Admission requirements and choice of ECEC setting

In public early childhood education institutions, all children between the ages of 2 and 6(7) from the respective school district are enrolled at the request of their parents, without restrictions or competitive exams. Enrolment is carried out in the order of application submission, within the limits of available places. If there are no places available at the requested institution, the founder can propose another institution to the parents.

Parents or legal representatives can request the child's enrolment in an early education unit other than the constituency one. This is done through a written request and is approved on a space-available basis after children in that school district have been enrolled.

Priority for enrolment is given to children whose parents are employed, who are studying, are educated by a single parent, are under guardianship, have disabilities, come from large families or whose parents are employees of the respective institution. Enrolment applications are examined by a special committee created by the institution's founder and administration, and approved or rejected by the institution's Administrative Board.

Refusal to enrol children based on discriminatory criteria such as race, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, social category, beliefs, gender, age, disability, chronic non-contagious disease, HIV infection or belonging to a disadvantaged category is prohibited.

Children's enrolment is staggered, as a rule, between July and August or during the school year, within the limits of available places, without charging fees.

The disenrollment of children is carried out by the director, based on the decision of the Administrative Board, for health reasons (e.g.: chronic infectious disease), non-payment of fees for meals, unjustified absences or at the request of the parents.

In private institutions, the rules of enrrolment and disenrollment are regulated by the founder.

In collaboration with local authorities, public health centers and social assistance institutions, public early childhood education institutions carry out an annual census of children aged 0 to 7 years in the school district (Regulation of the early childhood education institution).

Group size and child-staff ratios

The regulations regarding group size in early childhood education institutions from the Republic of Moldova are established depending on children’s age:

• For children aged between 1.5 and 3 years, the group size varies between a minimum of 8 and a maximum of 15 children.

• For children between the ages of 3 and 6(7), the group size varies between a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 20 children.

In sanatorium-type institutions, the maximum number of children in the ante-preschool and preschool groups is reduced by five children, to meet their special needs.

The child – educational staff ratio

To ensure the quality of educational services, the child – educational staff ratio is strictly regulated:

• In groups of children under 3 years old, the ratio is 1 teacher for 6 children.

• In preschool groups for children aged between 3 and 6(7), the ratio is 1 teacher for 10 children.

These ratios include all staff who are in direct contact with children, not just the teaching staff. If the number of children in a group exceeds 20 for children under 3 years or 25 for children between 3 and 6(7) years, the group is divided or it is necessary to hire additional educators to maintain the regulatory ratio.

Personal structure and qualification requirements

The staff in early education institutions consists of teaching staff (educator, support teaching staff, music teacher, speech therapist, psychologist, psychopedagogue, methodologist, mentor) and non-teaching staff (medical assistant, physiotherapist, nanny, teacher's assistant, technician, other administrative staff).

The provision of the initial training of teaching staff for early childhood education in the Republic of Moldova is carried out within specialized secondary education (college) and within higher education (university) (Reference Framework for Early Childhood Education in the Republic of Moldova). The minimum qualification requirement for occupying teaching positions in early education is holding a qualification in the field of at least 4 ISCED level - post-secondary technical vocational education (Education Code of the Republic of Moldova).

Groups of children with special educational needs

For groups that include children with special educational needs (SEN), the number of children is adjusted. Typically, a child with SEN is considered the equivalent of 2-3 children without SEN, depending on the severity of the disability. Normally, a general education group includes 1-2 children with disabilities.

In institutions for children with severe sensory disabilities or complex mental disabilities, group sizes are reduced to a maximum of six children.

(Regulation of the early childhood education institution)

Annual, weekly and daily organisation

The academic year in early childhood education from the Republic of Moldova lasts 12 months, starting from September 1 and ending on August 31. Within this interval, vacation, recovery and adaptation periods for young children or newcomers are respected. In exceptional situations, such as epidemics, bad weather, natural calamities or other unforeseen situations, the activity of early childhood education institutions can be temporarily suspended.

Weekly organisation

Typically, the weekly working schedule of early childhood education institutions lasts 5 days, with 2 days off. However, sanatorium-type and special institutions can operate 6 days a week, depending on the decision of the founders and the needs of parents and children.

At the request of the parents and by the decision of the founder, groups for days off or holidays can be organised, as well as an extended programme of up to 14 hours, with costs fully covered by the parents.

Daily organisation

The daily schedule of early childhood education institutions is established by the founder, taking into account the needs of parents and the physiological peculiarities of children. The start and end of the working day are set between 6:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. At the level of the same institution, groups with different activity programmes (short, normal, extended or weekly) can operate, depending on the material conditions, the requests of the parents and the level of protection and education needed by the children.

Public and private early childhood education institutions in the Republic of Moldova may have the following types of activity programme:

• Short programme (4-6 hours): these institutions offer educational services according to the Curriculum for early childhood education and the Standards for learning and child development from birth to 7 years. They also ensure the proper education and preparation of children for kindergarten, school and personal and social life, and, where appropriate, meals for the children.

• Normal and extended programme (10.5 and 12 hours): in addition to standard educational services, these institutions offer care services, meals, medical assistance, supervision and sleep.

• Weekly programme (24 hours): these institutions, which are generally of the sanatorium type, provide educational services, meals, supervision, day and night sleep, as well as recovery and rehabilitation services.