What Is Daycare and Why Does It Matter? | Benjamin Preparatory School

What is daycare, and how important is it?

By: Dr. Verna Benjamin Lambert

Daycare is supervised care for young children, usually from infancy to about age 5, provided by trained caregivers outside the child's home during the hours parents work or are away. A good daycare does more than keep children safe. It gives them a predictable routine, meals, play and steady relationships with caring adults during the years when the brain grows fastest.

In Georgia, daycare centers are called child care learning centers, and they're licensed by the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL). Below, we'll cover what that looks like day to day, why it matters for development, how daycare compares to preschool and Georgia's Pre-K Program and where it isn't the right fit.

What is the definition of daycare?

The simplest daycare definition is this: a licensed program where children are cared for by adults other than their parents, in a group setting, on a regular schedule.

Most daycares share a few traits:

They serve infants, toddlers and preschoolers, and some also serve school age children before and after school.
They run on a full day schedule built around working families.
Meals, naps, play and learning activities follow a daily routine.
In Georgia, centers are licensed and monitored by DECAL.

Daycare goes by other names, too, like child care, childcare center and early learning center. They all describe the same basic idea.

What does a day at daycare look like?

Every program is different, but a typical day usually includes:

Drop off and a calm, welcoming start
Breakfast or a morning snack
Circle time with songs, stories and the day's theme
Small group learning and free play
Outdoor or active play
Lunch and a nap or quiet rest
Afternoon activities, a snack and pickup

At Benjamin Preparatory School, that routine also includes age appropriate praise, worship and Bible study, a whole foods menu, daily physical activity and performing arts classes like tap, ballet and music. It's a lot of structure, but kids this age do best when they know what's coming next.

Why is daycare important for child development?

The early years matter because that's when the brain builds its foundation, and relationships are the main building material.

The Harvard Center on the Developing Child describes a process it calls serve and return. When a baby or toddler babbles, gestures or cries and an adult responds with words, eye contact or a hug, those exchanges help build and strengthen neural connections in the brain. Harvard calls these back and forth moments essential for communication and social skills. In a good daycare, that kind of responsive attention happens many times a day.

What are the benefits of daycare?

When the program is high quality, the benefits of daycare tend to show up in four areas:

Social skills: Children practice sharing, taking turns and working through conflict with peers.
Language: Songs, stories and conversation with teachers give children more words every day.
Routine and independence: Kids learn to put away their things, wash their hands and follow a schedule.
School readiness: Time in a classroom makes the move into kindergarten less of a shock.

Daycare can also help parents keep an eye on development. The CDC's developmental milestones are things most children can do by a certain age, and the CDC offers checklists from 2 months through 5 years. Teachers who see your child every day can be a helpful second set of eyes, though any concerns belong in a conversation with your pediatrician.

Preschool vs daycare: what's the difference?

The short answer: daycare is about care for the full working day across a wide age range, and preschool is about structured learning for children around 3 to 5. Many programs, including ours, combine both. Georgia's Pre-K Program is a separate, state funded option for 4 year olds.

	Daycare	Preschool	Georgia's Pre-K Program
Typical ages	About 6 weeks to 5 years, sometimes older	About 3 to 5 years	Children who are 4 on or before September 1 of the school year
Main purpose	Safe, consistent care during the working day	Structured early learning and social skills	Preparing 4 year olds for kindergarten
Schedule	Usually full day, year round	Varies, from half day to full day	A 6.5 hour instructional day, 5 days a week, 180 days a year
Cost to families	Tuition, set by each program	Tuition, set by each program	Free and state funded (lottery funded) for Georgia residents
Where it's offered	Licensed child care learning centers and homes	Centers, churches and private schools	Local public schools and private providers

The Georgia's Pre-K Program details above come from the state's Pre-K enrollment page on georgia.gov and DECAL's Pre-K program overview. As of 2026, georgia.gov describes the program as free for families, and DECAL describes it as lottery funded and voluntary for families and providers.

If you're comparing options for a 3 or 4 year old, our play based preschool in Atlanta page explains how we approach learning for children in this age range.

