Preschool is optional and is aimed at children 5 or younger.
Kindergarten is generally the first public school grade for young kids starting around 6ish years old.
Preschool is half day care for working parents and half education to give kids a head start on basic skills like reading and counting, socialization, etc.
Preschool tends to be a bit more socialization with some beings intro to letters, counting, colors get them ready for kindergarten. Its not mandatory or even necessary of you teach your kids at home. Kindergarten starts school in Ernest. By the end of the year, they should be reading some what fluently, Simple sentences
They should be able to write the alphabet and identify all the letters no matter what order they are in.
We also have something now called transitional
Kindergarten or tk. It’s usually designed for kids who are born after the August cutoff but before January so they can’t quite start kindergarten age-wise on paper but are practically the same age. It’s so they don’t have to go to preschool anymore and can begin being in a school environment. It’s about learning how to go to school
The preschools I sort of remember my mother driving me too were in churches with other kids and it was field trip focused, just learning how to socialize, and very basic things like colors and numbers. Kids were 3-5 years old. In 2025 dollars I couldn’t tell you how much it cost. There’s some preschool through the public school system but it’s probably limited.
Kindergarden was free but I remember it being a half day. For 6 year olds, it had more structure to it and expectation in learning how to read. It’s actually the start of school.
Preschool is usually play-based and no doesn’t require formal learning, sitting at desks, etc. Some preschools are just playing on a farm or forest. Some are in a home. Some are in a more formal school-like building.
Kindergarten is half-day or full day, and is kind of this middle ground between preschool and 1st grade. It’s part of a public school. Kindergartens vary too. Some of the day usually play based. It typically starts sitting on a run and going over what day it is, what month, recalling things that happened yesterday. Talk about the color of the day and stuff like that. Here’s a guide to Massachusetts Kindergartens for parents on what to expect.
Each school district/state makes their own rules.
Here in Mass Preschoolers is age 2.9 to 5. Kindergarten 5-6 year olds.
Preschool/Prek are for kids 4-5. A lot of public school provide it for free (sometimes daycares do too) but it tends to fill up. It focuses on getting kids ready for kindergarten so a lot of structural activities & school readiness skills. It is not necessary.
Kindergarten is the first oficial year of schooling (K-12) kids are usually 5-6. It’s a bit more formal (by that I mean more academically inclined) they learn reading, writing & math.
Preschool is optional and before kindergarten. Basically like a daycare but a little bit of teaching. The order is
Preschool
Kindergarten
1st grade
2nd grade
3rd grade
Etc
Preschool is optional and funded directly by the parents of children attending them, for children too young to yet attend public school. Basically just daycare service with headstart learning.
Kindergarten is the first year of public school, is mandatory in a lot of places, and is funded by the public.
Pre-school is optional for kids 4-5 and is basically structured daycare plus very basic learning like the alphabet, numbers, and crafts.
Kindergarten is mandatory (? Maybe it isn’t everywhere) and is for 5-6 year olds and more like actual school. Kindergarten is before first grade, so you could think of it as year zero.
I had "headstart" which is kinda like preschool I think? It was a free program if I remember correctly. I mean it probably had to be, we were poor af 😂
Headstart was more play-focused learning (I distinctly remember a lady teaching me how to "swish" water on a water table to make soap bubbles) and Kindergarten was actual school learning, like letters and spelling
Mainly age. Preschool is usually for ages 3-4 and kindergarten is ages 5-6.
A preschool might not be part of the public school but be run by a private group. The preschool I attended was part of the public school. It was half of a normal school day. My older siblings did not attend preschool. My nephew attended a preschool at church.
Kindergarten is a part of the public school system. It might be a full school day in some places.
As with everything else in the US it varies widely.
Some states have K4 and K5 – so preschool is 2 and 3yos.
Some states start public school at 5/6 not 4/5, so there preschool is what the other states would call K4.
In all cases it is optional, paid for by the parents out of pocket unless the kid has a disability, and done in a daycare type environment not a school building with older kids attending higher-grade classes.
Kindergarten is the first year of mandatory schooling in the US. In most areas, a child must be 5 by a certain date to be able to start kindergarten.
Preschool is the year (or years) before that, but is not required. Preschool is also provided by many public schools, but there are also day cares that do preschool programming, although these are often privatized and thus cost money.
