Both provide nurturing environments for tiny learners, both are proponents of early years learning, and both play a significant part in the development of your young one. But there are a number of differences every parent should be aware of before choosing which path is best for their family.
At Garden Montessori Schools, we know that every child should get to experience a place where curiosity is nurtured, independence is fostered, and learning occurs organically.
Whether you’re comparing daycare vs preschool looking at your toddler or preparing your baby for kindergarten, this guide is going to help you make the right decision.
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Understanding the Basics: What Do “Daycare” and “Preschool” Mean?
Daycare vs Preschool: What’s the difference? Though it may appear that these are simply terms that can be easily interchanged, Daycare vs Preschool programs are different. They both care for and educate children, but they have different purposes and designs.
What it lacks at daycare is, first of all, super safe and trustworthy care for a broader age group: toddler to early school years. These places typically have longer hours and are more convenient for working parents’ commutes.
Preschool, meanwhile, is framed more as a pedagogical bridge between infant care and kindergarten. It’s about school readiness, early reading skills and social skills, and basics.
So, when it comes to comparing daycare vs preschool, think of the fact that daycare is where “care and play” takes place, but preschool is where “learning through play” takes place. Both can be of great quality, but they’re for different purposes.
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Daycare vs Preschool: Age Groups and Enrollment Requirements
The key difference when you compare daycare vs preschool is the age group they cater to.
Daycare: Possibly caring for children as young as six weeks and up to around the age of five or six. Some even offer before- and after-school care for kids as old as 12.
Preschools: by contrast, generally only cater to children ages 3-5, the years right before kindergarten. The majority of preschools take children at two or three, and the vast majority push out kids to kindergarten around age five or six.
What this means is that daycare, due to how it operates and for whom, becomes the pick for parents in pre- to early toddler years, while preschool is relevant as your child becomes more independent and starts preparing for introduction into an understanding of elementary-focused learning.
If you’re deciding between daycare vs preschool and your child is younger than three, then daycare is the better option at this time.
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Daycare vs Preschool: Setting and Learning Environment
Daycare vs Preschool atmosphere: The environment can be extremely different in a daycare vs a preschool. Either can be found in individual houses, schools, churches, or standalone buildings. What really matters is not the building but the approach, the educators, and how children are served.
In preschools, where teachers tend to be closer to the general teaching philosophy that makes sense today, such environments are typically more rigid with child-sized learning materials and hands-on activities, encouraging ever more independence. The goal is to teach children through exploration instead of explicit instruction.
Child care centers can also provide organized learning experiences, though they can vary from basic care to complete early childhood education programs. When considering daycare vs preschool, seek out a center that provides nurturing care with intentional teaching.
At Garden Montessori, we have the best of both worlds — our classrooms are nurturing like daycare and structured with a preschool curriculum for structure, so that our children experience consistency throughout their ages.
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Daycare vs Preschool: Daily Schedule and Structure
Something you might have noticed already is that daycare vs preschool present differences in practical circumstances which affect the daily schedule.
Preschools tend to run on the standard school day, from approximately 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. They can shut down for holidays, when school lets out in the spring, and during summer vacation (although some run optional summer camps).
While daycares tend to open earlier and close late, often 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., for working families, a surprising number are open year-round, or even during school vacations.
Preschools often function based on a preprimary school model with predetermined lessons, group time, and developmental activities for children. Daycares often offer part-time schedules, but many also have educational play and social learning as part of their agenda.
So, when weighing daycare vs preschool, consider your family routine. If you want flexible hours and care almost all the time, daycare could be a good fit. If you want your child to learn under more classroom-like conditions to get them ready for kindergarten, preschool may be the best option.
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Daycare vs Preschool: Curriculum and Learning Goals
Preschools are more education-minded and aimed at preparing children for kindergarten. And from imaginative play, to storytelling, to group games and hands-on exploration of their world, children are developing essential motor skills, language ability, emotional regulation, and problem-solving.
That’s by design at Montessori preschools, where teachers don’t so much fill the vessel as observe children playing purposefully and, in many cases, guide them. This self-guided approach cultivates confidence, curiosity, and independent ability.
Daycares vary widely. Some are closer to babysitting services, while others incorporate very strong educational elements. High-caliber daycare centers — especially Montessori-style ones — will provide material very much like what you’d find at preschools.
So, in the question of daycare vs preschool, curriculum depth is important. Always inquire about how teachers keep kids engaged and what kind of materials they’re using, Miss Byrne adds.
