Re: Do you think daycare kids are better prepared for preshool?

Posted by Hofstra26

Posted by Ang-Rich

Posted by Hofstra26

Posted by Ang-Rich

I don't think they are better prepared but I do think they are more prepared for the school setting and class dynamics. Academically I don't really agree that they are ahead...that's up to the parent and at the same time each child is different so it depends on what they are individually capable of.

The thing is..........preschool is meant to prepare you for the school setting. The whole point of preschool is to teach children separation from their parents, socialization, basic skills, routines, cooperation, etc. etc. It's meant to teach children all of the skills they will need to function in Kindergarten and beyond. I don't think a child NEEDS to be in daycare to be a "success" in preschool. The same way a kid in daycare "learns the ropes" when they first start in daycare a child without any experience in daycare will also fair jut fine in preschool and "learn the ropes" quickly. You don't NEED to be prepared for preschool.........preschool itself is the preparation. Hence the name, it's PRE-school.

Again, years ago the majority of kids were products of SAHM's with our only exposure to socialization being our siblings and kids in the neighborhood and the only learning and activities came from our moms and with all that we went off to preschool, did great, figured out the whole school thing, and went on to elementary school with no problem.

Quite simply, IMO, whether a child is home 100% of the time with their mom or whether they are in a daycare setting in the end it does not matter one bit. Daycare won't make a child some preschool genius who is head and shoulders above other non-daycare kids in ability and being a child who is home with their mom for the first years won't make them inept to handle the "rigors" of preschool.

Whoa! I was answering the question which clearly stated PRE-SCHOOL. I completely agree that pre-school helps all children prepare for the dynamics of a classroom setting however children that have been in daycare are already familiar with this set up (please read: pushing in table chairs, lining up, raising hands to speak, etc)

It's just the familiarity of a classroom and expected class behavior that I was talking about for pre-school.

So we agree...but you pointed me out as though we didn't.

Didn't mean for it to sound that way. I just meant I don't think it matters if a kid has been to daycare. Kids will learn those routines like pushing in chairs and lining up in the first few days of preschool and they will get it just as fast as a kid who had to learn it for the first time in daycare. The kid from daycare may know to do it on the first day but by the 2nd or 3rd day the non-daycare kids will know how to do it too.

I taught Kindergarten and had kids that didn't go to daycare or even preschool and yes, the preschool kids knew right away how to hang their coats and push in their chairs but we spent the first few days of school learning those routines and within the first week of school all the kids knew what to do. So in the end, it doesn't really matter who knew what first and who did or didn't go to daycare or preschool because in the end they all learned what to do and could do it. KWIM?

Re: Do you think daycare kids are better prepared for preshool?

For us, no.

My DD never went to daycare and took right to school. She is currently enrolled in a tots program at the little gym and is loving it. We did the mommy and me classes there until she was a little over 2.

She is smart and outgoing and I think that is just her personality and I don't think daycare would have changed it.

Re: Do you think daycare kids are better prepared for preshool?

my 2 cents:

Do I think children that go to daycare know more and are better academically than children that stay home? Not sure- don't think it really matters.

Do I think that children that go to daycare are better apt to deal with the separation of preschool? probably- although I have no experience.

My DD hasn't gone to daycare, but did have a slightly hard time dealing w/ separation when she went to preschool. However, this was pretty much solved in about 2 weeks... so not sure if putting a kid in daycare for 2 weeks of discomfort is "worth" it...

In terms of socializing w/ other children... maybe daycare kids would be better at this, but I really think that children need to socialize with parents first, children second.. but that's JMHO