My son is only 2, but we decided to get him into "school" last winter.
When my wife was interviewing these places, the choice was between "learning" environments and "social" environments.
We chose the social environment. There's plenty of time for him to learn numbers, letters (he's only 2), but it's more important now for him to to learn to take turns, run around with other kids, bang on the drums and sing when the weekly musician comes in, etc...
Depends on what you mean by "school" (NB the quotes in the parent comment). There is a huge variance in options for working parents of a 2-3 year old. From cramped cinder block day care -- aka The Cacophonous Petri Dish; to private nanny; to "forest schools" where kids spend as much time as possible outside digging in the dirt, climbing tree stumps, and learning how to devise and engage in large projects together (yes, a group of 2.5 year olds is capable of this).
I don't think the parent comment was talking about toddler MIT.
I do. The one I'm familiar with has large garden areas, trees for climbing/wandering around, uncultivated wilderness areas, etc. It's not a vast tract of land, but enough that it seems huge to a small person. Indoor time focuses on exploration of provocations set up by teachers, telling stories, singing, role-playing, etc.
Our daycare has a bunch of "school-esque" stuff. It's almost 100% learning through play, but the kids do have development plans, areas that they focus on learning, etc. "School" is a broad term, and while sitting at a desk is 100% unrealistic for a 2 year old, opportunities for educational play definitely exist.
When my wife was interviewing these places, the choice was between "learning" environments and "social" environments.
We chose the social environment. There's plenty of time for him to learn numbers, letters (he's only 2), but it's more important now for him to to learn to take turns, run around with other kids, bang on the drums and sing when the weekly musician comes in, etc...