{"id":536,"date":"2022-06-14T20:14:09","date_gmt":"2022-06-14T20:14:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buoyantbloomer.com\/?p=536"},"modified":"2022-06-14T20:14:09","modified_gmt":"2022-06-14T20:14:09","slug":"daycare-or-public-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buoyantbloomer.com\/daycare-or-public-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"Your helpful guide to choosing between daycare or public schools"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Choosing between daycare or public schools for your three or four year old can seem like a daunting challenge. There’s the convenience factor to consider, the “curriculum”, the rules – both written and unwritten, and the level of institutionalism that you’re willing to put up with. The question of daycare or public schools is akin to choosing between the proverbial apple and the orange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Location, location, location <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The best school is of no use to you if it requires a 30 minute one-way commute which could easily mean two hours of your day lost in transit. I had visions of doing whatever it took to get Mr. Action into a desirable progressive public school, but when our actual offer came in and I compared the commute times, I had to admit that it would have meant a lot of misery for me. Add to that the fact that the aftercare program ended at 530 and I had to recognize belatedly that our #1 pick was actually no longer our #1 pick. Lessons learned for Kindergarten!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

School location matters not only because of commute time, but also because of your child’s ability to easily hang out with friends, your ability to make parent\/teacher conferences or school events, and your mental sanity. While it is true that you have saved money by attending public school, there is a cost to your time in transit and your headspace. So don’t discount your happiness for the sake of your child’s education. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growth opportunities and structure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The standards for 3K, PreK, and Kindergarten<\/a> are pretty basic, so the question of daycare or public schools really comes down to the teachers and whether they can provide differentiated teaching<\/a> – offering activities in a way that learners of different abilities can all benefit from the activity. There are of course things you can do as a parent to provide the differentiated teaching, but ideally, the program your child enrolls in for the better part of the day will be able to do this on your behalf. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Structure wise, daycares are much more homey (even center based ones) and there are no consequences to skipping school, being late to arrival, etc. This is great for you as a parent, but not great for your child who at some point will likely enter the “formal” school environment. While your child will adapt, the transition will likely be challenging. The question becomes will your child benefit from that growth factor now, or do you want to delay that transition so your child can focus on other development areas?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One other factor to consider when deciding between daycare or public schools is whether all children are entering the class new (ie. without having attended the school in an earlier year) or if there will already be kids who have long-term friendships with other kids. One thing I like about the PreK program we’re considering is that no one will have that advantage of knowing other folks in this school (except for siblings), so everyone can relate to each other about feeling nervous. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facilities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This may seem trivial, but COVID has certainly highlighted the importance of having windows that open and offer sunlight. I’ve also started to see that a proper playground or dedicated outdoor space to romp around in is so beneficial. Having access to field trips is also another perk if this is available. Daycares do not necessarily have these (ours has none of these), so this is one point where daycare or public schools means that schools are likely to win. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Administration and parent peers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is strictly a parent problem, but your feelings towards the administration at your daycare or public schools will play a big role in your happiness. This encompasses basic things like feeling heard (even if an outcome doesn’t go in your favor) or seeing yourself reflected in the parent population (i.e. diversity). It also covers more nebulous things like whether parent engagement is valued and how much influence you can bring to bear on an outcome. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to decide between daycare or public schools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There is no perfect type of school and there is no perfect education system. There are only varying levers of improvement that you can pull when it comes to daycare or public schools. For us, we weigh location and growth opportunities most heavily, but every family’s tolerance level for convenience will differ. Having two or more kids and wanting to simplify a drop off\/pick up situation is a very real factor to consider when you have under 5s. I feel the pressure to choose the public school over our daycare because surely as a single child family, we can make the commute work. But I’ll be honest, we’ve become very accustomed to an 830 am start, not the 7 am start that will be necessary for the public school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is also why I am grateful for hybrid homeschool<\/a> (aka supplementing school). Whatever choice we make, I know we will have a way to support Mr. Action’s learning journey and advance it forward. I don’t have to worry that he will stagnate at this early stage of the game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, we parents also have to realize that we’re living through some seismic changes in work life balance. The question is no longer if you can do hybrid work, but rather, how many days a week you can work from home. This changes the way we think about pick ups and drop offs. But making the decision between daycare or public schools now before kids’ vaccines are approved and without knowing what our employer work arrangements will look like mean that we have to make decisions in good faith. We also have to understand that there is no perfect transition, but that we will always find our footing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I recall a time when Mr. Action was just past one year old and I couldn’t imagine life without the tyrannical burden of washing all the small eating and drinking parts of baby and toddler life. I couldn’t imagine a time where half our vacation luggage wasn’t taken up by diapers and wipes. And I certainly couldn’t imagine a time when our kid could put on his jacket by himself. And yet….these are all true things today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pick three of four when it comes to deciding between daycare or public schools. Know that the decision isn’t final and that you will make the best decision for your family for the time being<\/em>. That is the beauty of having school choice – nothing is irrevocable, nothing is final, and you are an adult who can and will be able to pivot (even if it might suck for a bit). <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Choosing between daycare or public schools for your three or four year old can seem like a daunting challenge. There’s the convenience factor to consider, the “curriculum”, the rules – both written and unwritten, and the level of institutionalism that you’re willing to put up with. The question of daycare or public schools is akin […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":534,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-decision-making-for-parents"],"yoast_head":"\nYour helpful guide to choosing between daycare or public schools | Buoyant Bloomer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Choosing between daycare or public schools in NYC is a tough decision. 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