“My daughter is five. Should she be starting preschool this year, or primary school?” If you’ve asked that and heard two different answers about two children who seem the same age, you’re not alone. In Türkiye, the question isn’t really how old your child is. It’s how many full months old they’ll be at the end of September in the year you register.
The key number for primary school is 69 months. Around it sit two options: children of 66–68 months can start early if you ask in writing, and children of 69–71 months can wait a year, again on a written request. Preschool, meanwhile, is generally optional. Once you see how the numbers fit together, the choice in front of you becomes much easier to think through.
How Old Does My Child Need to Be for Primary School?
The current rule: under the Ministry of National Education’s (MEB) registration rules for preschool and primary school, a child is registered for Year 1 of primary school if they have completed 69 months by the end of September in the year of registration. Children of 66, 67 or 68 months can also start, if a parent asks for it in writing. For children of 69, 70 or 71 months, a parent can ask in writing for registration to be deferred by a year, or for the child to go to preschool instead. MEB’s registration FAQ (in Turkish) sets out the distinction.
Here is the same rule as a table, based on MEB’s age chart for parents (in Turkish):
| Age at the End of September | What It Means for Primary School |
|---|---|
| 65 months or younger | Too young to register under the general rules. |
| 66–68 months | Not required to start, but can be registered if a parent asks in writing. |
| 69–71 months | Registered; a parent can ask in writing to wait a year. |
| 72 months or older | Registration is compulsory; under the general rules, a parent’s request alone can’t defer it. |
So “they start once they turn six” isn’t quite right. Sixty-nine months is five years and nine months, which means a child who hasn’t had their sixth birthday yet may already be of primary school age.
How to Work Out Your Child’s Age in Months
What counts isn’t how old your child is today, or on the first day of term. It’s the number of full months they’ll have completed by 30 September of the registration year. So first decide which school year you’re applying for, then compare your child’s date of birth with that date.
A child who is exactly five and a half on 30 September is 66 months old. One who has reached five years and nine months is 69 months, and one who has turned six is 72 months. In everyday conversation these three children sound almost the same age, yet each has different options.
Age in months calculator
On 30 September 2027
83 months
6 years 11 months
Year 1 registration is compulsory.
Once you’ve done the sum yourself, you can check it on MEB’s school starting age calculator (in Turkish) for peace of mind. If your child’s birthday falls close to one of the cut-offs, double-check that you’ve entered the right date of birth and the right registration year: a single month can change your options.
Is Preschool Compulsory in Türkiye?
Under the general rules, no. Article 19 of Türkiye’s Basic Law on National Education defines preschool education as optional. You can read the provision in the text of the law published by MEB (in Turkish).
So why do you keep hearing about 57–68 months? Because that’s the age group MEB registers first for preschool places. Every child due to start primary school the following year also appears automatically on the candidate list of a preschool near their home address, which leaves many parents with the impression that it’s compulsory. It isn’t: priority is not an obligation, and how your child spends that year is your decision.
If your child has special educational needs, treat the general age table as a starting point only. There are separate rules on how long these children spend in education and where they’re placed. The people best placed to advise you are the school’s leadership and your local Guidance and Research Centre (RAM, Rehberlik ve Araştırma Merkezi), who can look at your child and their needs together. MEB’s special education FAQ (in Turkish) covers that separate process.
From What Age Can My Child Go to Preschool?
Primary school has one age rule for everyone; preschool is more flexible. The age a preschool starts from varies from school to school, depending on the kind of setting, the age groups it runs, and whether it has a place.
Within MEB’s framework for state preschool registration, children of 57–68 months come first. Once they’ve been placed, standalone kindergartens and practice classes with enough space can also take children of 36–56 months. Kindergarten classes attached to primary schools (anasınıfı) can take children of 45–56 months. The same MEB FAQ sets out these conditions.
If you’re looking for somewhere for a younger child, don’t hesitate to ask each school directly: “From what age do you take children, and what does the day look like at that age?” A school accepting a young child doesn’t mean that child will have a good day there, so it’s worth asking both questions together. We look at the developmental side of starting young in our guide to starting preschool at two.
