Preschool vs Nursery School in India -What’s the Difference?

When parents want to begin the introduction of learning for their child then the first school that they send them to is known preschool. This beginning school is also known as nursery school at some places.

Let us try to find out what is the basic difference between preschool and nursery school and learn the importance of both. Also, if as a parent, you wish to find out how to choose the best preschool for your child then you can read our article given under the same title.

What is the Difference between Preschool and Nursery School? (Preschool vs Nursery)

They both cater to very small kids, who are beginning their education and have just started going to the school. A preschool is like a huge umbrella under whose shades different categories, like nursery, kindergarten, etc. fall. The age limit for admission in preschool is from 1.5 to 5.5 years, depending upon the child’s mind and intelligence.

Let us study about the basic differences between these schools.

1. Classification: Preschool is the whole big term under which grades like nursery fall.
2. Age: Preschool generally begins from the age of 1.5 to 2 and nursery begins from the age of 2.5 to 3.5 years. You will learn more about in the latter part of the article.
3. Establishment: Preschools mostly have a proper school premise or compound while a nursery school can even operate from a large building or house.

What Makes Preschools Different

A good preschool makes a huge impact and difference in a child’s life and its effects last a lifetime. They also, at times, lack the understanding and knowledge to find a good preschool for their little one. But for that to happen a child must study in a good preschool and parents often get confused about how a preschool is different from a nursery school.

In order to understand what makes a preschool different from a nursery school, we must understand the following things:

• Nursery school or grade is a category or part of preschool. It is not essentially different from a preschool.
• A preschool begins from a playschool and ends at UKG so it comprises children from the age of 1.5 to 5.5 years whereas nursery is a grade in itself so, it comprises children from the age of 2.5 to 3.5 years.
• Children who complete the preschool go to join the formal school, i.e., in grade 1. However, children who complete the nursery grade are still a part of preschool and they just go to the next level, which is LKG (Lower Kindergarten).

What is the Right Age for Preschool?

There is no right age to start learning. Most of the parents of the young kids are pretty confused when it comes to deciding when the kids should start their preschool. Nowadays, the preschools have started admitting very young kids in their school too.

Children have started joining the preschool from the tender age of 1.5 to 2 years. This is basically happening due to the busy schedules of the parents and also because the children of today’s generation are quite intelligent already. They need proper guidance from very early age.

Is Preschool Necessary in India?

Yes, preschool is necessary to make the growth years of a child stronger. In order to make his base strong, he needs to be groomed in a proper way from the early childhood and preschool plays a very important role in that.

It is also crucial for providing early academic learning and also acts as a safe, nurturing place where they can play, relax and enjoy when their parents are, at times, unavailable. It makes them ready for their formal school so it is very important for children, all over the world; not just in India.

What Makes Nursery Schools Different?

There is no real different between the preschool and nursery. Nursery falls under the category of preschool itself.

What is the Best Age for Nursery?

The best age for nursery is 2.5 to 3.5 years. Any child between the ages of two to four years can join nursery. This is so because by this time the child is ready to begin his formal form of learning (academic or otherwise). They are able to understand and comprehend what they are being told so it is the right time for beginning their progressive learning.

Is it Compulsory to go to Nursery?

Nursery is not mandatory, it is optional. It is aimed at those children who are just about to join formal school. It helps them improve their learning concepts, which they will study in detail in their formal way of education.

Is Nursery and LKG the Same?

No, nursery and LKG are not the same. LKG stands for Lower Kindergarten. In LKG, children from the age of 3 years 5 months to 5 years 5 months are admitted. It is the class or grade that comes after nursery.

No formal form of education is required to enter LKG. A child studying in Nursery automatically progresses to LKG when the term finishes.

What is the Difference between Preschool and Play School?

There is not much difference between a playschool or preschool. They are just terms used interchangeably by most of the parents.

What is the Difference between Preschool and Day Care?

A preschool and day care are two different places. A preschool is a school that admits children from the age of 1.5 to 5.5 years. These children have to be potty trained on the other hand a daycare can take a child in from the age of 6 weeks to 12 years.

A child stays at a day care while his parents are at work or otherwise occupied. Interaction of the staff with a child is very different in preschool and daycare.

What is the Difference between Playgroup and Nursery?

A playgroup is a group created by parents or teachers for the children to play. It comprises children who may or may not be of the same age. Often, children of a playground are of the age 1.5 to 2.5 years. They tend to have fun together.

Nursery, on the other hand, is a grade in school, where children play but also study together.  In nursery, children are admitted from the age group of 2.5 to 3.5 years.

What is the Difference between Nursery and Kindergarten?

Both kindergarten as well as nursery refers to a type of preschool. They handle the children of the age 2.5 to 5.5 years. In nursery grade, the kids just begin their proper way of learning in a playful manner while the kindergarten is the first year of pre-primary education.

The kindergarten comprises two levels – LKG (Lower Kindergarten) and UKG (Upper Kindergarten). In LKG, children of the age 3 years 6 months to 4 years 6 months are admitted while in UKG, children of the age 4 years 6 months to 5 years 6 months are given admission.

It focuses on grooming them and making them more worldly confident and being able to interact and become more easily with their peers.

So, now we know the concept of both preschool as well nursery school. Along with that, in this article we learnt about the major difference between preschool and nursery school. We might also have got to know about some the other important terms related to pre-primary schools, like play school, playgroups, kindergarten, etc.

Preschool teaches the kids formal education along with other learning but it also includes fun as an essential element. There is no denying in the importance of the preschools and how essential they are.

We hope that this article was able to clear the myths that people generally have regarding the preschool versus nursery school.