Education Ministry secures over EUR 25 mln from EU for safety, modernization of kindergartens
The European Commission is allocating EUR 25 million to support communities, preschool education workers, and the creation of safe, accessible, and modern spaces in early childhood education institutions, Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science reported on Tuesday.
"The support has been mobilized as part of the nationwide First Steps Forward initiative launched by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine to comprehensively transform the sector and increase investment in it. The financing has been approved by the Steering Board of the Ukraine Investment Framework and will be implemented jointly with the World Bank as part of the LEARN program (Enhancing Education Access and Resilience in Times of Crisis in Ukraine)," the ministry said.
These funds will enable more than 2,000 children to return to safe, high-quality in-person learning.
The funding will be used to: support communities and preschool education workers; equip dual-use shelters; carry out comprehensive renovation of preschool facilities with a focus on creating barrier-free environments; and establish safe and functional spaces for children’s learning, play, and development.
The ministry said that communities will be selected to participate in the project through a transparent digital system based on needs assessments, with priority given to those areas and regions where restoring access to preschool education and enabling parents to return to work is most urgent.
The ministry also recalled that it had previously attracted $30 million for the preschool sector through the expansion of the LEARN program. Implementation of the project is set to begin in April 2026 and will last three years.