Preschool is 3-4 year olds at the start of the term. It’s optional and not always provided by the local government for all kids in that age without charging tuition. It’s optional.
Kindergarten is generally 5 year olds at the beginning of the term, but some parents keep their kids out of school for that extra year. (It’s called redshirting.) Most states require kindergarten to be offered. Not all states make it mandatory.
Preschool is essentially an optional Daycare school for 4-5 year olds. For the most part, you are just doing your own thing while learning very basic stuff that gives you a headstart. Kindergarten is the start of actual schooling for 4-6 year old kids
My niece started going to Headstart which was like preschool since she was 2. My sister at the time lived in the projects so it may have been like a free daycare kind of thing too.
Kindergarten is part of school…and it’s basically the default option when starting school. Schools are K thru whatever grade. My brother didn’t go to kindergarten but everyone else I knew did.
Preschools are often stand alone & I think it’s basically daycare for older kids.
If a kid is in preschool they’re usually not considered to have started school – that’s where “pre” comes in.
Some schools do have preschool associated with them but around here they tend to call it pre-K.
Pre-school is optional, often privately run, schooling for 3-5 year olds. It is not mandatory.
Kindergarten is first year of universal, free public education, and attended at elementary school. Kids typically start kindergarten the school year after turning 5 years old.
Kindergarten is the first year of “compulsory education” (eg. An actual grade level). It’s the entry level grade level where you learn the basics and get the hang of school.
Pre-school is kinda like a ‘head start’ (and a lot of pre-schools in my area are actually called XYZ Head Start). It’s optional and it’s preparation for actual school. A lot of crafts, singing, and stuff like that. It’s kind of a way to get used to being in a classroom. Unlike actual school, preschool is generally only part of the day as well as generally only being 2 to 4 days a week.
Kindergarten is free as it’s part of public school. Preschool is almost always private and something you pay for, although in some places (it’s becoming more common) the city or county will pay for it and/or run it.
Also, obligatory disclaimer that schools are incredibly localized. Every city, county, and state has different laws, regulations, and curriculum. There is no federal education system.
Generally preschool refers to the period of optional school/daycare before mandatory elementary school.
I suppose it’s a bit of a gray area whether kindergarten is truly elementary school or if it’s preschool since it’s not mandatory everywhere. (Surprisingly it’s less than half the states.) And yet it’s common for kindergartens to be part of elementary schools. Though I do think some preschools still have kindergartens too.
I would say in day to day life kindergarten is seen as elementary school for the most part. Basically a first grade lite
Kindergarten and preschool can look very similar from a distance, but they’re actually quite different.
Preschool is basically early childhood education for kids aged between 3-5 years old, though there are some programs that accept as young as 2. You usually sing songs, play with toys, take naps, and learn very simple concepts like letters and numbers. It is optional, but it can cost a lot of money. Kids often go to preschool to better prepare them for kindergarten.
Kindergarten, on the other hand, is a school grade for 5-6 year olds, though a late cutoff can sometimes mean kids as young as 4 1/2. Yes, it is considered part of elementary school in the United States, even if it’s the rare separate kindergarten school. The activities are rather similar to preschool; you still play with toys, sing songs, do arts-and-crafts, etc. The curriculum, though, is a bit different; you start learning how to add and subtract, reading very simple words, 2D/3D shapes and their names, and how to write very simple sentences ("the dog ran away"). It used to be half day (morning and afternoon classes), but that’s slowly becoming overshadowed by full day kindergarten. Hope this helps 😊👍
Comments
Age 4-5 vs 5-6. Kindergarten is between preschool and 1st grade.
Preschool is optional and is aimed at children 5 or younger.
Kindergarten is generally the first public school grade for young kids starting around 6ish years old.
Preschool is half day care for working parents and half education to give kids a head start on basic skills like reading and counting, socialization, etc.
Preschool tends to be a bit more socialization with some beings intro to letters, counting, colors get them ready for kindergarten. Its not mandatory or even necessary of you teach your kids at home. Kindergarten starts school in Ernest. By the end of the year, they should be reading some what fluently, Simple sentences
They should be able to write the alphabet and identify all the letters no matter what order they are in.