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Daycare vs Preschool for Potty Training and Independence
Potty Training Another difference when comparing daycare vs preschools is potty training. Many daycares will take kids that are still in diapers, they feed infants and toddlers as well.
On the other hand, preschool programs often insist on potty training too early when their classrooms are set up with more independence assumed.
But you should check with individual programs. Policies vary by center, and most teachers recognize that accidents are bound to occur, especially when children are making the shift from home care to more structured settings.
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Daycare vs Preschool: Cost and Accessibility
Pricing is a common determining factor in the daycare vs preschool dispute.
Daycare: cost varies by age, number of hours, and location. Infant and toddler care can be the most costly because of the requirement for low child-to-teacher ratios.
Preschools: may be less expensive for older children, and in some places, there are public or subsidized preschool programs.
Some states and cities in the U.S. are starting to offer things like universal preschool, but it’s still not happening nationally here either. But free or inexpensive day care for younger children is still scarce.
We know the Price of Education at Garden Montessori Schools. Our programs, after all, are created in order to combine high quality and scheduling flexibility, so families can be sure they never need to decide between excellence and affordability.
Always be sure to ask about tuition options, including payment plans and any financial aid or state programs, when comparing daycare vs preschool.
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How to Choose Between Daycare vs Preschool
Deciding between daycare vs preschool comes down to your child’s age, needs, and temperament — as well as your family’s daily Routine. Here are some questions to consider as you make your decision:
How old is your child, and how independent are they?
- For younger children, the nurturing, personalized care of daycare may be preferable.
- Ideal for children who are ready to learn routines and participate in group learning, preschool invites young learners to acquire new skills.
To what extent does your family’s schedule work?”
- Daycare’s longer hours are better for working parents.
- If families are looking to have structured learning, they prefer preschool hours.
What learning style is most comfortable for your child?
- Montessori programs— such as ours — are perfectly positioned to fill this transition from daycare vs preschool, providing care and learning uniquely designed for each stage of development.
Does it feel loving, safe, and responsive?
- While on tours, pay attention to how teachers engage the children. Are they brought into a position to speak from eye level? Are the children involved and content? These particulars matter more than the name on the front door, whether it says “daycare” or “preschool.”
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Day Care vs Preschool: The Montessori Contrast
Here at Garden Montessori Schools, we take daycare vs preschool further than anyone by re-imagining them altogether.
Our Montessori preschools offer a homelike environment and an emergent academic experience that nurtures the child’s soul, fuels their curiosity and desire for learning, and serves as an introduction to this method for students from birth through kindergarten.
We are paying attention to the “whole child” — the emotional growth and social-emotional growth, plus their academic development, all at once.
This would mean that your child could begin in our infant/toddler program and smoothly transition to our preschool/kindergarten programs without the struggle of desensitizing each year or resettling into a classroom routine.
Our teachers gently guide children with warmth and kindness, fostering a love for lifelong learning – also the aim of daycare/house care, preschool, and hard to establish using balanced presentation that Montessori offers.
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Final Thought
Whether or not to do daycare vs preschool really isn’t one-size-fits-all; it’s whatever works for your child. Both are crucial to a baby’s and a young child’s development.
But, if you have a new baby and family for whom you’d like reliable, all-day young kiddo care, a good daycare program provides the structure and love your kiddo deserves. If a more academic, but still play-based learning environment is something your child is ready for, preschool can be a perfect introduction to kindergarten.
At Garden Montessori Schools, our seeds and flowers bloom together in one caring environment. Our care uniquely blends the flexibility of daycare with a learning environment that has a profound impact on children in preschool, while we make it both fun and rewarding for your child!
FAQ’s
What is the distinction between daycare and preschool?
Daycare is full-day care for all ages, including infants and toddlers, while preschool is early education from 3 to 5 years of age.
What is better for education, preschool or daycare?
Not necessarily. Both can be educational. This is inaccurate because some daycares have learning through play and interaction; preschools can also offer well-thought-out lessons.
At what age must my child attend preschool?
Most children start preschool sometime between the ages of 3 and 5, but as every child is different, this can drastically differ by readiness (and school).
Do daycares require potty training?
Some day care centers even accept children into their care who are not yet potty trained, especially in the infant and toddler rooms. Preschools, however, can expect their children to be trained.
Daycare vs. preschool: Which is best for working parents?
Day care tends to offer longer hours and year-round care, lasting through the academic calendar and offering working parents more flexibility, in contrast with the shorter school-like schedule that is standard for preschool.
