Kindergarten or preschool?

Question

I want to know what's the difference between the two terms,as I'm a foreigner. I looked up a dictionary and found 'kindergarten' a right word for children before elementary school.

But I noiced Americans use preschools perhaps more commonly. what's the difference?

Answer 1

preschool comes before kindergarten

Answer 2

MY kids are in Pre-k which is the same as preschool here in Louisiana. Its free and they go to school with other children in grades K-5 and wear uniforms as well. They had to take a test before they started. they also take a test mid year and at the end of the year. Its a state program and follows a certain curriculum. To go to kindergarten they have to know a certain about of letters and numbers and recognize basic objects.  They also have to be potty trained because there's a Pre-K 3 and a Pre-K 4 in Louisiana

Answer 3

First off depending on what state you live in Kindergarten is optional or mandatory. Here in California it is optional. They consider Preschool from the age of 3 up to age 5 and then once they turn 5 they go into Kindergarten right before the first grade.

Answer 4

Kids can start preschool in some areas as early as age 2, but usually around age 3.  It teaches them basic things that they will need to know before starting school, but incorporates more playtime and toys.  In preschools kids learn their letters, numbers, and colors, as well as how to get along with other kids, sharing, and listening to the teachers.  

Kindergarten starts when a child is usually 5 and it is more structured with more time spent on knowledge skills and reading.   It uses the skills learned in preschool and elaborates on them into counting by 2s and 5s, writing the letters and words and other thinking skills.  There is still play involved in kindergarten although not as much as in preschool.  

The levels here go preschool, kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school... sometimes though kids will continue in preschool when they are 5 especially if they are in a childcare type setting or the school district they go to doesn't have a kindergarten program.  

Hope this explains it!

Answer 5

My kids went to pre-school like a 'day care' atmosphere. They did basic learning, maybe colors parts of the body and little coloring, things like that. Kindergarten, normally the child has to be at least 5 years old by a certain date. Here in Kansas, my granddaughter had to wait to start Kindergarten, due to her birthday was in Dec. and she turned 5 then. So she waited the next year to go to kindergarten. She then turned 6 this year in kindergarten and will be 7 when she is in first grade. Kindergarten they are teaching her almost the same thing she learned in Head Start. She knows the colors, numbers. They have to be able to count to a certain number in Kindergarten,plus they start them now on how to tell time. They learn basic math, 1+1=2, things like that. Kindergarten is part of the public school system. As her school records from Head Start went with her to kindergarten school. But here in Kansas her school is all day kindergarten, where as there are some kindergarten schools that are only half day. I prefer the full day of kindergarten.

Answer 6

they are different grades preschool is first then kindergarten is second

Answer 7

Usually kids go to preschool at ages 3-5.  In Wisconsin you have to be 5 to go to kindergarten.  Also, kindergarten is within and part of a public school.  Preschools are commonly off-site in their own building, and are only sometimes housed within a public school.  Kindergarten curriculum is part of the public school curriculum, where preschools are more autonomous.  One more difference (at least in WI): preschools are usually half-day programs, but many kindergartens are now full-day, every day.

In Wisconsin they are both optional, but almost all students go to kindergarten before starting 1st grade (thank goodness).

Answer 8

preschool can be for children under 5.  Kindergarten is only for children who will be 5 before the cut-off date.  Most preschools are not free. Kindergarten is paid through tax dollars, so free.

Answer 9

kidnegarten is before first grade, and preschool is before that, and is optional.

Answer 10

Kindergarten has specific learning goals established by the state - a child must pass these before graduating/being accepted into 1st grade...a child must also be 5 years by a certain date (determined by each state).

Preschool is really day care for 3 to 5 year olds.  They have loose schedules and don't have to pass certain learning goals in order to graduate into Kindergarten.

Answer 11

Kids can usually start with Preschool (Preschool is optional.)and then Kindergarden, then ist grade.

Preschool is a place where they get a head start on academics and do the basic learning such as identifying various thing and objects, colours, animals flowers, learning some basic things like rhymes, alphabets, numbers. Kindergarden, they do all this plus more which helps in developing kids reading and writing skills and basic math.

Answer 12

Kindergarten is now actually in most places considered the first part of regular elementary school and is mandatory...preschool is not mandatory and occurs before children enter Kindergarten

Answer 13

whoa, my views are completely different from the others posted here.  The preschool that I work at has a strict curriculum, we are state licensed and we follow guidelines from the state.  There are three early literacy assessments per year.  Every day has structured time and play time.  Preschool is optional and my preschool is privately owned. There is tuition involved and almost all families attend.  There are three options in our town - developmental preschool for the delayed, head start based on income, and the preschool where I am.  It is NOT daycare and I challenge anyone who calls us that.  Daycare is babysitting, preschool is education.  Our program is geared towards getting your child ready for kindergarten where they will be reading sight words, doing basic math and science.  These are Ohio rules all set by the No Child Left Behind act.  We also do all those things in preschool but in a very "fun" atmosphere and all the children love everything we do - it's all in presentation I always say!  If I am having fun showing them the difference between hot and cold, they are having fun learning the difference.

Answer 14

Pre-school, and kindergarten are places parents feel they need to send their children to to get a head start on academics.

Neither is mandatory, most states do not require youngsters to attend school until the first grade, ages 6 or 7.

Personally I believe these to be little more than day cares with an academic component added.

A good book to read on these is called,

Better Late Than Early by Dr. Raymond Moore and Dorothy Moore.