preschool

A preschool (sometimes spelled as pre school or pre-school), also known as pre-primary school, play school, or nursery school, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary school. It may be publicly or privately operated and may be subsidized from public funds. The typical age range for preschool in most countries is from 4 to 6 years (preschool to kindergarten).

Terminology varies by country. In some European countries the term "kindergarten" refers to formal education of children classified as ISCED level 0 – with one or several years of such education being compulsory – before children start primary school at ISCED level 1.