Is Private Daycare worth the money V.S. Public Daycare??

Question

We plan to put our son in Private school once hes old enough but my question is should i put him in Private daycare??

I didn't even know they had private daycare until i started looking in Private schools in NJ...

does anyone know the difference... will it really help him?

I was just going to put him in Regular daycare but now this has got me thinking....

Answer 1

It depends a lot on the school and also it depends on where you live.  I am a preschool teacher in South Jersey, and since I work in an Abbott district, my students receive free, all-day preschool from a certified Board of Education teacher.  So, if you live in an Abbott district (31 lowest economic districts in the state) I would definitely send your child to public preschool.  The teachers are frequently trained and highly qualified.  

Now, any preschool you pay for is going to be considered a private preschool.  Tutor Time, Kid Academy, Mom's Daycare, Little Bear School, church schools, whatever.  If you pay for it, it's private.  Some are great, some are not so great.  You have to decide what is important for you.  Do you want a really academic program (not recommened anymore, but there are holdouts) or a family-style program?  Do you want something that technologically intensive or one that promotes student interaction more than anything?  Or how about a program that has lots of visiting teachers (that you WILL pay extra for) such as karate, gymnastics, dance instruction, beginning ballet, visiting musician, resident artist, or yoga instruction?

I would visit many centers and decide what's important to you.  When my son was little, he was in a family-owned and operated center with no computers, no meal program, and no special visitors.  But I had a computer at home, and knew enough to teach him his letters, numbers, colors, and how to spell/write his name.  What I felt he really needed was practice interacting with other children.  So for me, a family center was a good fit.

Some things for you to look for:  Is the center clean with no foul odors?  Don't misinterpret an older building for dirty or poorly maintained, and don't mistake a new one for clean.  My favorite test?  Walk into the bathroom, if it smells like urine, walk out of the center.  If a child has a bm, the smell can linger, but if there's a urine odor, the area's probably not as clean as it looks.

Are there plenty of toys that are easy-to-reach?  Or is a lot of stuff on a high shelf and students are playing with one or two items?  Look at artwork on the walls.  Cut-and-paste stuff looks so cute, but what does it teach the child?  That the teacher can cut out really cute things?  Look for varied mediums--my preschoolers use paint, crayons, oil pastels, chalk, colored pencils, and many different types of clay and papers.  If you can, get a look at the art supply area.  It will give you a good idea about what the school does.  You'll sometimes walk into a building that has paper and crayons.  That's it.  It also means that the kids probably play all day and the teacher will throw some crayons on the table when she's tired.

You can also ask what kind of curriculum they use.  It will give you an idea into how the center is run.  Bank Street will incorporate lots of block into all areas, Montessori wants children to learn through self-directed activities, etc.  They're not as different as you may think, but if a center tells you they don't have a curriculum, I would not send my child there.  If a center tells you that they HAVE a curriculum but only use it as a resource, ask more questions.  That may be a great thing!  My classroom uses a little bit from a few curriculums (I have Bank Street, CLI, Creative Curricululm, Scholastic, and Imagination Station) but my lessons are really child-driven.  Whatever my children show interest in is what my plans will show.  For example, last week they were chasing the squirrels and birds on the playground, so this week we made birdfeeders and learned what squirrels and birds ate.

Lastly, if you really can afford private school, I would look into Friends schools.  I've been to a couple, and they seem to be really on the ball acedemically AND they focus a lot on group and individual relationships.

Answer 2

I believe a private daycare would be good for him. My son is in a church 2 yr old pre-school and I don't have to worry about what he may or may not be learning as well as I know he is getting the one on one and not competing for attention. Private daycares and schools tend to not have as many kids as public ones do and therefore get the deserved attention and help they need. My son has learned alot and he's only been there for less than a month. He's saying more words and acting like he's really in school. I also have a friend that has their daughter in a private daycare and they swear by it as well, saying she's learned so much and she is also 2. I'm not trying to put down all public daycares or schools, but the majority have so many kids and there are no morals to be taught, no fundamentals for that many kids. Again I'm not saying all. One more thing the public systems don't do is teach religion and alot of the kids will say cuss words and not be reprimanded like they would in a private setting.