The Minister of Educational Development and Vocational Training, María del Carmen Castillo, has reported that the number of private centers affiliated with the Family Assistance Program of the Andalusian Government has increased by 24% in the last six years, that is, 293 more, reaching a total of 1,483. In total, for the upcoming 2025/26 school year, there will be a total of 2,204 centers that make up the network of early childhood centers in Andalusia, including public schools.
The success of the Andalusian model of public-private collaboration, «a reference in Spain, is not a coincidence, since the Andalusian Government has been promoting enrollment and the quality of educational services in this stage since 2019 with a 15% increase in investment per student,» emphasized the Minister.
Castillo has defended in Parliament the new Decree that regulates the operation of centers that provide the first cycle of Early Childhood Education in Andalusia and includes free services for all two-year-old children in socio-educational care, both in government nurseries and in centers affiliated with the family assistance program.
In this way, next year, there will be more than 64,000 potential beneficiaries, all two-year-old children in Andalusia. This measure, Castillo emphasized, is a «commitment made» by the Andalusian Government to Andalusian families and represents a real advance in rights and opportunities,» and added that «we take this step forward hand in hand with the early childhood education sector and with regulations that respect the Andalusian model and the indivisibility of the cycle.»
In her intervention, the Minister explained that the two-year-old age group is where most children are enrolled in this stage, with an approximate enrollment rate of 72% this school year. This advancement in free services involves an investment of 40 million euros, an economic effort fully assumed by the Government, in addition to the 250 million allocated in family assistance for children enrolled in the first cycle of Early Childhood Education this school year, totaling 290 million in investment.
The Decree establishes the path to continue progressing towards complete free services for the entire first cycle, so that within a year, a plan will be outlined to address free services for the 0 and 1-year-old age groups, with a maximum timeframe of six years. This means that the 2025-26 school year will be one where two models coexist: the zero and one-year-old group, which will maintain current conditions, and the two-year-old age group, with free education for all in socio-educational services.
In this regard, the Minister pointed out that it will be «a key school year» to evaluate the operation of the new measures and make necessary adjustments. The Minister detailed the main features of the new model, which aligns with the approach taken by most autonomous communities that have already implemented it.
As a novelty, a model with three services has been designed for two-year-old students, with the main service, socio-educational care, completely free for all families, and a subsidized dining service based on income. Both will form a continuous schedule from 9:00 to 15:30, with morning care from 7:30 to 9:00 and afternoon care from 15:30 to 17:00. Both services offer discounts to families with fewer resources based on income levels.
