There are the 4's, PreK, and PreK Enrichment at our preschool. They are all for 4 years olds what is the difference in the class names?
The preschool should provide you with detailed information regarding each program, ask them!
A lot of them are called different things due to the business they are in. They can call them whatever they want.
They should all be covering the same things anyway.
A Pre-K class that is located in an elementary school building, that is part of the local public school administration is usually called Pre-K. This is the class of kids that were a full 4 years old before the first day of school. They are under the jurisdiction of the school system but sort of not part of it. With the kids being only 4 they do fall under some child care laws too. Once a child turns 5 and is in Kindergarten full time the class falls fully under school administration.
Some of the reasons that Pre-K still is required to lay the kids down to nap is that they fall under child care regulations. All children under 5 that are not yet in full time kindergarten have to have a designated nap time, if they choose to not nap they still have to have that rest time so others in the class can sleep.
If it's afternoon enrichment that usually means that once the kids get up from nap time from morning class they do some more stuff just like they did in the morning time. Sometimes kids will do morning class and then go home around lunch time. If their parents want them to do afternoon enrichment they lay down to nap and then when they get up they eat a snack and then do some more activities. It's just the same as a school program but may be more "fun" activities instead of actually class room work that prepares them for kindergarten.
The 4's is usually what I associate with child care or a mother's day out program. They have the classes labeled by the kids ages. If a child is not the right age in that classroom in a child care center the ratio's of kids to teacher automatically changes.
For instance, in Oklahoma a baby room teacher can have 4 infants per teacher. IF a toddler, a child that has had their first birthday but not turned 2 yet, is in the room that teacher can now legally have 6 children per teacher. Only 4 babies maximum though. She can't have 5 babies and 1 toddler. She can have 4 babies and 1 toddler or 4 toddlers and 2 babies but never more than 4 babies.
In a 4 year old classroom they can have 15 kids that are 4 years old. IF a 3 year old child comes in that classroom for even 5 minutes while a teacher goes to the bathroom that class becomes a mixed class and therefore they can only have 12 kids total. The ratios are designed to make sure the children do not get bundled into a classroom with too many kids and their specific age needs are not met.'
So a class called "4's" means to me that all the children in this class are 4 years old and the ratio's are for that age group. They would be doing normal stuff that a 4 year old likes but they are most likely doing a lot of stuff that is just fun too. They have specific guidelines as to how many hours they can do specific activities. So they may be doing school type work but it's not guaranteed.
I found out the hard way that I made a mistake when it came to choosing a Head Start program over a public pre-K classroom setting.
I liked her 3 year old teacher so much and was so pleased with the program that I thought there was no way I was taking my granddaughter out of the Head Start program. She didn't get that teacher after all and the one she got didn't really like her. The classroom was over run by kids with behavior problems, there were nearly 10 children that didn't even speak English, and the few that were able to come to class, sit down, learn, understand what the teacher was saying, didn't learn anything substantial the whole year. It was a whole year lost educationally.
I was told by a kindergarten teacher that I would love a regular Pre-K class that was overseen by the public school admin. I found this past year they programs were night and day. The public school Pre-K class is like a younger Kindergarten classroom. They do the same type stuff and it's wonderful.
So in my opinion if you have the choice I'd go with a school based program hands down.
I think they are all very similiar but the differences may vary by facilties. Here preschool is usually at a daycare (or sep. facility) and they provide socialization w/ some academic stepping stones to prepare for K. Pre-K is not available in a lot of schools so those that have it are normally private schools and they prepare them for K as well but can be half or full days depending on the program. Pre-K Enrichment offered at our schools are typically for those kids that have a delay in some area and need a little extra help preparing for K.
To know for sure, you should ask the facility that you are looking into.
In my daughter's old preschool they had 4's and Transitional Kindergarten, which I'm assuming is the same as Pre K Enrichment. Her new preschool has young 4's and older 4's. I'm assuming the young 4's is your 4's, the PreK is the older 4's, and possibly the Pre K Enrichment is for the kids that are almost 5 or 5 that weren't old enough for Kindergarten when it started or weren't ready for Kindergarten. I would assume they have different lesson plans, possibly requiring more work in the Pre K and Pre K Enrichment class.
Ask the school. Chances are, there is a difference in how academic the classes are as well as in the hours (preK often has longer hours than regular 4s).
In my opinion, preschool shouldn't be overly academic. Your child will be ready for kindergarten no matter what. Give them a chance to go to school and have fun. There's plenty of time for academics once they hit elementary school.
I would ask your preschool.
