News - Малките детски градини

A highlight of the second international project meeting in Vienna, Austria, was the presentation of two public-private partnership models in early childhood education. The hosts from EPSILON Marketing provided an in-depth overview of the "Day Parent" model, in which one caregiver looks after and educates up to five children aged 10 months to 3 years, as well as the "Small Child Group" model, where two educators are responsible for a group of 15 children. Both models are implemented within the setting of a single apartment.
Participants had the opportunity to meet an educator who has practiced the "Day Parent" model for seven years and to visit a functioning kindergarten operating under the "Small Child Group" model. In this kindergarten, one group consists of children from 10 months to 1.5 years, and another group includes children from 1.5 to 3 years of age.

A working group comprising representatives from Slatina Municipality, Kindergarten 184 "Mecho Puh," and a representative of Sofia Municipality holds regular meetings to develop Bulgarian models for small-scale kindergartens through public-private partnerships. Two Austrian models are at the center of these discussions—the “day parent” and the “small group” concepts. The group is outlining frameworks to enable their implementation in Bulgaria, considering that these models should meet the needs and capabilities of both large cities, where there is a shortage of kindergarten places, and smaller communities, where there may not be enough children to establish a standalone childcare facility.

During the traditional Erasmus+ Week, our project was highlighted in two exceptional ways. The Deputy Mayor for Education of the Slatina District, Ms. Blagorodna Zdravkova, participated in a series of podcasts discussing the impact of the Erasmus+ program on preschool education. She spoke about the project and the models developed specifically for the Bulgarian context.
Additionally, the weekly issue of the newspaper Standart dedicated an entire page to presenting the two Bulgarian models that were created.

A national survey is being conducted to evaluate newly developed models for small-scale kindergartens established through public-private partnerships. The survey aims to gather insights from a broad range of stakeholders, including representatives from various educational institutions, local authorities from different municipalities across the country, parents of young children, and organizations focused on early childhood education.
The results of this survey will provide valuable feedback on the effectiveness, feasibility, and adaptability of these models, helping to ensure that they meet the needs of diverse communities, from urban areas facing a shortage of kindergarten spaces to rural regions where standalone facilities may not be sustainable.
We look forward to engaging with all participants and utilizing their input to refine and implement solutions that enhance early childhood education access and quality throughout Bulgaria.

The national surveys conducted in November 2025 for the two developed models of small kindergartens analyzed the attitudes of parents, educators, and experts toward these forms of care and education. The results indicated strong support for both models: 99% of respondents support the model of Independent Kid's Group (IKG), while 97% support the model of Small Kids Group (SKG).
Regarding the number of children per group, 96% of participants support a limit of up to 15 children for IKG. 76% approve the limit of 5 children for SKG, while opponents suggest increasing the group size to 10-15 children.