I started out using daycare, for no particular reason. Then, one day I was going to put an ad in the paper (by phone). When I said ACB Daycare, she asked if it was for children or the elderly. I stammered a minute because it had never occurred to me that anyone would think it was daycare for the elderly. She suggested that I drop the daycare and stick with Child Care. I still say daycare in conversation (and probably here), but in ads, I use child care. I seem to switch between one word and two except in ads when I use 2 words.
I use child care, except when people ask what I do, I tell them I have an in home daycare. To me child care sounds more personal and daycare sounds more formal. My name is M's Family Child Care.
I use them interchangeably because, in my writing in general, I try to avoid using the same words/phrases too much. If you use one too much it tends to bore the "reader" and makes it lose meaning by making everything sound like a run-on. Sometimes I also use "The care home", "The child care property", "The daycare home", "The family child care property", "The preschool", "The nursery school" etc (though I also plan on teaching preschool, I don't use "nursery school" but some people).
I use child care. It was pointed out in a training I attended that day care can be for children, pets, or the elderly, where "child care" is pretty clear
Thanks Lady s, Sunchimes I would not of though of a elderly daycare. Just left doing inhome care for 25 years and don't want to do that again. So in my name use Childcare .
For some reason I seem to always think childcare is for older children and daycare for babies. Of course that's not true that is just usually my assumption.
I switched my name from "family child care" to "home daycare" a few years ago. Our agency wants us to use family child care but no regular people seemed to know what that meant so I felt "home daycare" was easier.
Day care, Child care, Babysitter,...whatever. I know some people hate "Babysitter", but I don't mind. As long as the family is respectful and pay on time, they can call it whatever they want.
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