Meaning & use
preschool
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Meanings
nouncountable
A school or class for children aged about three to five, before they start elementary school.
Grammar: Countable: you can say a preschool, the preschool, or preschools.
Patterns
- go to preschool
- at preschool
- a preschool for children
She started preschool when she was three years old.
The preschool is just around the corner from our house.
He learned to share and take turns at preschool.
adjectivebefore a noun
Relating to the time or education before a child starts elementary school.
Grammar: Used before a noun: preschool children, preschool education.
Patterns
- preschool children
- preschool education
- preschool age
The library runs a preschool story hour on Fridays.
Many parents worry about the cost of preschool education.
Children of preschool age need plenty of playtime.
Word forms
| plural | preschools |
|---|
Common combinations
- preschool teacher
- My cousin works as a preschool teacher.
- preschool program
- The city offers a free preschool program for low-income families.
- attend preschool
- All three of their children attend preschool.
- preschool classroom
- The preschool classroom was full of colorful drawings.
Synonyms and how they differ
- nursery school
- Used more in British English for a similar place; preschool is the usual American term.
- kindergarten
- In the US, kindergarten is usually the first year of formal school, for five-year-olds, while preschool comes before it.
- playgroup
- A playgroup is more informal and often run by parents, with less structured teaching than a preschool.
Word family
- preschooler noun
- A child who attends preschool.
Commonly confused: preschool or kindergarten?
preschool vs kindergarten
In the US, kindergarten is part of elementary school for five-year-olds, while preschool is for younger children before that.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'preschool' correctly as a noun?
Choose one answer.
'Preschool' as a noun is a place or institution, so 'They go to preschool together' fits. 'She preschools her daughter' wrongly uses it as a verb, and 'He is preschool' wrongly uses it as an adjective after 'is'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “preschool”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.