Does daycare quality matter more than the label?

Yes. This is the part most articles skip. "Daycare," "preschool" and "early learning center" are just labels. What makes a difference for your child is what happens inside the room.

A program with warm, trained teachers, a steady routine and real conversation all day will serve a child well, whatever it's called. A program with rushed staff, high turnover and long stretches of waiting won't, even if it has a fancy name. Daycare also isn't the right choice for every family at every age. If a parent or relative can provide loving care at home and that works for your family, that's a good option too.

That's why we encourage parents to tour, ask hard questions and check licensing reports. Our checklist for choosing a daycare lists 12 questions to bring with you, and our guide to the best age to start daycare breaks down timing stage by stage.

What makes Benjamin Prep's approach to daycare different?

We're a non denominational Christian childcare center in Atlanta serving children from 6 weeks old through 2nd grade. Our CDA qualified caregivers are trained in CPR and First Aid, and staff complete background checks.

Our days are shaped by the Seven Stages of Wellness, our framework for raising children who are well rounded, well mannered, well spoken, well nourished, well versed, well grounded and well loved. That shows up in our STEAM+ curriculum, which looks at science, technology, engineering, arts and math through the lens of scripture, and in performing arts classes from the toddler years on. If you'd like to see it in person, schedule a visit to our Vinings campus.

Frequently asked questions

What is daycare in simple terms?

Daycare is a place where trained adults care for young children during the day while parents work or are away. Most daycares serve infants through about age 5. In Georgia, they're licensed by DECAL.

What is the difference between daycare and preschool?

Daycare focuses on full day care for a wide age range, often starting in infancy. Preschool focuses on structured learning for children around 3 to 5. Many centers offer both under one roof, so the line is often blurry.

What age do kids go to daycare?

Children can start daycare as young as 6 weeks old in many licensed programs, and most attend until they start kindergarten around age 5. Some daycares also offer before and after school care for older children.

Is daycare good for children?

High quality daycare can be very good for children, especially for language, social skills and school readiness. The key word is quality. Warm, consistent teachers and a steady routine matter more than the type of program.

Is Georgia's Pre-K Program the same as daycare?

No. Georgia's Pre-K Program is a free, state funded program for 4 year olds who live in Georgia, with a 6.5 hour instructional day. It's offered through local public schools and private providers. Daycare is a broader term for licensed care across many ages, usually for the full working day.

Is Benjamin Preparatory School the right fit for your family?

If you're looking for daycare that's about more than supervision, we'd love to show you how faith, learning and the arts fill a day at Benjamin Prep.

Benjamin Preparatory School is a Christian preschool and daycare in the Vinings area of Atlanta at 2445 Church Rd SE, Atlanta, GA 30339, serving children from 6 weeks old through 2nd grade. Each school day blends faith, STEAM+ academics and daily performing arts like tap, ballet, music and drama, and a whole foods menu is included. Families in Vinings, Smyrna, Cumberland, Mableton and northwest Atlanta choose Benjamin Prep so their children can grow in faith, learning and confidence in one place. Families driving in from Marietta or Kennesaw are welcome too, and a tour is the easiest way to see whether the commute and the fit work for you.

Schedule a tour of our Vinings campus, get directions, see our programs by age, or call (770) 436-5200 to talk with our team.

About the author: Dr. Verna Benjamin-Lambert

Dr. Verna R. Benjamin-Lambert, known to families as "Dr. Benji," is the founder of Benjamin Preparatory School, which she started as The Benjamin Preschool of Academic and Performing Arts in Smyrna, Georgia. She holds a doctorate in education leadership from Nova Southeastern University and is a graduate of St. Joseph's Teachers' College in Jamaica. Before founding the school, she served as an administrator in a Georgia school system, where she advocated for students who were falling behind academically.

Dr. Benji is also an author. Her book Health Intelligence: The Path to a Healthier You looks at the core issues behind childhood obesity, and her Healthy Benji children's books help young readers build healthy eating habits. One belief guides every classroom at Benjamin Prep: "Every child has a soul, and every soul has a purpose."

Meet Dr. Benji and browse her books.