“Expanding fundamental service” –

The Minister of Education and Merit, Giuseppe Valditara, signed the decree for a new plan for nursery schools worth 734.9 million euros. The Plan, in line with the objectives of the PNRR, aims to increase the number of nursery schools in order to improve the educational offer from early childhood and offer concrete help to families. The resources deployed derive, in part, from savings from the previous Plan, launched last year, and, to an equally significant extent, from additional funds recovered in the budget of the Ministry itself. A notable effort to increase the new places already created and to reach the European target of the PNRR.

“This is an investment to which we attribute a strategic value for the quality of the school system, and beyond. Our objective is to expand a fundamental service to reduce the disparities in starting points, while meeting the needs of families and in particular of women, to whom we offer an additional tool for reconciling work and motherhood”, declares the Minister Valditara. “As with the previous Plan”, continues the Minister, “we hope to achieve the maximum result also thanks to the simplification of rules and procedures, accompanied by constant support to the administrations involved, which are decisive prerequisites for being able to seize the opportunities of the PNRR”.

The decree, in addition to ascertaining and mobilizing the available resources, defines the criteria for allocating them among the Municipalities, taking into account the ISTAT data relating to the current coverage of the service in the 0-2 year age group, the resident population and the number of children. in the age group 0-2 years. Based on the projects financed with the previous tender, and taking into account the overall increase in prices and the assessments of the European Commission carried out during the verification of the European milestone of the PNRR of June 2023, a parametric cost applicable to the implementation and construction has been defined of new kindergartens, as well as the conversion of buildings and properties not already used for kindergartens. The criteria described made it possible to identify a list of beneficiary municipalities and to quantify the amount due based on the minimum number of places to be activated. The 14 metropolitan cities, in consideration of the territorial extension of these areas, will all have a share of resources available to activate and strengthen nursery schools, regardless of the level of service coverage already achieved for the 0-2 year age group . To authorize the interventions, an accession procedure will be started for the Municipalities included in the list. In any case, municipalities smaller than those identified, and with a smaller resident population in the 0-2 year age group, will also be able to apply, joining with neighboring municipalities through an agreement, in order to guarantee more effective and sustainable joint management of the service.