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Preschool and kindergarten give young children a head start. Preschool is primarily a daycare center with age-appropriate educational components, while kindergarten is an educational setting for children too old for preschool but too young for school. Both can be public or private and offer structured curriculums. Parents should check credentials and guidelines.
Preschool and kindergarten both provide excellent opportunities for children five years old and younger to get a head start on the expectations of kindergarten and beyond. While neither is required by law, children who attend either tend to have a better chance of not having to repeat kindergarten, a trend that is becoming the norm for thousands of children nationwide each year. It is important for parents to understand the differences between the two environments and to carefully check that prospective preschools and daycare centers have the proper credentials and follow the proper guidelines.
Preschool is primarily a daycare center with a few important touches. In the United States, state education departments determine daycare regulations. In the UK, nurseries, unlike nurseries, must be registered and supervised by the Office for Standards in Education, and parents can expect most staff to be trained and certified in childcare. Most private settings will provide age-appropriate educational components, and parents can now find many public programs that follow suit.
These schools typically accept enrollment from six-week-olds through four- or five-year-olds. Accepted ages often vary depending on the physical layout of the school building. Those old enough to provide an established infant unit separate from a unit for older children will, of course, be able to accept a wider age range and provide a preschool-style educational curriculum.
Preschools can be public or private and can be operated by the state, the local community, the local church, a corporate employer, or a for-profit enterprise. Like day care centers, the hours of care provided by preschools tend to start early and end late to accommodate busy parents’ schedules. In the United States, state-run programs may stay open until 8:00 a.m. to give mothers and fathers time to attend to important matters after the workday. Preschools generally provide full days for children in a scheduled manner and usually include meals, snacks, outdoor activities, arts and crafts, and nap times.
Preschool, as the name suggests, is an educational setting intended for children too old or advanced for preschool but too young to enroll in kindergarten. In the United States, states set standards and preschools must be certified or licensed. Licensure is usually provided by that state’s Department of Education or Department of Human Services. In the UK, nursery schools will be registered with the Office for Standards in Education and are expected to follow a prescribed national curriculum designed to teach children the basic skills needed for nursery school.
Ideally, a school will provide the kind of activities and lessons that enhance and develop a child’s ability to succeed at the next level. This means preparing children for academic readiness by teaching letters, numbers and shapes and by designing age-appropriate social activities that build self-esteem and encourage social and emotional maturity.
Privately run establishments may offer both types of services in one building. While this is certainly convenient for parents, it is often expensive and many settings carry long waiting lists. Many of the larger preschools will accept children until they need to enroll in kindergarten, and while these aren’t officially considered certified preschools, they do provide the same structured curriculum. These facilities offer longer care hours and typically cost less than a separate preschool program.
