Grant to Open a Mobile Preschool in the Community

The project “Childcare in Ukraine: A Systematic Approach for Better Recovery” focuses on developing the “mobile kindergarten” service in communities.

Communities from Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions are invited to participate.

Within the programme, communities may:

• join a training programme on organising the “mobile kindergarten” service;
• have an opportunity to receive financial support to develop their idea;
• submit an application outlining their ideas for organising the “mobile kindergarten” service for children in their community.

The programme is open to communities in Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions.

The main participation requirement is that communities plan to open a mobile kindergarten and are seeking support for its establishment.

Following the training, a business plan competition will be held for project participants.

At the second stage, two communities with the most successful business plans will be selected. Each selected community will receive financial support in the UAH equivalent of up to USD 20,000.

The funding is intended to enable communities to organise the “mobile kindergarten” service.

Participation in the programme enables communities to develop the “mobile kindergarten” service and strengthen their capacity to organise it.

Key areas of support include:

• creation of a new community service to improve children’s access to preschool education;
• development of skills in organising, planning, and developing the new service;
• ensuring the sustainability of the service and learning from the experience of other countries;
• financial support of up to USD 20,000 in UAH equivalent for finalists;
• mentoring support to ensure the sustainable success of the mobile kindergarten service;
• sharing successful experience to support project scaling.

The programme consists of several consecutive stages:

1. Application submission — the application deadline is 4 September 2026. An information session for participants is scheduled for 18 August at 17:00 (Zoom).
2. Selection process — community applications are assessed by independent members of the selection committee according to the established participation and selection criteria. Preliminary results are expected to be announced within one week after the application period closes.
3. Training programme — following the first stage of the competition, 5 communities (teams of three participants) will be selected. They will take part in an in-person training covering entrepreneurship and the development of the “mobile kindergarten” service.
4. Business plan development — the training programme is designed to develop the necessary skills and provide knowledge to help participants create and implement business plans.

You can apply at the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScWZqMECYtrMkMPDMJQKn8sC-8U4ii6sUSefC25mHsCNWS9bw/formResponse

Participants are selected based on the community’s readiness and capacity to ensure the further development of the “mobile kindergarten” service.

The main selection criteria include:

• readiness to establish a mobile kindergarten in the community and ensure its operation for at least one year;
• support from the local authorities;
• willingness to work as a team to ensure the development and sustainability of the service;
• willingness to learn and share experience, including participation in a series of in-person training sessions;
• commitment to creating a safe, emotionally comfortable, and development-oriented environment for children in the community;
• it is important that the future service is provided by professionals and that project finalists are accessible to a wide number of children and their families.

Information Session: August 18 at 5:00 p.m. (Zoom):  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8850878162?pwd=dVlLT254WVRLeFJhTnd4U29sNGxyZz09&omn=86254504246