Preschool in the context of Peppa Pig

A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools that can be built and operated by both government and private organization. The names for these schools vary by country (discussed in the Regional terms section below) but generally include primary school for young children and secondary school for teenagers who have completed primary education. An institution where higher education is taught is commonly called a university college or university.

In addition to these core schools, students in a given country may also attend schools before and after primary (elementary in the U.S.) and secondary (middle school in the U.S.) education. Kindergarten or preschool provide some schooling to very young children (typically ages 3–5). University, vocational school, college, or seminary may be available after secondary school. A school may be dedicated to one particular field, such as a school of economics or dance. Alternative schools may provide nontraditional curriculum and methods.

Parallel play is a form of play in which children engage in recreational activities adjacent to each other, without trying to influence one another's behavior. It typically begins around 24–30 months, and tapers off within childhood. It is one of Parten's stages of play, following onlooker play and preceding associative play.

An observer will notice that the children occasionally see what the others are doing and then modify their play accordingly. The older the children are, the less frequently they engage in this type of play. However, even older preschool children engage in parallel play, an enduring and frequent activity over the preschool years. The image of parallel play is two children playing side by side in a sandbox, each absorbed in their own game, not interacting with the other. "This is considered an early stage in child development, characterized by egocentric behavior and the inability to decenter and coordinate with the activities of a 'playmate'".

Early childhood education (ECE), also known as nursery education, is a branch of education theory that relates to the teaching of children (formally and informally) from birth up to the age of eight. Traditionally, this is up to the equivalent of third grade. ECE is described as an important period in child development.

ECE emerged as a field of study during the Enlightenment, particularly in European countries with high literacy rates. It continued to grow through the nineteenth century as universal primary education became a norm in the Western world. In recent years, early childhood education has become a prevalent public policy issue, as funding for preschool and pre-K is debated by municipal, state, and federal lawmakers. Governing entities are also debating the central focus of early childhood education with debate on developmental appropriate play versus strong academic preparation curriculum in reading, writing, and math. The global priority placed on early childhood education is underscored with targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4. As of 2023, however, "only around 4 in 10 children aged 3 and 4 attend early childhood education" around the world. Furthermore, levels of participation vary widely by region with, "around 2 in 3 children in Latin American and the Caribbean attending ECE compared to just under half of children in South Asia and only 1 in 4 in sub-Saharan Africa".

Primary education is the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary education. Primary education takes place in primary schools, elementary schools, or first schools and middle schools, depending on the location. Hence, in the United Kingdom and some other countries, the term primary is used instead of elementary.

There is no commonly agreed on duration of primary education, but often three to six years of elementary school, and in some countries (like the US) the first seven to nine years are considered primary education.

A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary education of children who are 4 to 10 years of age (and in many cases, 11 years of age). Primary schooling follows preschool and precedes secondary schooling.

The International Standard Classification of Education considers primary education as a single phase where programmes are typically designed to provide fundamental skills in reading, writing, and mathematics and to establish a solid foundation for learning. This is ISCED Level 1: Primary education or first stage of basic education.

Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th century in Germany and Alsace to serve children whose parents both worked outside home. The term was coined by German pedagogue Friedrich Fröbel, whose approach globally influenced early-years education. Today, the term is used in many countries to describe a variety of educational institutions and learning spaces for children ranging from two to six years of age, based on a variety of teaching methods.

Stages of play is a theory and classification of children's participation in play developed by Mildred Parten Newhall in her 1929 dissertation. Parten observed American preschool age (ages 2 to 5) children at free play (defined as anything unrelated to survival, production or profit).

Parten recognized six different types of play:

Pre-kindergarten (also called pre-K or PK) is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool or within a reception year in elementary school. Pre-kindergartens play an important role in early childhood education. They have existed in the US since 1922, normally run by private organizations. The U.S. Head Start program, the country's first federally funded pre-kindergarten program, was founded in 1967. This attempts to prepare children (especially disadvantaged children) to succeed in school.

Pre-kindergartens differentiate themselves from other child care by equally focusing on building a child's social development, physical development, emotional development, and cognitive development. They commonly follow a set of organization-created teaching standards in shaping curriculum and instructional activities and goals. The term "preschool" more accurately approximates the name "pre-kindergarten", for both focus on harvesting the same four child development areas in subject-directed fashion. The term "preschool" often refers to such schools that are owned and operated as private or parochial schools. Pre-kindergartens refer to such school classrooms that function within a public school under the supervision of a public school administrator and funded completely by state or federally allocated funds, and private donations.

The Gakushūin (学習院), or Gakushuin School Corporation (学校法人学習院, Gakkō Hōjin Gakushūin), historically known as the Peers' School, is a Japanese educational institution in Tokyo, originally established as Gakushūjo (学習所) to educate the children of Japan's nobility. The original school expanded from its original mandate of educating the social elite and has since become a network of institutions which encompasses preschool through tertiary-level education.

