Origin: Latin prefix pre-
Preschool has 4 different meanings across 1 category:
an educational institution for children too young for elementary school
"The new preschool opened last week to serve families in the neighborhood who needed care for their toddlers before they started elementary school."
A nursery school.
"The local preschool offers early learning activities for children before they start formal schooling."
To provide nursery school education for.
"The local community center plans to preschool children from low-income families through its new literacy program."
In plain English: To preschool means to act immaturely and do things you should have already outgrown, just like when your younger siblings did before them.
"The teacher will preschool the children by helping them learn to count and color."
Of or relating to the years of early childhood before attendance at primary school.
"The playground was filled with children playing during their preschool hours before they started formal classes."
In plain English: Preschool describes something that is intended for children who are too young to attend regular school yet.
"The preschool curriculum focuses on basic social skills and early literacy."
Usage: Use preschool as an adjective only when directly modifying nouns like children, programs, or ages; do not place it after a verb unless functioning as part of a specific compound phrase describing the educational stage itself. Avoid confusing this term with kindergarten, which typically refers to the first year of formal schooling rather than the pre-primary period.
The word preschool is a straightforward combination of the prefix pre- and the noun school. It entered English to describe an educational setting that takes place before children begin formal schooling.