Kindergartens in Ukraine: Are There Enough Places in the New Academic Year?

Recent years have significantly changed Ukraine’s preschool education system. Parents preparing to send their child to kindergarten in the new academic year are facing realities that practically did not exist before the start of the full-scale war. When choosing an institution, the ability to stay safely in the kindergarten during air raids, the availability of a shelter, and the format in which the institution can actually operate are becoming increasingly important.

At the same time, the situation can differ dramatically across different regions and even neighboring communities. In one district, groups may be overcrowded and parents may have to wait for enrollment, while in another, places remain available. Some kindergartens operate in person, some combine in-person and remote formats, while others cannot accept children on their premises at all due to security restrictions.

What is the situation with kindergartens in Ukraine on the eve of the new academic year, are there enough places in the capital and the regions, and what should parents prepare for - details in the UNN report.

Details

To determine the current state of affairs in the preschool education system, UNN journalists sent an inquiry to the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. In response, the ministry provided data on the number of institutions, their operating formats, and the provision of safe spaces. At the same time, the Ministry of Education and Science emphasized that information about specific available places, waiting lists, and the actual occupancy of groups is formed primarily at the local level.

How many kindergartens will operate in Ukraine from September 2026

According to operational data from local state executive authorities, as of June 2026, 11,622 preschool education institutions are operating in Ukraine.

Of these:

• 9,301 operate in person;
• 1,111 - in a mixed format;
• 1,210 - remotely.

In other words, 80% of the institutions included in the Ministry of Education and Science’s statistics are already operating in person. At the same time, approximately one in five kindergartens depends either fully or partially on the remote organization of the educational process.

The Ministry of Education and Science also separately emphasizes that the figures cited do not cover the entire academic year.

The figures indicated are operational and may change depending on the security situation, decisions by founders, and the specifics of organizing the educational process in particular institutions

The number of kindergartens that will operate in person in the autumn may change even over the course of several weeks. If the security situation deteriorates, an institution may change its operating format, while after a shelter is equipped, it may, on the contrary, gain the opportunity to return children to in-person education. Therefore, parents who have already chosen a particular kindergarten should additionally clarify the institution’s operating schedule, the procedure to follow during an air raid, and the location of the shelter before attendance begins.

Are there enough places for preschoolers in kindergartens in Kyiv and the regions

There is no single figure that could show how many available places remain in kindergartens across Ukraine before the start of the 2026/2027 academic year.

The Ministry of Education and Science explained to UNN that the ministry does not maintain a centralized record of available places in every institution across the country.

Information on the number of available places in preschool education institutions, the number of children requiring enrollment, the order in which they are enrolled, and the actual occupancy of groups is compiled and recorded by the founders of preschool education institutions and local self-government bodies

Because of this, the total number of places in the system does not yet indicate how easy it will be for a particular family to enroll a child in a kindergarten near home. Demand is distributed unevenly: the residential district, the child’s age, the number of groups for the relevant age, the availability of a shelter, and the institution’s ability to actually accept preschoolers all matter.

An important nuance also concerns enrollment itself. The Law of Ukraine "On Preschool Education" establishes the order of admission to municipal institutions. Priority is given, in particular, to a child's residence within the service area of the relevant kindergarten; within this category, the law identifies specific groups of children that have priority. Therefore, the fact that enrollment applications are in the electronic system does not in itself mean that they all have the same position in the queue.

What is happening with places in Kyiv's kindergartens

In Kyiv, it became easier for parents in August 2026 to assess their chances of enrollment. The city's Services Portal introduced the option of viewing the queue for municipal kindergartens. The registry now shows how many applications have been submitted to a particular institution, which groups the children are seeking admission to, and how many vacancies remain in those groups.

In addition, the system shows the child's position not only in the overall queue  but also in the relevant age group — nursery, younger, middle, or older. This is important because groups are formed by age, and a large total number of applications to a kindergarten does not necessarily mean the same level of competition in the group the child is to join. For parents, this makes it possible to compare several institutions before enrollment and, if the situation at one kindergarten is critical, consider an alternative.

Kindergarten queues: where the most people are applying and where kindergartens are not full

The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine has no nationwide ranking of cities or regions by the length of kindergarten queues. The ministry notes that it is not authorized to determine the number of available places, queues, or occupancy levels at every preschool education institution in all territorial communities of Ukraine.

Therefore, it is impossible to compile an accurate list of regions with the longest queues based on the Ministry of Education and Science's data. It is likewise incorrect to claim that a particular region generally has a surplus of places: within a single region, the situation in a large regional center and in a small community may be the opposite. Information about children awaiting enrollment, available places, and the actual occupancy of groups is maintained at the local level.

For parents, this means that the most reliable approach remains checking several sources: the community's electronic system, information from the specific kindergarten, and data from the local education authority. If there are no places at the preferred institution, it is worth checking neighboring kindergartens. In the preschool education system, the absence of a place at one particular institution does not automatically mean that the child will be unable to attend kindergarten at all.

