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Glite Dictionary
👶 Before primary school 🏫 A preschool class
preprimary

preprimary

4.2
For young children before they start primary school
  • adjective
  • /priːˈpraɪməri/
translation icon : preescolar
  • In many countries, preprimary programs focus on social and emotional development.

Examples

  • This affected both private and public educational institutions at all levels: preprimary, primary, high school, university, adult education programs, and technical vocational schools.

    Academic text (2015)

  • Preprimary education policy in Tanzania: Does it meet the educational needs of newly naturalized refugee children?

    Academic text (2018)

  • Various forms of preprimary endorsement have survived or arisen, in part as a byproduct of the club movement in some states.

    Academic text (1992)

  • The school offers various activities to enhance preprimary education for children before they start primary school.

  • Parents often seek the best options for preprimary education to prepare their children for school.

Surface Forms

preprimary positive

Morphology

preprimary = primary (transparent) = pre + primary

The meaning is directly predictable as 'before primary' in the educational sense.

Etymology

Preprimary comes from the parts pre- meaning 'before' and primary meaning 'first' or 'main', so it describes the stage that comes before primary school. That's why preprimary classes focus on early skills and play to get children ready for primary school.