Mykolaiv Secured 60 Million to Ensure Kindergartens Don't Run Out of Food

<span><span><span><span><span><span>During its meeting on July 8, the Mykolaiv Executive Committee approved a draft resolution to allocate 60 million hryvnias from the contingency reserve to fund meals for children in preschool institutions and educational complexes. </span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>This was reported by the Mykolaiv City Council.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>According to preliminary estimates, the allocated funds will be sufficient to provide meals for children until the end of October, provided that the number of students and children from eligible groups does not increase.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>The funds will be temporarily allocated from a fund established to ensure that the municipal enterprises “Mykolaivvodokanal” and “Mykolaivelektrotrans” meet their loan obligations. Once funding for meals has stabilized, these funds are scheduled to be returned to the reserve.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>The draft resolution has yet to be considered at a city council session.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span> Anna Lychko, head of the Department of Education, explained that the problem arose due to the specifics of state funding. The city cannot use the state subsidy to provide meals for kindergarten children, as it is intended solely to cover school lunches.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>According to Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych, city authorities have twice appealed to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, requesting that funding be allocated for meals for children in kindergartens. However, current legislation does not allow the received subsidy to be directed toward the needs of preschool education.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>In the Mykolaiv region, the number of preschools and the children attending them continues to decline. Over the past three years, the region has lost more than three dozen kindergartens, and the number of enrolled children has decreased by nearly 3,500. As of the end of 2025, there were an average of 45 children per preschool institution. At the same time, for every 100 spots in kindergartens, there were actually only 62 children.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

Юлія Калабайда