The Government Council has approved the new decree regulating the operation of centers that provide the first cycle of Early Childhood Education in Andalusia. This decree includes a change in the model with the aim of moving towards free education for children aged 0-3. Starting from the upcoming school year 2025-2026, the Ministry of Educational Development and Vocational Training will offer the socio-educational support service for 2-year-old children for free, both in the Junta de Andalucía’s Nursery Schools and in centers participating in the family support program. This means that in the next school year, more than 64,000 children could benefit from this initiative, based on the census data of two-year-old children in Andalusia. The Junta de Andalucía has budgeted 40 million euros for this investment.
This move towards free Early Childhood Education is one of the measures taken by the Andalusian government to promote work-life balance, especially for middle-class, working families, and disadvantaged families. In this regard, the 2-year-old age group has the highest enrollment rate, with approximately 72% of children enrolled in this stage during the peak estimated enrollment for this school year.
The decree, developed in consultation with the sector, sets out the path to achieving complete free education for the entire first cycle. Within a year, a plan will be devised to address the issue of free education for 0 and 1-year-olds, with a maximum timeframe of six years. The objective is to continue increasing the enrollment rate while maintaining the Andalusian model and the indivisibility of the 0-3 age group.
The 2025-2026 school year will see the coexistence of two models: one for 0 and 1-year-olds, which will remain unchanged with its services and discounts, and a complete free education model that already covers 50% of families based on income. The 2-year-old age group will benefit from free education in the socio-educational service, reaching a larger number of families, especially those facing poverty and social exclusion. This initiative is one of the key measures aimed at Andalusian families in terms of work-life balance and support for childbirth, benefiting thousands of working middle-class families and enhancing protection for the most vulnerable, who remain a priority.
The new regulation, replacing Decree 149/2009 of May 12, reflects an update of the principles and objectives governing these types of education, essential for the educational development of children in the 0-3 age group. It also maintains the unique Andalusian educational model, based on public-private collaboration with a sector that provides socio-educational services, in conjunction with Junta de Andalucía-owned nursery schools.
A student from the first cycle of Early Childhood Education after completing a plastic activity.
As a novelty, a model with three services has been designed for 2-year-old students, with the main service, Socio-educational Support, running from 9:00 to 15:30, completely free for all families, and a subsidized lunch service based on income.
Additionally, the morning classroom will operate from 7:30 to 9:00 and the afternoon classroom from 15:30 to 17:00, both with discounts. These services will contribute to the care and well-being of students, offering pedagogical, entertaining, recreational, and welfare-oriented activities. Both classrooms can accommodate children from different courses in the center, with a maximum of 15 students per group.
To ensure maximum compatibility between work and family life, both nursery schools and Early Childhood Education centers will provide services from Monday to Friday on all non-holiday days of the year, except for August, operating from 7:30 to 17:00 uninterruptedly. Students can spend a maximum of eight hours in the centers. The regular school year will start on the third business day of September and end on the penultimate business day of July each year.
Regarding the authorization for opening and operating an Early Childhood Education center, as well as expanding the number of units or school positions authorized, it will take effect from the day following the notification. This streamlining of procedures by the Ministry of Educational Development and Vocational Training benefits this sector, which generates over 15,000 jobs, primarily employing women.
