Childcare in Dallas (Plano, Richardson: day care, home, school district)

[markdo]

Hi,
I have just been offered a relocation by my company from the Cote d'Azur (Southern France) to Dallas. I have a young family and one good point about living here is the French childcare facilities, including creche (1-3 years), school (3 onwards) and various baby groups. What can we expect from childcare/baby groups in Dallas, in particular Richardson?
Thanks

[FarNorthDallas]

There are daycares that take kids from infant on up for a fee you pay them. It could be $130-200 a week. It varies. Free public school starts once the child turns 5 by Sept. 1.

There is the Dallas International School that is taught in French and English in North Dallas. Since it's a private school, you pay tuition. I don't know what the youngest age is they will take. Sometimes the private schools will take under 5 kids.

[sonshinelife]

Far North Dallas I think you meant daycares charge anywhere from $130 to $250 a week not month.... I know this because my child just finished the daycare route... we are now on to public school and I'm getting a raise. :-)

My son was $189 while he was 2-4 and $175 for private kinder because he didn't make the age cut off for public school. His after school care will be $90 a week for transportation to and from school and after school care.

[FarNorthDallas]

Ha! So sorry! I fixed it. Yes, I meant a week so that would be $500-800 a month.

[markdo]

Thanks. I assume you can choose how many days a week day care is used, it is not compulsory to attend 5 days/week?

[FarNorthDallas]

I think some offer part-time care, like 2 days a week or 3 days a week. Some will offer it if they can fill the opposite days with another kid. A few won't offer it at all. You just have to research and make visits. They are all private businesses and can do whatever they want.

[sonshinelife]

Yep,,, you can choose, usually, most daycares have a variety of options for you to select from or at least the ones I've dealt with do. It typically is more expensive from what I've seen to do less.

I know at my son's daycare... many of the parents that are stay at home parents...usually just send their kids for school portion 5 days a week and pick up at noon. There is a different rate for these children.

[markdo]

Ok it is becoming clearer. So daycare upto the age of 5 involves privately run businesses which combine education and childcare. In general is it the norm for stay at home parents to send their children to daycare or to look after the children themselves? Or from a slightly different perspective would chidren who have not benefited from the education at daycare struggle when they go to school at 5?
Thanks for all your replies.

[FarNorthDallas]

It's varies what kids do as far as under 5 education. Stay at home moms usually, but not always, send their kids to some kind of part-time preschool. That's a little different than daycare. To me daycare is all day and is there so the parent can work. They are open like 7am-6pm. Within that period there is some education for the kids besides just playing and napping.

Preschool is more like just the education part of it and the day is much shorter, and in some cases just 2 or 3 hours. Stay at home moms use these places. It's a lot cheaper. Some daycares offer a shorter preschool program for those just looking for that. Some preschools run 9am-noon and that's it.

The Plano school district offers a tuition based preschool in their district. Other districts offer free preschool (PK4 - meaning age 4 by Sept 1) for non-English speaking kids and poor kids, but nothing for regular kids even willing to pay tuition. They go to private businesses. Many churches run preschools and daycares and, no, you don't have to be a member of the church of even religious to use them.

Kindergarten (the first year of public school at age 5) teachers have told me they can tell when a kid has had no preschool or daycare experience before starting "real" school. But most kids catch up pretty quick. Sometimes dealing with the separation from mommy is the biggest challenge if the child has never been away from her before. Sometimes it's nice to have dealt with that at age 3 or 4.

Preschools can start at age 18, or age 2 or age 3 or age 4, by the way.

There are also these things called Mothers Day Out (MDOs) that stay at home moms use. It's sortof like preschool. When my son was young it was just babysitting and was 9-2 one or two days a week and infants could attend. I hear now it's more education. I don't know. I'm not sure the difference.

[sonshinelife]

From a teachers perspective and a mom of a child that has had to attend daycare/preschool because I'm a full time working mom:

Yes, I do believe children benefit from attending preschool prior to entering public school. From my experience I've observed many children that never attended any form of formal daycare or preschool that struggled terribly when entering the school system.

I'm not bashing stay at home parents I just feel that kids benefit from being around other children and other adults that can provide opportunities for learning. (ex. This year we had a student come to our school whose mom and dad were very established financially and the parents never allowed the child to hold a pair scissors in their hands for fear he would damage something or himself. Also, he never had paper products with crayons because they were afraid of the marks he may make on the wall or tables. His social skills were behind too as a result of not having experienced being around other children. They both regret their decisions now because they learned that it really hampered him when he started kinder. They are not bad parents, they instead were naive.)

And yes Far North Dallas you are correct that a lot of the problems children have are separation issues because they have never had to experience being away from mom or dad.

On a personal note: I struggled in the beginning because I wanted to be a stay at home mom. I wasn't able to for a variety of reasons. I felt guity. I can honestly say now that my own is entering kinder in August that he is better equipped for school because he did attend daycare/preschool and because I was able to provide him some enrichment outside of school through time with me and his dad as well as family and friends and he was blessed to have wonderful caregivers and preschool experiences. I don't feel guity anymore I feel blessed.