Government to grant HUF 5 billion for kindergarten development within New Széchenyi Plan2012. május 22.
With a total budget of HUF 5 billion, two calls for applications for kindergarten development have been published within the New Széchenyi Plan. The NDA’s tenders will encourage the organisation of training courses, the improvement of kindergarten yards, the building of gyms and the acquisition of a variety of equipment. Support from the European Social Fund may significantly improve the service level of these institutions.
The aim of the newly published schemes is to further develop Hungary’s excellent kindergarten pedagogy in a way as to provide optimal personal and physical conditions for the personality development of young children.
Excellence in early childhood education ensures several benefits for both the individual and society in the short and long run. As a supplement to the central role of the family, it establishes the basic skills that are vital for language acquisition, successful lifelong learning, social integration, personal development and employability.
In addition to ensuring a high quality in kindergarten education, it is important to guarantee its availability. Furthermore, special attention must be paid to the environment, infrastructure, staff, management and to quality assurance. An integrated approach which involves all parties concerned, including families, is important at all levels: local, regional and national.
Access to universally available, high-quality kindergarten education can make a significant contribution to the success of the Europe 2020 Strategy, in particular to achieving two priority objectives of the EU: to reduce early school leaving and to remove children from any situation which involves the risk of poverty and social exclusion.
The tender is open to kindergartens and multiple purpose institutions with a kindergarten section and their respective maintainers.
The available budget is HUF 4 billion in the Convergence Regions and HUF 1 billion in the Region of Central Hungary. Grants can cover as much as 100% of total project costs, and will amount to a minimum of HUF 1 million and a maximum of HUF 100 million. Applications can be submitted between 1 and 30 June 2012.