Unlike big-school nursery admissions, preschool (playgroup and pre-nursery) admissions in India are mostly rolling: you can usually join mid-year if a seat is free. But the good schools do fill up, and the calendar below is how the year actually flows.
The main cycle (April start)
Most of India runs an April-to-March academic year.
- September to November (previous year): premium and high-demand preschools open registration for the next April. Schools attached to famous K-12 schools fill fastest, some within weeks.
- December to February: the peak. Franchise chains run admission drives, open houses and early-bird fee discounts. This is the ideal window to visit 3 to 5 schools, because classes are running and you see the real thing.
- March to April: final admissions, orientation sessions for new parents, and the new session begins. Seats in popular schools are largely gone by now.
- June to August: a genuine second window. Families relocate over summer, so seats open up. Schools also admit a mid-year playgroup batch since toddlers turn 2 all year round.
The June cycle (parts of the South)
Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and parts of Telangana lean toward a June start. There, registration peaks January to March and the session begins in June after summer holidays.
Delhi NCR big-school nursery: a different beast
If you are targeting nursery in a private K-12 school in Delhi, that is a formal, Directorate of Education-regulated process: forms out around late November, points-based criteria (distance, sibling, alumni), first lists in January, admissions closed by March. Standalone preschools in NCR are unaffected and stay rolling.
Practical tips
- Start visiting 4 to 6 months before you want to join. For an April start, tour in October to January.
- Ask about waitlists honestly. Many preschools claim a waitlist as a sales tactic; ask how many children are on it and when the last seat actually opened.
- Mid-year joining is fine for the child. Teachers settle new children all year. Do not delay six months just to join "with the batch" in playgroup or nursery.
- Book early-bird only after visiting. A discount for enrolling in December is real money, but never pay a non-refundable admission fee to a school you have not seen on a working day.