The nursery and kindergarten enrollment calendar for the 2024-2025 school year has been decided. The first stage of registration will start from May 27 and will end on June 14.
Registration calendar for nurseries and kindergartens – Photo Pexels
This year, registrations for preschool and pre-school education will take place earlier than in other years, specifically the first stage will take place between May 27 and June 14, 2024, for children who register for the first time. Before this period, between May 20 and 24, the re-enrollment of those who already attend the nursery school or kindergarten takes place.
“Some time ago, we announced the launch for public consultation of the methodology and enrollment calendar in nurseries and kindergartens. At the request of the social partners, the dates proposed in the initial form of the project were changed. All details regarding registration will be available on the website of the Ministry of Education after the publication in the Official Gazette of the Registration Methodology and the calendar. I'm glad that the information is available earlier than in other years – this way, everyone involved has more time to organize the process with the needs of young families in mind!“said the Minister of Education, Ligia Deca.
On June 14, the lists with the names of those registered and the number of free places after the first stage of registration will be displayed.
The second stage of registration
The second stage of registration will take place between June 17 and July 5. Moreover, on July 5, the lists of enrolled children will be announced, as well as the number of places left vacant. Between August 19 and 29, the adjustment stage will take place, when children who did not participate in the first two stages of registration will be enrolled.
The lists after the adjustment stage will be displayed on August 30.
Documents required for enrollment in nursery school and kindergarten
– copy of the child's birth certificate;
– copy of the parents' identity documents and, as the case may be, a copy of the placement decision/sentence or the entrustment sentence for adoption;
– employment certificate for each of the parents, for the type of extended program, respectively for enrollment in pre-school education;
– other supporting documents that are subject to the general or specific enrollment criteria;
– certificate from the family doctor stating that the child in question is clinically healthy;
– the epidemiological opinion/vaccination proof drawn up according to the provisions developed by the Ministry of Health, regarding the child's entry into the community, issued by the child's family doctor a maximum of 5 days before starting attendance at the unit.
Competition like in college
We remind you that, since last year, the middle group has become mandatory. Thus, all 4- and 5-year-old children must be enrolled in kindergarten until they reach grade zero. And by 2030, the small group will also become mandatory.
Our country ranks last in terms of the participation rate in preschool education, that is 82.4%, according to Eurostat data. This while the European average is 95.4%, according to the quoted source.
A report by World Vision Romania shows that 17% of children over 4 years old are not enrolled in kindergarten. And one in four children attends kindergarten only occasionally.
But, most often, parents who live in big cities like Bucharest, Cluj, Iași feel the lack of places in nurseries and kindergartens. Every year they stand in line to enroll their children in state kindergartens and nurseries, and in most of these educational institutions places fill up immediately.
There are approximately 140 state kindergartens in Bucharest. Limited access to early education is a problem specific to our country, which has a shortage of places in nurseries and kindergartens. This is one of the reasons why many parents turn to the services of private kindergartens and nurseries.
INS data shows that the number of children attending a private pre-school education institution has almost tripled in recent years, from 2.9% in 2013/2014 to 7.1% in 2021/2022.
A study carried out by the Children's Club in 2023 shows that the highest rates at nurseries and kindergartens are in Cluj-Napoca, Bucharest and Târgoviște. The average costs, which include the monthly fee and the meal rate, are 2,270 lei in Cluj, 2,200 lei in Bucharest and 2,050 lei in Târgoviște. The most expensive private kindergarten included in this research is located in Bucharest.
The national average monthly fee for state nurseries and kindergartens is 1,600 lei. And these fees do not include the costs for optionals, but only the monthly fee and the costs for the child's daily food.
Parents whose children do not get a place at state nurseries or kindergartens have to pay between 2,000 and 3,000 lei out of their pocket monthly at a private institution.
