pre-school
A school-like facility which acculturates very young children before they enter kindergarten.
A pre-school is a school or social enrollment facility which gives very young children (usually from ages 1 to 4) a scheduled program of play, education, and social acculturation before they are old enough to enter kindergarten or any formal educational system. It is usually optional for parents to enroll their children in a pre-school.
The scheduled program prepares very young children for entry into kindergarten or formal schooling. Play and social learning are included, so the program need not resemble academic classroom instruction for older pupils.
A day care center primarily provides short-interval care while parents are unavailable. Some educational activities in day care are insufficient by themselves to establish a scheduled preschool program.