2186386@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Bee: Can you expand a little on what you mean by the preschool was more academic focused? What do they do differently at the 3 yr old level? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2186355 Thu, 21 May 2015 18:08:47 +0000 regberadaisy 2186355@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For those with kids in "preschool" do you find most parents are SAH? I can't imagine following those schedules as a WOH.</p> <p>Re:education. My daycare has teachers still working on their degrees but there are plenty in my area where lead teachers all have their masters and that's a requirement. So it's definitely not exclusive to preschools. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2186341 Thu, 21 May 2015 17:50:30 +0000 Mrs. Bee 2186341@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>daycare here is from 8-6pm. many people switch to a preschool at 3, which is what we did for olive. the hours are shorter, they're closed for the summer, and follow the public school calendar.</p> <p>it is definitely more academic focused than our daycare was, and i'm glad we made the switch. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2186253 Thu, 21 May 2015 16:03:36 +0000 plantains 2186253@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our daycare becomes preschool at the 3+ stage and parents who don't want their kids in that academic setting will have to move them to a different centre. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2186251 Thu, 21 May 2015 16:01:44 +0000 KayKay 2186251@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>IMO, it's the hours that really make the difference. Most daycares (with the exception of in-home ones, likely) have some sort of curriculum that has started by 2 or 3. But, for me, the expectation is that a daycare would have full-time care: 5 days a week, 7a-5p or later, year-round. Preschools are more typically a morning, afternoon, or school-day (830-330) session, often have 2- or 3-day a week schedules, and follow the school calendar. That being said, some preschools also have before- or after-care to help extend the hours...but not all. </p> <p>So I would say that a daycare very often functions as a preschool for the older kids, but a preschool doesn't always function as a (full-time) daycare. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2186240 Thu, 21 May 2015 15:54:25 +0000 Corduroy 2186240@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sunny: I'm not planning on moving my LO1 until next fall when she's 3.5 even though a lot of her non-daycare friends are starting pre-school this fall at 2.5. She's at an in-home daycare but they do a lot of circle time, stories, numbers, colors, reading prep, etc. We decided that having both kids at the same (good) location trumped any difference in curriculum for now. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2186188 Thu, 21 May 2015 15:14:42 +0000 SugarplumsMom 2186188@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Where we live, people use the term interchangeably. DD has technically been going to preschool but the common name for it is dagis (roughly translated to daycare). But the curriculum is closer to a preschool, especially for 3+ yr olds since they add a compulsory add-on (more structured lessons for a portion of the day). But it happens automatically so her schedule doesn't technically change from our point-of-view. I think if your daycare works and your LO likes it, that's most important. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2186177 Thu, 21 May 2015 15:06:22 +0000 birdofafeather 2186177@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our preschool is more like a daycare with learning times specifically integrated. It's open from 7-5:30 so working parents definitely use it as day care too. I think as she gets closer to K, the learning part will take more precedent (she's 2). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2186168 Thu, 21 May 2015 15:00:40 +0000 Andrea 2186168@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It's definitely hours, for one. Daycare-preschool has long hours and is year round. Solely preschool is either just half day or ends earlier like grade school, around 3 pm. They follow the school calender for openings/closings. </p> <p>In our case, we switched from daycare-preschool at 3 to a solely preschool (Montessori). My daughter really needed something more than play based daycare by that age. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2186167 Thu, 21 May 2015 14:58:54 +0000 Smurfette 2186167@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>She will still go to day care but will be in the pre-school program there once she is 3.5 (they go by the school year) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2186157 Thu, 21 May 2015 14:55:04 +0000 yoursilverlining 2186157@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. High Heels: Ours sounds just like yours, and I consider it "preschool", although it's a daycare-preschool. Also, like @Greentea mentioned about education, all of our primary room teachers must have at least a BA, which to me makes it more school-like too, and they have a weekly curriculum. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2186156 Thu, 21 May 2015 14:54:38 +0000 catlady 2186156@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our daycare is also a preschool (they just move up to preschool once they are too old for the Toddler 2 room). I could see someone switching out from daycare to preschool if they were going for a certain type of curriculum. In our case, the daycare/preschool is Montessori so I know some kids switch in at the preschool level (although most simply graduate up to it). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2186131 Thu, 21 May 2015 14:36:55 +0000 Greentea 2186131@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I worked at a preschool, everyone had to have at least a bachelor's degree as well as experience. I suppose it differs, but that was the top preschool where I worked- it was an actual school with a curriculum and 4 year old kindergarten. Also, what @looch: said. Truthfully I don't know that much about daycare... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2186112 Thu, 21 May 2015 14:24:51 +0000 mediagirl 2186112@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our daycare is a preschool/daycare. Most preschools here only do part time, though if they are solely preschool. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2186111 Thu, 21 May 2015 14:24:22 +0000 Mrs. High Heels 2186111@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The schools our kids go to is more like a daycare/preschool. For the younger ages it's more daycare and a lot of play and fun crafts all day long. Then as you get to the older 3+ classes (like the one N's in), they do more academic focused things like she's learning about the solar system and fossils/dinosaurs right now, and they also work on reading/writing, etc. So ours is kind of both! I would consider J in daycare and N in preschool even though they go to the same place. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-vs-preschool-1#post-2186103 Thu, 21 May 2015 14:21:35 +0000 Chillybear 2186103@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i think it depends on the situation.... I would consider my daycare a preschool. They have a curriculum and operate like a preschool from 18m on. They even have a kindergarten program. </p> <p>However if we have a 2nd I will have to strongly consider moving LO#1 to another facility closer to our home (currently near work) and i would probably look for a more of a preschool than a daycare. </p>