TASKA, tadika, preschool or kindergarten: what the words mean in Malaysia

The short answer

In Malaysian official terms, a TASKA (taman asuhan kanak-kanak) is a childcare centre for children under four, registered with the Social Welfare Department (JKM). A tadika is a kindergarten for children aged four to six, and a private tadika comes under the Private Education Division of the Ministry of Education (KPM). Prasekolah is the word for preschool education in general, and also for the preschool classes inside government schools.

English words such as nursery, playgroup, preschool and kindergarten are names a school chooses for its classes. On their own, they do not tell you which official category or registration a class sits under.

The official categories

The government portal MyGOV lists four types of early childhood education. The ages below are the ones it gives.

What the law means by TASKA

KPWKM, the ministry that oversees JKM, defines a TASKA as any premises where four or more children under the age of four, from more than one household, are received to be cared for in return for payment. Registration is made under the Child Care Centre Act 1984 (Act 308).

KPWKM also lists a required course, the Kursus Asuhan & Didikan Awal Kanak-Kanak Permata, for TASKA operators, managers, supervisors and carers. It replaced the older basic childcare course known as KAAK. KPWKM publishes a list of TASKA registered with JKM on the same page.

Notice the small difference: the legal definition is about children under four, which can include babies, while the MyGOV summary lists ages 2 to 4. If you are looking at care for a child under four, the TASKA rules are the ones to ask about.

Where tadika and preschool fit

The Ministry of Education circular that introduced the new national preschool curriculum in 2026 says that preschool classes means every institution offering preschool education, including preschools and tadika under KPM, public agencies and private agencies. The circular requires the Kurikulum Prasekolah 2026 to be used in all of them, under section 22 of the Education Act 1996. In other words, a private tadika in Klang and a government school preschool class work from the same national curriculum.

We explain what that curriculum sets out in Kurikulum Prasekolah 2026: what parents should know.

The English labels you will see in Klang

• Nursery or playgroup usually means the youngest class, often ages 2 to 3, but some centres use it for babies too.
• Preschool can mean one year group, or the whole range from 2 to 6.
• Kindergarten, often split into K1 and K2, usually means the last two years before Year 1.
• Early years is an umbrella term for the whole stage.

At SunnySeeds, for example, Nursery is our class for ages 2 to 3, Preschool is for age 4, and Kindergarten is for ages 5 and 6 (K1 and K2). These are the names of our programmes. As with any school, the name of a class does not by itself tell you which registration covers it, so it is a fair question to ask us, or any centre, directly. Our Ministry of Education registration number, B5A0294, is shown at the foot of every page of this website.

Questions to ask any centre

• Which registration does the centre hold, and with which agency: JKM for a TASKA, or KPM for a tadika? Can I see the certificate?
• Does that registration cover my child's age group?
• For a child under four: is this class run as a registered TASKA, and have the carers completed the Permata course?
• Which curriculum does the centre follow for ages 4 to 6, and how is the week organised?
• How many children are there per teacher in my child's class?
• Will I receive official receipts for fees? Fees paid to a registered TASKA or tadika can matter for tax relief, which we cover in how to compare preschool fees.

Our printable school tour checklist has these questions and more, with space to write the answers.