What is the Difference Between Preschool and Daycare?

What is the Difference Between Preschool and Daycare?

Many tours often ask if we just have daycare or if we offer preschool. Small Hands Big Dreams is considered a Preschool with the convenient hours of a daycare for working parents.

What is the Difference?

A preschool offers curriculum and assessments for the children to properly develop. Preschools are not open for holidays and snow days. Daycare is open most holidays except for major holidays. Daycare also provides services for snow days.

Preschools typically only have children 2.5 years to 5 years old and most must be potty trained. Whereas daycares offer care from 6 weeks to 12 years. Preschools have lesson plans or activities geared toward teaching children with a specific goal in mind. In a preschool, there are assessments and screening performed to guide the teachers on ways to improve upon strengths and develop areas of weaknesses. Daycares offer a child watching service while parents are at work or school. Child and teacher interactions may differ from preschool to daycare. Teachers in a preschool setting are able to offer more one on one time to observe the children.

What Are Similarities Between Preschool and Daycare?

Both Preschools and daycares are licensed by the state and have qualified staff employed. Safety is always a top priority for both preschool and daycare. The fee structure is typically the same for both.

What About Small Hands?

Small Hands Big Dreams is a Learning Center that has their own curriculum which was written by the owner and approved by Step Up to Quality. Small Hands Big Dreams performs assessments and screenings on children to ensure they are meeting the developmental needs of the child. The teachers observe the children in their environment to develop attainable goals. Each child has a portfolio for the teachers to document benchmarks the children achieve. The teachers align their activities with the Ohio Early Learning Development Standards to ensure the children are ready for school. Children learn social and emotional skills through play. We utilize positive guidance techniques and redirection to develop self-regulation skills.  We believe early education is important and can be the foundation for children to grow and develop into young adults.

Small Hands also provides flexible scheduling to meet the needs of the parents. We have half-day rates to accommodate family needs as well as part-time and full-time rates. Small Hands is open year-round for the convenience to parents. Want to learn more? Contact us today!

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