The Difference Between Daycare And Preschool

Before your child can enter school, most parents look for the perfect environment where they can learn all the necessary skills to adapt to their new surroundings.

This is where most parents get confused about choosing a daycare or a preschool.

Are there any differences between the two? What does one offer that the other doesn’t? Continue reading to get all your answers.

What Is A Daycare?

A Daycare is a center-based facility. It provides the children care and supervision during the day. Daycare can be beneficial for children as it helps them to work on their socialization skills, learn new things and get help with their homework.

This type of care can be offered in a center-based setting or as a part of a home-based business. In addition to this, a daycare school also provides before and after school care and even holiday care.

What Is A Preschool?

Preschool is the level of education that comes just before elementary schooling. It is the time when children learn basic skills like counting, reading the alphabet, and writing basic words.

A preschool can be found in different settings; this includes private schooling and homeschooling. Preschool provides your children with the right environment to learn important skills and help build a strong literacy foundation.

Daycare Vs. Preschool: What Are The Difference?

While both the facilities are meant to offer the basic education needed for a child to start their academic life on a high note, there are a few key differences that you need to be aware of.

• Age Requirements

While both preschool and daycare offer the same set of facilities, the age range varies a lot. For instance, the range of age for daycare is fairly larger than for preschool.

Daycare offers its services from infancy to the age of 5. These services can be extended even after the school’s over, depending on the center and its offering.

However, preschool is limited to two children from age three to five. Although certain preschools start at the age of two, there are certain requirements that need to be met. This can include potty training and basic language abilities.

• Operating Hours

When it comes to operating hours, the biggest difference is that a preschool comes with a fixed set of times, just like schools. Hours are shorter, and preschool might even have holidays during summer. 

However, in the case of daycare, the hours of services vary. Daycare is made with the focus of supporting working families. That means if the parent is late from work and comes late to pick up their children, the daycare needs to offer their services till then.

Daycare is usually open during the summer and sometimes even on weekends.

• Educational Focus And Routine

While both preschool and daycare offer education to the kid, preschool is more academically oriented. Daycare mostly emphasizes free-play time, teaching a toddler to talk, and hardly any structured activity.

When a toddler starts talking, parents think of putting them in a preschool where they learn to read and write. This is likely to follow a set educational curriculum based on Montessori. 

In addition, both daycare and preschool will teach your children the necessary skills of socialization, conflict resolution, group place, and getting used to strangers.

What’s The Best For Your Children?

With so many areas to consider, it is important that you start your search early. Instead of just finding them on the internet, interview each service provider and take a tour of their center. If possible, meet with the caregivers to ensure your child is getting the best environment.

Before finalizing, tour the center at different times of the day. This will help you see how the environment unfolds from morning to evening. And ask plenty of questions, do not keep any questions in mind, even if it is the silliest of questions.