A good education is the key to any child’s future success, so parents are greatly invested in finding the best preschools and K-12 schools for their children to attend. When a family moves to a new city or a new county, or when the child first becomes old enough for preschool, the parents may look online for choosing a preschool and similar childcare centers. When it comes to preschool vs daycare, parents may note that a preschool and daycare are not quite the same thing as each other. A preschool curriculum may be more academic than one at a generic daycare, and these terms should not be confused. Parents looking for day care services may end up looking for different facilities than those who want a top rated preschool for their child. What is there to know about preschool vs daycare, and how can parents find the best preschools for their children today?
Knowing What to Look For in Preschools
Attending preschool is not mandatory for American children, but all the same, many parents are sending their children to pre-K programs like these across the nation. In particular, from 1990 to 2000, the rate of preschool attendance grew rapidly, and this was true for households of all different backgrounds. Since there are now more preschool students than ever, this also led to a higher demand for pre-K teachers. Estimates say that employment for preschool teachers may grow 10% or so from the years 2016 to 2026, which is faster than the average of all occupations. Children aged three to five may attend preschool, and children aged four and five especially have high enrollment rates in preschools. Often, these are full day programs that they are attending.
When a family wants to find a good preschool, such as when they move to a new city or county, an online search can help. Parents might not already know all the local schools, so they can look online and specify what of school they want to find. Not only can they type in “preschool,” but they may also enter their city or town name as well as their ZIP code to keep the results local. This may be especially helpful during a search in a large city, such as Boston or Miami. The parents may also specify that they are looking for the “top rated” or “best” preschools in their area, and include that in the search, too. Not only that, but the parents might also opt to search specifically for private or public preschools, which is another distinction to make. It may be the case that parents want to find just one or the other.
This search is also where “preschool vs daycare” may become a factor. What is the distinction? When it comes to preschool vs daycare, they are similar in levels of funding, but while daycare centers may accept children as old as six or seven, preschools are meant only for children aged three to five. It may also be noted that preschools may have similar hours and days of operation as K-12 schools, such as being closed for holidays or having no class over the summer. Still, some preschools may have summer class options, if the parents want that for their children. The staff at a preschool will definitely need some training in preschool education, and this may not be the case in a regular daycare. Overall, daycare centers are meant for watching over children while their parents work, while a preschool is a bonus elementary school of sorts.
The parents may find a whole list of schools, and tour them one by one with their child to evaluate them in person and get a fair impression of them. There, the parents may consult the staff about the school’s funding, not to mention review each teacher’s credentials. While there, the parents may also review feedback from parents of current or previous students, and see what sort of programs of features the preschool might have. And the parents should of course check to make sure their child feels comfortable there. A good school is one where a child is accepted by their peers. A number of schools may be toured until the parents choose one and enroll their child there.
