Difference between Preschool and Nursery

Key difference: Preschool is an educational institution, established to provide basic education to children between the ages of three to five. Nursery refers to a kind of preschool that enables children, between the ages of three to five, to gain a sort of educational exposure before they begin their formal learning in school.

Preschools serve to provide quality education to infants leading up to their elementary stage of education. Preschools ensure that a child is familiar with the basic concepts of education, which it will go on to receive in future. Apart from educating the children, the preschools also help the children imbibe some personality traits such as discipline, obedience, respect, etc. Children are greatly helped by the lessons that they learn in the preschool stage, which in turn, helps them to do well throughout their schooling.

Nursery Nursery is a variety of preschool that aims to cater to the same needs, albeit, in a much more cheerful manner. Nurseries focus on making their teaching methods fun and easy going, so that the children can grasp their lessons without having any difficulties. A nursery, like preschool, has the education of children as its mainstay. However, nurseries are also known to treat children to plenty of game and leisure activity time. This is done so that the children can enjoy the experience and keep coming back for more, day after day.

Comparison between Preschool and Nursery:

	Preschool	Nursery
Categorization	Preschool is the broader term, under which establishments like nursery and playschool fall	Nursery is a branch of preschool and is founded on the same lines as that of a preschool
Age group	Preschools admit children from the age of 3	Nurseries usually take in children who’re 4 years old
Emphasis	Preschools lay emphasis on preparing the children for future education	Nurseries too give priority to education, but they try to make learning a lighter experience
Place of establishment	Preschool usually functions in a school premises or a separate enclosure	A nursery can function from educational premises or from a room inside a house as well.