The program will contribute to the creation of new jobs and accelerate the return of parents to the labor market. The deficit of childcare services in Moldova is high. There is a decrease in the number of kindergartens (including nursery schools), and the availability of nursery schools for the youngest children (up to 2-3 years old) remains low, as many institutions focus on working with older children. Therefore, nursery groups are either few or not available in all kindergartens. Recently, the number of children in preschool institutions has been decreasing, which also affects their overall number and staffing.
According to official statistics, the services of nurseries can be used only by a little more than 10% of parents. Not everyone can afford the services of private childcare centers, and the possibility of staying longer on maternity leave hinders a mother’s career growth. Although monthly payments partially compensate for the lack of such services at the state level, this in a sense creates a gender imbalance in the labor market.
In recent years, legislative changes have been introduced to overcome this imbalance. Parents can choose which of them will be the recipient of the allowance, and the age at which a child can be enrolled in kindergarten has been reduced to two years. But it is difficult to take advantage of the latter change due to the lack of preschool institutions.
The Kindergarten Network Development Program provides local authorities of the first level, including the municipalities of Balti and Chisinau, with opportunities to develop social infrastructure with financing from the National Fund for Regional and Local Development. They are aimed at the construction, reconstruction, repair or rehabilitation of buildings intended exclusively for new groups of kindergartens for children under 3 years of age, including through energy efficiency measures, equipping the premises and adapting them for people with special needs.
