Chile’s Early Childhood Educational System Early childhood education in Chile is divided into nursery grades, middle grades, and transition grades. Early nursery is for children ages 3 months to 1 year; late nursery is for 1-year to 2-year-old children. Early middle grade is a service for 2–3-year-old children, and late middle grade to 3–4-year-old children. The transition grade is divided into Pre K, for children ages 4 and 5 years,and kindergarten for 5 and 6-year olds, of which only the latter is universal and mandatory in Chile.