Pre School, Preschool, Pre School Or Pre-school. Which Is It?

[Guest]

Gosh, I am having some issues this week with words!

Edited March 23, 2010 by Guest

[Guest]

Love it! Always catches me out too.

I usually plump for Pre-school because 'pre' on it's own isn't a real word so needs to be joined with a hyphen to the other word to give it meaning.

 

Or something like that........

[Stargrower]

Me too! I go with Pre-school.

Beehive

[thumperrabbit]

We're a Pre-School

[Guest]

We're a pre-school too.

 

We also have a playgroup on the end (historically) and I always think that looks funny with one hypenated and the other not.

[Guest]

We too are a Pre-School

[Steve]

Don't know PPP, but 1 & 3 look pretty interchangeable to me!

[HappyMaz]

For some reason the person who set up my group called it a pre-school nursery.

 

I'm thinking of changing to Pre-school (because the pedant in me likes the hyphen!).

 

Maz

[Cait]

and we're a Preschool ... hahaha

 

(Have to say I dislike 'Playgroup')

[Cait]

Don't know PPP, but 1 & 3 look pretty interchangeable to me!

 

 

[HappyMaz]

(Have to say I dislike 'Playgroup')

Its interesting that, Cait! I remember when the Pre-school Playgroups Association became the Pre-school Learning Alliance and the term playgroup became something almost derogatory. Its a shame really, because the word does sum up what goes on in a daycare setting quite well, I think.

 

However I guess pre-school or preschool sounds a more educational, doesn't it?

 

Its a case of you say potayto and I say potahto, if you know what I mean...

 

Maz

[Rea]

I stil call it playgroup. A previous chair chnagd it to pre-school and even bought new T-shirts ect, but I kept my old one with playgroup on it. I think it sums us up too maz, although it is a pre school, its also a play group.

[eyfs1966]

this debate is exactly why I changed our name from pre-school to nursery!!!

[Guest]

we are a Pre-School. We used to all write it in different ways and decided we had to stick to one and this was the one chosen!!

[Cait]

I think we have to agree to differ on this one. We were Preschool Playgroup initially, but when the PPA changed, so did we. We nearly went to 'Nursery' but I was advised that a nursery caters for babies and stays open all year, so that was out!

 

Does anyone like 'Playschool'?

[Guest]

we are a playschool, used to be playgroup.

[mundia]

I don't really like 'pre-school' terminology, its a phase in its own right and not pre anything (in my humble view that is!). I wouldnt want to think of secondary school as pre university (or pre work etc) or primary school as pre secondary etc etc. I don't like the idea of children spending their youngest years of their life being 'pre' something else.

 

I liked playgroups, it summed up the philosophy for me.

 

But like many things in life, we get used to saying preschool, it appears to some maybe to have more 'status?' and our uses of terms grows over time.

I know the original question wasn't about this, oops, sorry, but it interesting to hear others' views on this..

[HappyMaz]

I don't really like 'pre-school' terminology, its a phase in its own right and not pre anything (in my humble view that is!).

Oh I heartily agree with you on this one mundia! I'm forever saying this to parents - maybe I need to rethink my group's name as a way of putting my money where my mouth is, so to speak.

 

I went on some business marketing training aimed at day care settings and there was an interesting debate about the nature of the names of groups - you know Jack and Jill, Little Learners or whatever. She was of the opinion that we should have a neutral name that was more businesslike...

 

Maz

[louby loo]

I have noticed just lately that more and more of our newer 'first time' parents are tending to call it playroup or even playschool, which I personally think is a step in the right direction. Shows that 'play' is beginning to seem important for them

[thumperrabbit]

Yes, I do Cait - but our parents voted for Pre-School Playgroup, Pre-School to try and keep the older children and Playgroup to attract the younger children to the group.

[Inge]

I have run a playgroup. Pre-school Playgroup, and pre-School all the same except in name..

 

I always liked Playgroup as we did what it said on the tin..

 

 

but in the last one the parents called it Nursery or school... as did the children.. despite the name.. or just by the name with no Pre-School on the end..

 

and it was fairly Neutral and was just as well when they added the afterschool club so same name could be used for both..

 

 

 

Inge

[dublinbay]

The name of my setting doesn't have pre-school in it so parents call it a playgroup and/or playschool. One of my colleagues answers the phone by saying ****** playgroup.

 

Our committee thought parents would take us more seriously if we were a 'pre-school' and changed our status some time ago. I like pre-school!

[lynned55]

We're Pre-school, used to be Playgroup but changed oour name some years ago. However the children always call us playgroup and I find when talking to them playgroup rolls of the tongue far more naturally!! Such as we're all friends at playgroup, or that doesn't belong to you/them it belongs to playgroup. Sounds much better then saying pre-school for some reason. Or is that just us?

[Guest]

We're Pre-School. BUT on our registration from we are still Pre-School Playgroup. I intitally liked it when we dropped the playgroup name as some people have commented Pre-School sounds more educational etc but we now have a sitiuation where parents expect too much of us and I wish we were still called playgroup. Some parents even call us School and we are only a pre-school working from a village hall offering 5 sessions a week!

 

I really like mundias point about using the word 'pre' and that we wouldnt say pre-university instead of secondary school etc. Very good point, maybe we should come up with something new that fits in well with the EYFS!!! Playgroup may be a good one!

[Guest]

Thank you for all your input. We are currently a playgroup offering 4 mornings sessions. We are soon to be open for 5 6 hour sessions and as we have never heard of a 30 hour a week playgroup we thought we'd change to a pre school- we will also be using a school site when our hours increase.

I was in favour of that but now after reading your opinions I am in two minds.

 

Very good to hear your views though!

 

Thank you

 

ppp