Early Learning Academy Programs Vs. Child Daycare

If you have a small child and are looking for care solutions, you may have found both early learning academies and daycare solutions. But, which is a better choice for you, your child, and your family? In this article, we aim to compare and contrast both daycare facilities and early learning academies so you can make the choice for your child’s care you can feel confident with.

What is Daycare?

Daycare often caters to infants and children up to five years old. Essentially, the goal of a daycare facility is to supervise and make sure your child is taken care of throughout the day. This may include providing nap time, snacks, diaper changes, comfort, and a variety of toys for play. In a daycare setting, children do experience social interaction which is great for social education and development. But, daycares don’t offer educational structure, curriculum, recorded data to track development, or other academic tools. So, while daycare may be a great choice for parents who cannot look after their young ones while they’re at work, the children who attend daycare in their earliest years are not adapted to specific learning techniques one might find in an early learning academy or preschool. In a daycare facility, you can expect:

• A group setting where kids of all ages are together throughout the day
• Small staff to care for all children at the same time
• Staff who are not required to be licensed
• Full-time care and holiday hours

What is an Early Learning Academy?

An early learning academy is basically preschool. Like daycare, they also accept children aged 6 weeks to 5 years of age. And, many offer after-school programs for older children aged 5-10, like the one offered by Ivy Prep Early Learning Academy. In an early learning facility, the focus is still geared toward supervising children so they get the care they need. But, it’s also about incorporating early learning techniques which prepare children for further learning and make sure they’re developing up to speed with other children their age. This is done through age-specific programs which cater to the social, cognitive, behavioral, and emotional developments of children of each specific age group. In an early learning academy, you can expect:

• Smaller groups of children surrounded by peers of the same age
• Curriculums which are directed toward learning objectives based on each age/program
• Individual instructors for each age group of children and program
• A government-certified institution
• Instructors with previous early learning and academic experience
• Establishing an early foundation for learning and teaching methods
• Focus on developing interpersonal and social skills
• Frequent reports which keep parents up to date on all areas of child development

Find Out the Difference for Yourself

We know that you want what’s best for your child’s care and development. So, reading an article may not be what helps you to decide where your child will be cared for. But, if you do think an early learning academy is the right decision, compared to daycare, consider Ivy Prep Early Learning Academy! We offer five separate locations around New York to offer early learning solutions to families in a number of areas. View the locations on our website to decide which is closest to you. Then, schedule a viewing of the facility of your choosing to meet your child’s potential instructors, check out the classrooms, and get to know more about the daily activities your child will take part in. To schedule your visit, give us a call today at (718) 982-0202.