Preschool educational institutions can be state, community-based, and non-state. State and community-based preschool educational institutions are non-commercial organizations, while non-state preschool educational institutions can have any organizational and legal form provided for by law.
There are 23 community based kindergartens in Vanadzor; 1,842 children are attending the kindergartens, and 1,231 children are on the waiting list.
The state budget accounts for a significant share of funding for the preschool education sector in Vanadzor. According to data for 2024, the share of the state budget in financing 19 kindergartens in Vanadzor community was 6-15% depending on the kindergarten. This share is formed through compensation provided to kindergartens for children entitled to benefits from the state budget.
The budget of Vanadzor Municipality for 2024 plans to allocate a significant amount of money for preschool education.
The planned amount is AMD 1.7 bln, which is 137.9% more than the AMD 729.1 mln allocated for preschool education in the previous year.
However, the actual amounts allocated in a number of cases do not correspond to those planned. The actual funding of all 23 kindergartens in Vanadzor community, with the exception of kindergartens No. 4, No. 8, Gugark and Darpas settlements, exceeded the planned volume.
On the other hand, kindergartens No. 4 and No. 8 received less money, since the actual performance did not correspond to the planned ones, and the planned and actual indicators corresponded only for kindergartens in Gugark and Darpas settlements. The Vanadzor community administration explains such discrepancies as follows: that the contract provided for the allocation of subsidies from the state budget (compensation for children entitled to benefits) for 19 kindergartens, amendments were made to this contract by the agreement signed on 24.11.2024, which entailed a change in the amount of the subsidy provided in the form of an increase in the amount of compensation provided. Based on the above circumstance, 19 kindergartens were provided with additional funding.
“Kindergarten No. 8 of Vanadzor Community” CNPO and “Kindergarten No. 4 of Vanadzor Community” CNPO were under construction during 2024, and the employees were on forced leave, and therefore they were financed only under the salary item, which, by the way, amounted to 77% of the planned amount in the case of Kindergarten No. 4, and 72.3% in the case of Kindergarten No. 8.
Changes in the financing of preschool education are an important step for the development of the sector. The increase in budget allocations and the specifics of their distribution demonstrate the processes underway in the sector and the need to assess their effectiveness. The differences between planned and actual funding indicators indicate the dynamic nature of the system, which requires constant study and clear mechanisms to ensure the most efficient use of funds.
This publication has been developed with the financial support of the European Union, within the framework of a sub-grant provided under the “Budgets for Citizens” project implemented by a consortium led by the “Armenian Lawyers’ Association” NGO. It has been implemented by “Direct Democracy” NGO within the framework of the “Budget 360°” project. The “Direct Democracy” NGO is responsible for the content, and it does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