The German School Jakarta (German: Deutsche Schule Jakarta), often informally referred to as DSJ, is a German international school in the BSD community of South Tangerang in Greater Jakarta, Indonesia. It offers comprehensive education from preschool to secondary school.

The school was formerly known as the German International School Jakarta (German: Deutsche Internationale Schule Jakarta, informally DIS Jakarta), and moved into its newly built campus in BSD in 1998.

Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched on October 1, 1992, it primarily broadcasts animated television series, mostly children's programming, ranging from action to animated comedy. It currently runs from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET/PT daily. Cartoon Network primarily targets children aged 6 to 12, though some early morning programming, formerly of the Cartoonito block, is aimed at preschool-aged children, while evening block Adult Swim targets young adults.

As of November 2023, Cartoon Network is available to approximately 66 million pay television households in the United States — down from its peak of 100 million households in 2011.

A school is an educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools that can be built and operated by both government and private organization. The names for these schools vary by country (discussed in the Regional terms section below) but generally include primary school for young children and secondary school for teenagers who have completed primary education. An institution where higher education is taught is commonly called a university college or university.

In addition to these core schools, students in a given country may also attend schools before and after primary (elementary in the U.S.) and secondary (middle school in the U.S.) education. Kindergarten or preschool provide some schooling to very young children (typically ages 3–5). University, vocational school, college, or seminary may be available after secondary school. A school may be dedicated to one particular field, such as a school of economics or dance. Alternative schools may provide nontraditional curriculum and methods.

The Free University of the Great Lakes Countries (French: Université Libre des Pays des Grands Lacs, colloquially referred to by its acronym ULPGL), is a private Christian educational institution located in Goma, in the North Kivu Province of the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ULPGL was founded in 1985, as a result of the Institut Supérieur de Théologie Protestante and was granted university status by the government in 1991. It is sponsored by six Protestant denominations, including two Baptists (CBCA and CEBCE), two Pentecostals (CELPA and CADAF), one Anglican (EAC), and one Methodist (CLMC).

With a vision to provide quality education and research tailored to the needs of the African Great Lakes Region, ULPGL consists of six academic faculties and other educational institutions, such as a nursery and primary school (EMP Kauta) and a secondary school (Metanoïa Institute). The university mainly attracts students from the Great Lakes region, which includes countries such as DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, and occasionally Uganda and Tanzania.

A classroom, schoolroom or lecture room is a learning space in which both children and adults learn. Classrooms are found in educational institutions of all kinds, ranging from preschools to universities, and may also be found in other places where education or training is provided, such as corporations and religious and humanitarian organizations. The classroom provides a space where learning can take place uninterrupted by outside distractions.

The Harlem Children's Zone (HCZ) is a nonprofit organization for children and families living in Harlem, providing free support in the form of parenting workshops, a preschool program, three charter schools, and child-oriented health programs for thousands of children and families. The HCZ is "aimed at doing nothing less than breaking the cycle of generational poverty for the thousands of children and families it serves."

The Harlem Children's Zone Project has expanded the HCZ's comprehensive system of programs to nearly 100 blocks of Central Harlem and aims to keep children on track through college and into the job market. "We’re not interested in saving a hundred kids," founder Geoffrey Canada says. "Even three hundred kids. Even a thousand kids to me is not going to do it. We want to be able to talk about how you save kids by the tens of thousands, because that’s how we’re losing them."

The Collège Stanislas de Paris (French pronunciation: [kɔlɛʒ stanislas də paʁi]), colloquially known as Stan, is a private Catholic school in Paris, situated on Rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs (fr) in the 6th arrondissement. It has more than 3,000 students, from preschool to classes préparatoires (classes to prepare students for entrance to the elite grandes écoles such as École Polytechnique, CentraleSupélec, ESSEC Business School, ESCP Business School and HEC Paris), and is the largest private school in France. Stanislas is considered one of the most prestigious and elite French schools. The school was ranked 1st from 2019 to 2022 for middle school and 1st in 2019 for high school.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is an American animated interactive children's television series for preschoolers. Produced by Disney Television Animation, the series was created by Disney veteran Bobs Gannaway. The series originally aired 125 episodes from May 5, 2006, to November 6, 2016, on Disney Channel's preschool block, Playhouse Disney (later known as Disney Jr.), making it the longest-running original series to air on the block. It received positive reviews from critics.

On August 18, 2023, a revival of the series, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+, was revealed to be in production, and premiered on July 21, 2025 on Disney Jr. and on Disney+.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+ is an American animated interactive children's television series for preschoolers produced by Disney Television Animation. It is a revival of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, which first aired in 2006.

The series premiered on July 21, 2025 on Disney Jr. and is available to stream on Disney+.