When your child ages out of toddlerhood, it’s time to start considering preschool. But what exactly is the difference between preschool and daycare? And is there any real benefit to choosing preschool over daycare?
Purpose
The purpose of a daycare is to provide care, a safe environment and supervision for children. Some daycares may offer some opportunities for academic learning and others may only focus on offering a place for children to socialize and play.
On the other hand, a preschool’s mission is to prepare children for kindergarten. A preschool provides lessons, activitities and assessments toward that goal. At the Riley Crossing Preschool, we prepare our students for kindergarten by incorporating a STEMS curriculum which cultivates strong innovators and thinkers. Children learn best when making connections between diverse skills and concepts. We integrate science, technology, engineering and math throughout the classroom. So while a daycare curriculum may include education, it’s not as structured as a preschool.
Structure
Many daycares provide a daily structure, but this structure may not mirror a school environment. Typically, a daycare will offer more playtime.
Each day of preschool is structured similarly to a normal school schedule where each activity and learning lesson takes place at a similar time each day. If kids are used to the daily structure of school, the transition to kindergarten will be much easier. At the Riley Crossing Preschool, our students follow a daily schedule that still includes play, but prepares children for kindergarden.
Hours
One of the biggest differences between daycare and preschool are the hours. Daycare centers usually offer longer hours and are open during holidays and school breaks.
Like regular school, most preschools are closed during the summer and on holidays. Many preschool programs are a half-day program at set times, whereas daycare pick up and drop-off times are more flexible around the parents’ schedules.
At the Riley Crossing Preschool, our preschool focuses on academics with a strong emphasis on character building and socialization. We provide exceptional academics and the opportunity for preschoolers to socialize with both their peers and their “Grandfriends.” Our Campus has been designed to give children daily opportunities to interact and build friendships through our staff-supervised activities. Intergenerational activities include: read-a-long time, bingo, hi-tech science program, MacPhail lifelong learning music program, special events for families to get to know our Grandfriends, and more!
We are now taking applications for Fall 2019 and beyond for:
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