Should My Child Start Early or Wait a Year?
Being allowed to start at 66–68 months doesn’t mean your child should. Likewise, waiting a year doesn’t suit every child equally. The rules tell you which options are open; to see which one fits your child, it really helps to talk to a teacher who sees them every day. You don’t have to make this decision on your own.
A few questions to guide that conversation: can your child ask for help when they need it, follow an instruction given to the whole group, say what they want, and turn to an adult when things get hard? Knowing their letters or counting to a hundred isn’t enough on its own. The American Academy of Pediatrics also stresses social and emotional skills in its guidance on school readiness.
The date of birth tells you which options you have. Knowing your child tells you which one to take.
If you’re thinking of giving your 69–71-month-old another year, a written request to the primary school they’ve been allocated is all it takes; the general deferral for this age group doesn’t require a medical report. One thing to watch: enrolling your child at a preschool doesn’t defer their primary school registration automatically. Checking with the primary school that the deferral has actually gone through saves you a surprise later.
How Sun Preschool Organises Its Age Groups
At Sun Preschool we take children from 24 months. Our groups run from the Tiny Caterpillars (2–3 years) to the Caterpillars (3–4), the Cocoons (4–5) and the Butterflies (5–6). The Butterflies are the year before primary school that many parents call anasınıfı. These names describe our groups within the school; they don’t replace the official primary school age rules.
When we first meet, we’ll talk about more than your child’s date of birth: any previous nursery or preschool, their daily routines, and what they need. As you look through our curriculum, focus on what the day looks like in your child’s group: how time is shared between play, language, movement and rest.
What to Do Before You Register
It helps to take things in this order:
- Work out your child’s age in months. Count to the end of September in the year you’re applying for.
- Check the primary school side. Find the school allocated to your address through the e-Kayıt service on e-Devlet, Türkiye’s government portal. If you’re considering an early start or a deferral, speak to that school’s head.
- Ask the preschool about admissions. Confirm the age group, whether there’s a place, and how the settling-in period works.
- Tell the school about your child. Concrete examples from previous settings and daily life help the teacher get to know them.
You’ll find the rest of the preschool application process in our guide to preschool registration, and you can apply to Sun through our admissions page.
If you’d like to talk through which group your child would join and what their day would look like, you can book a tour of Sun Preschool. We’ll show you round the classrooms and take time over any questions you have.
References & Further Reading
- Ministry of National Education (MEB), General Directorate of Basic Education — Frequently asked questions on preschool registration and school starting age (in Turkish).
- Ministry of National Education (MEB), General Directorate of Basic Education — Family education bulletin: primary school registration age chart, page 10 of the PDF (in Turkish).
- Ministry of National Education (MEB) — Basic Law on National Education: scope of preschool education, Article 19 (in Turkish).
- Ministry of National Education (MEB), General Directorate of Special Education and Guidance Services — Preschool ages and length of education in special education (in Turkish).
- American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org) — Is your child ready for school? On social, emotional and everyday skills; a developmental guide, not a source for Turkish registration rules.
Frequently asked questions
My child is five. Can they start primary school?
“Five” on its own doesn’t tell you. If your child will be 66–68 months at the end of September in the registration year, they can start if you ask in writing. At 69–71 months they’ll be registered, with the option to wait a year on a written request. Start by working out the months they’ll have completed.
My child is 69 months. What do I do if I’d like them to stay at preschool?
Send a written request to defer to the primary school your child has been allocated. Then talk to the preschool about which group they’d join and whether there’s a place. Remember that preschool enrolment and deferring primary school are two separate steps.
Can I defer my 72-month-old’s registration with just a written request?
Under the general rules, no: deferral on a parent’s request alone applies only to the 69–71 month group. If your child has special educational needs or another individual circumstance, talk to the school’s leadership and your local RAM; together you can work out which rules apply.
Can a child who never went to preschool start primary school?
Yes. Under the general registration rules, there’s no requirement to have attended preschool first. A child who meets the age rule can register for primary school. Telling the teacher about your child’s earlier experiences and needs helps them plan how to support your child in the early weeks.