Shelters in kindergartens: how many institutions can provide a safe space

One of the key factors determining whether a kindergarten can operate fully in person during martial law is the availability of an accessible shelter where preschoolers and educators can evacuate during an air raid alert.

According to the Ministry of Education and Science, as of June 2026, 9,270 preschool education institutions have shelters. This is almost 80% of the total number of institutions that, according to operational data, are operating in Ukraine.

According to the ministry, this includes, in particular:

• 703 civil protection protective structures;
• 65 shelters in dual-purpose structures;
• 6,114 simplest shelters;
• 2,550 facilities belonging to other business entities;
• 109 equipped protected spaces.

At the same time, these figures cannot simply be added together. The Ministry of Education and Science explains that some categories may overlap, meaning that one institution may be counted under more than one characteristic.

The figures provided are operational and may change depending on the construction of new protective structures, changes in the security situation, and decisions by the founders

The problem of safe facilities remains systemic. In the state program for adapting preschools to civil protection requirements, approved at the end of 2025, the government separately acknowledged that a significant proportion of the existing facilities require conversion, while some of the already equipped basic shelters do not fully take into account the age-related needs of preschoolers and accessibility requirements. That is why work on shelters is continuing in 2026 as well.

How much the state will spend on shelters in preschools

A separate state subvention of UAH 1 billion was allocated for equipping shelters in preschool education institutions in 2026.

Preschools with at least 100 children, special preschools, as well as the only preschool education institutions in communities where creating a shelter would make it possible to provide in-person or blended learning, among others, were eligible for funding.

According to information provided by the Ministry of Education and Science to UNN, the authorized commission received and processed 60 project applications from regional and the Kyiv City state military administrations. Following the review, 18 sites — future shelters — were approved. Their construction and equipment are to be financed through the subvention.

Therefore, the "map" of preschools capable of operating in person is not final at present. Once the construction and equipment of the new shelters are completed, individual institutions that are currently limited in their ability to admit children may receive additional places and accept more preschoolers.

What parents should pay attention to when choosing a preschool with a shelter

The mere presence of a shelter in a preschool does not yet give parents a complete picture. Before enrolling a child, it is advisable to find out where it is located, how much time children need to get there, and whether it is designed for all the children and employees who are simultaneously present at the institution.

This is especially important for the youngest groups. Evacuating nursery-age children is fundamentally different from evacuating schoolchildren, so the actual algorithm of staff actions during an air raid alert and the time required for this are important.

In addition, the shelter may not be located directly in the preschool building, but in premises belonging to another business entity. That is why the Ministry of Education and Science’s statistics separately list thousands of such facilities.

Opening preschools in the new academic year: what parents should expect

The Ministry of Education and Science is not compiling a single nationwide list of new preschools that are to open by the end of 2026. The reason is the same: the development of the preschool education network largely falls within the competence of the founders.

Decisions on establishing preschool education institutions, resuming their operations, creating additional places, and developing the network are made by the founders in accordance with the law and taking into account the needs of the respective territories

New places for preschoolers in a particular community may appear either because a new building has been constructed for a preschool , or because local authorities may resume the operation of an institution that was previously not functioning, create additional groups, or reorganize the existing network.

Therefore, parents and guardians of preschoolers should monitor information about the opening of new preschools or groups on the websites of local councils, military administrations, and education authorities.

Closing preschools: what will change for parents

In response to UNN’s request, the Ministry of Education and Science explained that it likewise does not make centralized decisions on the closure or reorganization of municipal preschools. Under the Law of Ukraine "On Preschool Education," the decision to establish, reorganize, reprofile, or liquidate an institution is made by its founder. Therefore, there is no nationwide list of preschools that will cease operations in the 2026/2027 academic year.

The reasons for changes in the network may vary — from the security situation and the inability to use a building to demographic changes or the reorganization of institutions at the community level.

For families, the most important thing is not to wait until the start of the school year if information emerges about the possible closure of the chosen preschool. In such a case, they should immediately clarify with the founder what option will be offered to the children and whether places are available in other institutions in the community.

What parents of preschoolers should ultimately know before September

It would be incorrect to speak of a general shortage or, conversely, an excess of places in Ukraine's kindergartens on the eve of the 2026/2027 academic year. The Ministry of Education and Science does not maintain centralized statistics on waiting lists and available places, while the actual situation is determined at the level of each individual community and specific institution.

At the same time, most kindergartens currently operating have already organized the educational process in person. Of the 11,600 institutions, more than 9,300 accept children directly on their premises.

The main limitation on further expanding in-person education remains safety. A total of 9,270 institutions have been provided with protective facilities, and in 2026 the state is separately funding the construction and installation of new shelters.

Therefore, before the new academic year, the most practical thing for parents is to check three things at once: whether there is a place in the required age group, in what format the kindergarten actually operates, and which shelter the institution uses.

A reminder

Earlier, UNN explained how to enroll a child in kindergarten in 2026, how the waiting list works, which documents are required for enrollment, and who is eligible for benefits.