7 Differences Between Daycare and Preschool in Los Angeles

1. Goals & learning objectives 

While both forms of daycare aim to provide a safe, secure place for children to spend time away from their primary caregivers, daycare and preschools have different overall goals:

• Daycare goals – To offer flexible childcare for working parents. It focuses on encouraging free play and helping children build their social skills. At daycare, your child will be looked after a bit like they would be at home – including being fed and given naps. Daycare strives to provide socialization, activities, and learning opportunities but is not necessarily focused on getting kids school ready.
• Preschool program goals – To prepare children for kindergarten with an emphasis on early academic education and social-emotional development. The focus is on educating through play and preparing children for school. You might choose a preschool with a specific educational philosophy (like Montessori) to match your parenting style. As children in preschool get older, they’ll begin to get used to a classroom environment.

2. Age range

• Daycare age groups – Typically serve infants (from as young as 6 weeks) and young children, although after-school clubs might be available for older children. Children may be grouped in classes of infant & young toddlers or older toddlers/preschoolers, or they may be grouped together. 
• Preschool age groups – Most preschools in greater Los Angeles start from ages 6-12 months and go up the age of 5 years. Pre-kindergarten starts at 4-5 years. The difference to daycare is that preschool groups are split by age and milestones.

3. Time & structure

• Daycare hours – Can be home or center-based, with schedules to suit your needs. Full workday coverage is typical. Daycare is usually available during school holidays too. There are daycare programs available to offer 24-hour care and weekend care when required too.
• Preschool program hours – Preschool typically works on a traditional school schedule, including hours, holidays, and summer breaks. Hours range from half day to full day.

4. Child-to-caregiver ratio

• Daycare ratios – In Los Angeles, childcare ratios in daycare range from 1:3-1:5.
• Preschool program ratios – For the older age groups (3-5 years) found in preschool, ratios are allowed up to 1:12. Although some preschool settings may work to a smaller ratio to give children more personalized care. 

5. Potty training

• Daycare approach – As daycare is generally tailored to infants, it is expected that infants will use diapers and changing areas will be provided.
• Preschool program approach – The typical age for potty training is 2.5 – 3 years old, but it is not developmentally appropriate for every child. Each setting is different in whether they will change diapers, some preschools will and some won’t. This is something you’ll need to look into when it comes to picking the right childcare for you.

6. What your child will learn

• Daycare learning – While the focus on daycare is enjoying play and practicing social skills there’s a lot of learning that intrinsically goes on, including communication skills, fine & gross motor skills, and creativity. Your child will likely be exposed to sensory play, music, and art in daycare. A formal curriculum may be in place.
• Preschool learning – All childcare programs should take a play-based approach to learning. However, you’ll find that preschool programs start to take a more academic approach as children get older. Younger preschool attendees are likely to do more sensory-based play activities, while older preschool attendees may be introduced to more ‘structure’ and lesson plans.

7. Costs

• Daycare costs – With daycare, prices can be highest for infants and decrease slightly as your child gets older. If you choose home daycare settings, these are likely to be cheaper than daycare centers. 
• Preschool program costs – Like with daycare, costs are generally higher for infants and decrease for toddlers. Some preschools may be more affordable than daycare, but sometimes the opposite is true. It all depends on the specific day cares and preschools.

Photo credit: mybrightwheel.com

Choosing the right childcare for your child

Now you’ve got an overview of some of the differences between daycare and preschool. You may still be wondering how you pick what’s best for you. The best thing to remember is that every family is different. What you want and need for your child may differ from those around you.  

Think about your life, your budget, and your educational philosophy, and explore what is available in your area in terms of both daycare and preschool. Plus, don’t forget that daycare isn’t obligatory.  

If you enjoy shaping your child’s early experiences and don’t need daycare – it’s fine to skip it. There are plenty of ways to strengthen your child’s natural development and skills through play, groups, and at home. 

Adding fun enrichment to your child’s learning

When your child reaches preschool age, it can be daunting to see your child start to say goodbye to play and hello to early academics. It’s why we’re so passionate about helping children to experience more musical fun in their lives outside of the curriculum. 

We’ve partnered with preschools that incorporate music into their preschool program.  We believe that music is a powerful tool for learning and development, and we’re thrilled that our music class is available outside of our studio and might be in your local preschool.

Or if you’d like to supplement preschool or daycare with music class, take a look at our baby music classes to see how Minibop Music can bring more musical fun and enrichment to your little one.