We also have something now called transitional
Kindergarten or tk. It’s usually designed for kids who are born after the August cutoff but before January so they can’t quite start kindergarten age-wise on paper but are practically the same age. It’s so they don’t have to go to preschool anymore and can begin being in a school environment. It’s about learning how to go to school
preschool is before kindergarten
Pre-school happens before kindergarten
The preschools I sort of remember my mother driving me too were in churches with other kids and it was field trip focused, just learning how to socialize, and very basic things like colors and numbers. Kids were 3-5 years old. In 2025 dollars I couldn’t tell you how much it cost. There’s some preschool through the public school system but it’s probably limited.
Kindergarden was free but I remember it being a half day. For 6 year olds, it had more structure to it and expectation in learning how to read. It’s actually the start of school.
Preschool is usually play-based and no doesn’t require formal learning, sitting at desks, etc. Some preschools are just playing on a farm or forest. Some are in a home. Some are in a more formal school-like building.
Kindergarten is half-day or full day, and is kind of this middle ground between preschool and 1st grade. It’s part of a public school. Kindergartens vary too. Some of the day usually play based. It typically starts sitting on a run and going over what day it is, what month, recalling things that happened yesterday. Talk about the color of the day and stuff like that. Here’s a guide to Massachusetts Kindergartens for parents on what to expect.
Each school district/state makes their own rules.
Here in Mass Preschoolers is age 2.9 to 5. Kindergarten 5-6 year olds.
Preschool/Prek are for kids 4-5. A lot of public school provide it for free (sometimes daycares do too) but it tends to fill up. It focuses on getting kids ready for kindergarten so a lot of structural activities & school readiness skills. It is not necessary.
Kindergarten is the first oficial year of schooling (K-12) kids are usually 5-6. It’s a bit more formal (by that I mean more academically inclined) they learn reading, writing & math.
Preschool is optional and before kindergarten. Basically like a daycare but a little bit of teaching. The order is
Preschool
Kindergarten
1st grade
2nd grade
3rd grade
Etc
Preschool is optional and funded directly by the parents of children attending them, for children too young to yet attend public school. Basically just daycare service with headstart learning.
Kindergarten is the first year of public school, is mandatory in a lot of places, and is funded by the public.
Kindergarten is the first year of formal education, for kids who are 5 years old, turning 6.
Preschool is for kids who are too young for kindergarten, ranging from ages 2-4.
Kindergarten is almost always part of the public education system.
Some places have public preschool, but it’s not universal.
Preschool is for 3 to 4-year-olds, and kindergarten is for 5-year-olds.
Pre-school is optional for kids 4-5 and is basically structured daycare plus very basic learning like the alphabet, numbers, and crafts.
Kindergarten is mandatory (? Maybe it isn’t everywhere) and is for 5-6 year olds and more like actual school. Kindergarten is before first grade, so you could think of it as year zero.
I teach preschool. It’s optional. Parents usually have to pay, although there are some free options here and there.
Most kids are 3-turning 4, or 4-turning 5. We don’t take kids under 3.
We offer classes that are 2, 3, or 4 days.
Kindergarten is 5 or 6 year olds, and is every day. Our district has moved to all day kindergarten.
Preschool is for 3 year olds. Prek is 4 year olds. Kindergarten is 5+.
Traditionally (no politics) kindergarten was state education starting at @5yrs old generally for 1/2 day. Preschool was private.
One is a class, the other daycare.
I had "headstart" which is kinda like preschool I think? It was a free program if I remember correctly. I mean it probably had to be, we were poor af 😂
Headstart was more play-focused learning (I distinctly remember a lady teaching me how to "swish" water on a water table to make soap bubbles) and Kindergarten was actual school learning, like letters and spelling
Mainly age. Preschool is usually for ages 3-4 and kindergarten is ages 5-6.
A preschool might not be part of the public school but be run by a private group. The preschool I attended was part of the public school. It was half of a normal school day. My older siblings did not attend preschool. My nephew attended a preschool at church.
Kindergarten is a part of the public school system. It might be a full school day in some places.
As with everything else in the US it varies widely.
Some states have K4 and K5 – so preschool is 2 and 3yos.
Some states start public school at 5/6 not 4/5, so there preschool is what the other states would call K4.
In all cases it is optional, paid for by the parents out of pocket unless the kid has a disability, and done in a daycare type environment not a school building with older kids attending higher-grade classes.
