As you have already noticed, there are a variety of opinions on this topic. I believe that you need to consider a number of factors when making your decision. First, are you happy with your current child care situation? Is your son content in the setting and is he benefiting socially and developmentally?

Second, you should consider the quality of your daycare teachers and curriculum. That is, are the teachers qualified to teach basic pre-academic skills and comfortable doing so? Or, is the daycare essentially an environment in which children are looked after, but new skills and ideas are not introduced?

If you are satisfied with the quality of care that your son receives in his current environment, and he is learning a number of pre-academic skills, such as sitting in a circle, learning his letters, numbers, shapes, sequencing, then this environment may be enough for him. However, if you have concerns about the skills your son may be learning in the daycare environment, it may be worthwhile to pursue a preschool in order to fully prepare him for the rigors of the kindergarten environment.

For more on preschools, take a look at the following section of this website:
http://www.education.com/reference/topic/ChoosingSchool_EarlyYears_Preschool/

L. Compian, Ph.D.
Education.com Team