<P> Early Childhood Development programs were first introduced during the Soviet occupation with the establishment in 1980 of 27 urban preschools, or kodakistan . The number of preschools grew steadily during the 1980s, peaking in 1990 with more than 270 in Afghanistan . At this peak, there were 2,300 teachers caring for more than 21,000 children in the country . These facilities were an urban phenomenon, mostly in Kabul, and were attached to schools, government offices, or factories . Based on the Soviet model, these Early Childhood Development programs provided nursery care, preschool, and kindergarten for children from 3 months to 6 years of age under the direction of the Department of Labor and Social Welfare . </P> <P> The vast majority of Afghan families were never exposed to this system, and many of these families were in opposition to these programs due to the belief that it diminishes the central role of the family and inculcates children with Soviet values . With the onset of civil war after the Soviet withdrawal, the number of kindergartens dropped rapidly . By 1995, only 88 functioning facilities serving 2,110 children survived, and the Taliban restrictions on female employment eliminated all of the remaining centers in areas under their control . In 2007, there were about 260 kindergarten / pre-school centers serving over 25,000 children . Though every government center is required to have an early childhood center, at present, no governmental policies deal with early childhood and no institutions have either the responsibility or the capacity to provide such services . </P> <P> In each state of Australia, kindergarten (frequently referred to as "kinder" or "kindy") means something slightly different . In Tasmania, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, it is the first year of primary school . In Victoria, kindergarten is a form of preschool and may be referred to interchangeably as preschool or kindergarten . In Victoria and Tasmania the phrase for the first year of primary school is called Prep (short for "preparatory"), which is followed by grade 1 . </P> <P> In Queensland, kindergarten is usually an institution for children around the age of 4 and thus it is the precursor to preschool and primary education . In recent years though, Kindergartens have been taking children as young as 6 months old . </P>

Who named kindergarten as we all know today as kinder or preschool