Parents moving to Poland with young children face an important question: how to ensure their child's adaptation and socialisation in the new country? One of the most effective ways is to enrol your child in a Polish kindergarten. Here children not only spend time playing and socialising with their peers, but also learn the Polish language, which contributes to successful integration into society.
What is in store for you in the article? In this article, we will explain what steps you need to take to enrol your child in a Polish kindergarten in 2023. We will detail the criteria for choosing the best option for your family, as well as identify important aspects to keep in mind when enrolling your child in kindergarten. Enjoy reading!
Three types of kindergartens in Poland
The pre-school education system in Poland covers three key stages, each with different learning objectives for the child:
Zlobek. The first stage of pre-school education, the Zlobek, focuses on the care of children from one to three years of age, and in some cases even infants under one year of age. The Zlobek register in Poland you can find here.
Przedszkole (kindergarten). In the second stage, in kindergartens (Przedszkole), children from the age of three and older are accepted. At this time, children are already beginning to learn basic communication skills and understanding of the world around them.
Zerówka (zero grade). The Zero Class helps children prepare for school. It is usually attended by children aged 5-6 years old, as children enter Polish schools at the age of 7. You can read more about applying to a Polish school in our article.
What costs to expect when enrolling a child in kindergarten in Poland?
Public kindergartens: paid services and free time
Most importantly, the system of education in public kindergartens in Poland is free of charge if the child spends no more than 5 hours a day in kindergarten. However, each additional hour of education will require an additional fee.
In addition, in public kindergartens, children are charged for meals. Usually the cost of one meal per day is 19 PLN. You should also take into account additional costs such as insurance, specialized courses and classes that may be provided by kindergartens for the additional development of the child.
Private kindergartens: personalized approach and costs
Zlobek – may vary from 1,000 to 2,000 PLN per month depending on the particular kindergarden.
Przedszkole (kindergarten) – the average costs are between PLN 300 and 500 per month.
These prices already include meals, contribution to a special fund for the development of the kindergarten and other additional services. Among private kindergartens you can find fully Ukrainian-speaking options, where everyone speaks Ukrainian. Also, a feature of private day care centres is that parents can fully control the child by watching the cameras from the day care centre, view the time when the child came and went, track various activities and much more - everything is very transparent. Most often parents use an app called Kidsview.
Rodzina 500+ Program
Poland has an assistance program for parents and their children, where you can receive 500 PLN per month per child up to the age of 18. It is important to note that previously such a program was available for low-income families, but today the program is available to everyone. Today there are three working ways to receive assistance:
When applying for the Rodzina 500+ program, an electronic signature will be required at the end, we have explained how to do this in our article.
The process of enrolling a child in a public kindergarten
First of all, many people always think that public institutions are always worse than private ones. In Poland a lot of attention is paid to children and the younger generation, so the authorities try to do everything possible for the comfortable development of children. Public kindergartens in Poland are equipped with everything necessary: many playgrounds, green areas, inclusive rooms and much more.
However, enrolling in a public kindergarten is much more difficult than in a private kindergarten. At the very least, it is difficult to find a public kindergarten where there are places available.
Step 1. Registration on the online platform for finding a kindergarten in your city. For example, this is a website for residents of Warsaw. When registering, you fill in full information about your family and your place of residence. After reviewing this form, you will be awarded points and calculated which kindergarten your child can enroll in.
Step 2. Document preparation. By checking the website regularly, it is possible to see a positive response to your request. Then it is necessary to start collecting the documents requested by the kindergarten and bring the documents to the kindergarten before the beginning of the school year (1 September). IMPORTANT: if your child is from a large family, disabled, has one parent or is raised in a foster family - you will need to prepare additional documents confirming this.
Step 3. Waiting for the start of the educational year. This is the disadvantage of public kindergartens, as the school year starts in autumn and ends in summer. Private kindergartens, on the other hand, are usually open all year round.
The process of enrolling a child in a private kindergarten
Not surprisingly, getting into a private kindergarten is much easier than getting into a public kindergarten.
Step 1. First of all, you just need to find a list of kindergartens and look at them, you can look at photos on the website, find reviews of other mums or come with a visit to the kindergarten itself. Then choose the one that you and your child like the most and go there.
Step 2. Check the availability of places with the management of the kindergarten and say that you would like to place your child in this kindergarten.
Step 3. Fill in the form that you will be given. It will contain basic information about the child and the parents (name, place of residence, telephone numbers, hobbies, etc.). Then pay the required amount of money for the kindergarten attendance.
What do foreigners say about kindergartens in Poland?
Based on our practice, we can see that many foreign parents are very satisfied with the quality of Polish kindergartens. This is especially true for people from CIS countries, who evaluate kindergartens in Poland as a favorable place for the development and adaptation of their children.
If you are worried that your child may be shouted at in the kindergarten, it is not about Poland at all. In kindergartens it is forbidden to raise your voice at children, as it is considered an offence. All the staff treat all children very well, including foreigners.
Regarding language adaptation we can say that you should not worry. At first children will understand each other even without words, but after some time spent with native speakers, you will notice how your child will start to speak Polish. But of course it is better to combine this with language courses for your child and then you will get results even faster.
Summarizing the results
To summarize, the best way to adapt your child to society is to enroll him in a kindergarten. In this way you will have more free time and your child will have a good time.
If you are faced with choosing a kindergarten for your child in Poland, remember that aksis migration agency is ready to help you in this important process. Our team of agents will provide you with information about different kindergarten options, help you with registration, collecting documents and filling in forms. Want to enroll your child in kindergarten as soon as possible? Contact us!
