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I'm a bit confused by these terms. I always thought pre-k was something different than "regular" 4 year old preschool (perhaps one year before kindergarten with a heavy emphasis on academics). Some people seem to refer to all preschool as pre-k though (which it technically is). Clarity on this would be appreciated.
At DS's school (he's now in K there), there is Early childhood Program that consists of an infant room, a toddler room, a twos room, a preschool class (for 3 year olds) and a Pre-K class (for 4 year olds). The preschool class was very much play based, but in his Pre-K class there was a curriculum that was followed for pre-reading. There was a lot more structured learning. I don't know if that's typical of all Pre-K programs, but that was our experience.
The way that I use the terms is:
3yo - Nursery
4yo - PreK
Together they are Preschool.
Our preschool has toddler 1 and toddler 2 (15 months + and 2+), nursery (3+) and prek (4+).
Also in the state of FL we have something called VPK (voluntary pre kindergarten) where the state covers a portion of tuition during the last year of preschool. Pretty cool.
At our preschool, there is a 3yo (3 days a week) preschool class, a 4yo (3 or 4 days a week) preschool class, and a pre-K class (5 days a week) for kids who turn 5 by December 31st, which is made up of kids who just missed the cutoff and those who were held back.
The pre-K class follows more of a pre-reading curriculum than the 3 and 4yo preschool classes and focuses on pre-kindergarten readiness skills like independence and responsibility.
A tangent, but I so MISS the term nursery school! Even two-year old programs in my area are referred to as pre-school. Nursery school was one of those terms that made me smile . . . it was just such a relaxing word association for me.
Preschool and Pre-K not so much. It makes early childhood sound so preparatory . . . I mean your three or four year old life is being lived at age 3 or 4, not in preparation for age 5 (or 6 as the case may be).
Obviously, overthinking here but my vote is for a return to the sweetness of the term nursery school for 3-4 and the use of pre-k or bridge to describe special programs for kids who just miss cut-offs or have other issues. And - - as many posters have noted - - for kindergarten to be kindergarten again with a focus on playing, singing, pre-literacy, and encouraging kids to love school!!
Sorry, OP, I am now dismounting from my literary high horse . . . :)
My son goes to a playbased preschool. They have a 3 year-old class (2 or 3 mornings), 4 year-old class (3 mornings) or a pre-k class (4 or 5 mornings). I was told the pre-k class was more academic.
The way it was explained by the school our children attend(ed) is that preschool is about socialization and play and getting used to separation with education tossed in. Pre-k has more of a focus on preparation for K (following rules and instructions, sitting for short bursts of time, more focused academic instruction).
:yeahthat: except that our 4yo class is only 3 days a week and our 3yo class is 2 or 3 days a week.Quote:
Originally Posted by g-mama
You should move here ;). The 3 year old programs are generally called nursery. Nursery through K is collectively called preschool. The 2 year old programs are typically referred to as playgroups. K here is 2 years, so there is JK (junior K) - 4 year olds and SK (senior K) - 5 year olds.Quote:
Originally Posted by sste
I don't get it. Personally, hate the term pre-K. It always seems to come from someone trying to be snooty and making attempting a distinction between the pre-school year before K and other pre-school years.
I personally think of it has 3-year-old and 4-year-old pre-school. But I'm the odd-ball. There are some pre-schools around here that distinguish:
Parents/Kid Day Out (1-2 years) - 1 day/week
3 year old pre-school - 2 days
4 year old pre-school - 3 or 4 days
pre-k - 4 or 5 days
Most commonly pre-k classes are made up of the summer b-day kids not starting K and fall b-day kids that have already had two years of pre-school.
I have often wondered this too. I'm glad to read the other posts and discover there is an actual difference in some areas because there is not in my town, not from what I've seen.
Just to clarify, i am talking about part-day preschools for ages 2-4 in my town. Some of them call ALL the 4 year old classes pre-K, but no one ever offered a credible explanation to me about why, even when I pressed. Some of the preschools call the 4 year old class "the 4 year old class." Parents have the same variation, with some calling it preschool and some pre-K regardless of what the school itself calls it. From that, it seems to be a difference of style rather than curriculum to me.
My daughters' public school has a public preschool that runs from 8:30-3:00 pm. From what I have seen, it is called preschool and pre-K about equally by teachers, parents, and in official documents.
Here, Pre-K is a full-time public school option for 4yos available to those who qualify (on the basis of income or lack of English skills). Our school district is overwhelmingly lower income so most kids go to Pre-K. Those who do not qualify pay for preschool.
:yeahthat:Quote:
Originally Posted by MommyofAmaya
I am in the same state (different town) and that is how I see it. Pre-k is the public school one (only for those who qualify) and preschool is any private option. Funny how the terms mean different things to all of us!
Here preschool is private preK is the public one for low income or IEP students. They are now required to take 10% of non low income students.
Here, we pay for preschool (ages 3 and under). Ages 4-5 go to Pre-K, which is public and free for everyone in Oklahoma. It is only the grade before K.
It varies between schools here. At ours we have preschool for 3 yos and pre-K for 4 yos. I think the only reason they use the term is so people know which class you are talking about.
Around here the programs say Preschool for the 3s class (and 2s if they have it), and Pre-K for the 4s class. There are more academic readiness points on the list of things a kid will know by the end of the year. I think the Montessori was the only school that didn't say preschool or pre-K.
In Texas... Pre-K is offered to 4 year olds at public school, it is daily, for half a day (like Kindergarten USED to be). It is not required. Neither is kinder, for that matter. It is open to low-income, ESL, military, foster kids... I think I am missing some qualifications. Basically, if your kid would qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, they would qualify for pre-k.
How it compares to preschool is hard to say, because preschools vary so greatly (tuition and otherwise). I am not sure there are regulations stating what "preschool" must be, compared to MDO or daycare. DD went to preschool (all 3's in her class, but there was a 4-5 class too) at the local rec center and I was pleasantly surprised by the prereading skills she picked up. Her class was 3 hrs, twice a week, but again, that varies by school. Some preschools go as low as 18mo.
HTH