Kindergarten is the first year of mandatory schooling in the US. In most areas, a child must be 5 by a certain date to be able to start kindergarten.
Preschool is the year (or years) before that, but is not required. Preschool is also provided by many public schools, but there are also day cares that do preschool programming, although these are often privatized and thus cost money.
Preschool is 3-4 year olds at the start of the term. It’s optional and not always provided by the local government for all kids in that age without charging tuition. It’s optional.
Kindergarten is generally 5 year olds at the beginning of the term, but some parents keep their kids out of school for that extra year. (It’s called redshirting.) Most states require kindergarten to be offered. Not all states make it mandatory.
Preschool is essentially an optional Daycare school for 4-5 year olds. For the most part, you are just doing your own thing while learning very basic stuff that gives you a headstart. Kindergarten is the start of actual schooling for 4-6 year old kids
My niece started going to Headstart which was like preschool since she was 2. My sister at the time lived in the projects so it may have been like a free daycare kind of thing too.
At my kids’ school…pre k was 3 and 4 year olds. Kindergarten was 5 year olds.
Kindergarten is part of school…and it’s basically the default option when starting school. Schools are K thru whatever grade. My brother didn’t go to kindergarten but everyone else I knew did.
Preschools are often stand alone & I think it’s basically daycare for older kids.
If a kid is in preschool they’re usually not considered to have started school – that’s where “pre” comes in.
Some schools do have preschool associated with them but around here they tend to call it pre-K.
The difference is at least $1000/month.
One year
Pre-school is optional, often privately run, schooling for 3-5 year olds. It is not mandatory.
Kindergarten is first year of universal, free public education, and attended at elementary school. Kids typically start kindergarten the school year after turning 5 years old.
Pre-school is ages 2-4 and kindergarten id ages 5-6
there are a couple differences
-kindergarten is part of the public school system and preschool isn’t
-preschool is often in churches so they make you sing religious songs and stuff
-preschool is for kids younger than 5
Kindergarten is the first year of “compulsory education” (eg. An actual grade level). It’s the entry level grade level where you learn the basics and get the hang of school.
Pre-school is kinda like a ‘head start’ (and a lot of pre-schools in my area are actually called XYZ Head Start). It’s optional and it’s preparation for actual school. A lot of crafts, singing, and stuff like that. It’s kind of a way to get used to being in a classroom. Unlike actual school, preschool is generally only part of the day as well as generally only being 2 to 4 days a week.
Kindergarten is free as it’s part of public school. Preschool is almost always private and something you pay for, although in some places (it’s becoming more common) the city or county will pay for it and/or run it.
Also, obligatory disclaimer that schools are incredibly localized. Every city, county, and state has different laws, regulations, and curriculum. There is no federal education system.
Generally preschool refers to the period of optional school/daycare before mandatory elementary school.
I suppose it’s a bit of a gray area whether kindergarten is truly elementary school or if it’s preschool since it’s not mandatory everywhere. (Surprisingly it’s less than half the states.) And yet it’s common for kindergartens to be part of elementary schools. Though I do think some preschools still have kindergartens too.
I would say in day to day life kindergarten is seen as elementary school for the most part. Basically a first grade lite
Kindergarten and preschool can look very similar from a distance, but they’re actually quite different.
Preschool is basically early childhood education for kids aged between 3-5 years old, though there are some programs that accept as young as 2. You usually sing songs, play with toys, take naps, and learn very simple concepts like letters and numbers. It is optional, but it can cost a lot of money. Kids often go to preschool to better prepare them for kindergarten.
Kindergarten, on the other hand, is a school grade for 5-6 year olds, though a late cutoff can sometimes mean kids as young as 4 1/2. Yes, it is considered part of elementary school in the United States, even if it’s the rare separate kindergarten school. The activities are rather similar to preschool; you still play with toys, sing songs, do arts-and-crafts, etc. The curriculum, though, is a bit different; you start learning how to add and subtract, reading very simple words, 2D/3D shapes and their names, and how to write very simple sentences ("the dog ran away"). It used to be half day (morning and afternoon classes), but that’s slowly becoming overshadowed by full day kindergarten. Hope this helps 😊👍
Preschool happens before kindergarten. It’s usually for children before age 5 or so.
about a year
Pre school is before kindergarten
When I was growing up, kindergarten was ages 4 to 5.