Kyiv Opens Its First Nursery Groups for Children from Six Months Old: Pilot to Cover 9 Groups Across Five Districts

Kyiv's first early-childhood groups in kindergartens for children as young as six months old have begun operating. The pilot project, whose launch was announced by Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA) Deputy Head Valentin Mondryievskyi, comprises nine groups spread across five districts of the capital. The initiative aims to allow parents, primarily mothers, to return to work earlier without having to wait until a child turns three, the age at which access to standard preschool institutions is usually granted.

Demographic Shift and Labor Shortage

According to Mondryievskyi, the city authorities are adapting the preschool education network to the changed demographic realities. Due to the war, the number of children in Kyiv is declining, and vacant places have opened up in some kindergartens. At the same time, the martial law is putting pressure on the labor market: enterprises and institutions are in need of additional workforce. "Creating groups for early-childhood children is a solution both for parents who want to end their parental leave as early as possible and for employers looking for workers," the KCSA Deputy Head emphasized. Thus, the pilot project is positioned as a dual-purpose tool: social support for families and stimulation of employment.

Strict Safety Requirements

Nursery groups for infants are being opened exclusively in preschool institutions that meet elevated requirements. The key conditions are the presence of a functioning shelter and a sufficient number of childcare staff. The KCSA specifically clarified the protocol of action during an air raid alert: each child who is not yet able to walk independently will be carried to the shelter by a separate adult. It is precisely this logistics that determined the staffing requirements as one of the main conditions for a kindergarten's participation in the pilot project. Without a guarantee of safe evacuation of each infant by a dedicated staff member, an institution is not admitted to accept children from six months old.

How to Enroll a Child: the "SEZ ZDO" System and Enrollment Priorities

Kyiv has 525 kindergartens attended by more than 62,000 children. Enrollment in a preschool institution is carried out online through the automated "SEZ ZDO" system. Upon enrollment, top priority is given to children registered in Kyiv who have chosen a kindergarten territorially assigned to their registration address. Preschool institutions operate on a free basis, although parents are required to pay for the children's meals. A similar procedure through the same electronic platform will most likely apply to the new nursery groups, although the specific start date for accepting applications for the pilot places is not specified in the KCSA's statement.

What This Means for Parents

The launch of nursery groups from six months old is the first experience in Kyiv's history of systematically accepting infants into state kindergartens. For families where both parents work or where the mother strives to return to her profession as soon as possible, this removes one of the main barriers: the need to hire a nanny or remain on parental leave until the child is three. At the same time, the pilot nature of the project — nine groups in five districts — means that coverage is still limited, and not every family will be able to use the service at the nearest kindergarten to their home. The results of the pilot are expected to serve as the basis for a decision on expanding the network of nursery groups across the entire capital.