How to open a private kindergarten?

Currently, there is a large shortage of kindergartens in Ukraine. This negative trend began back in the 90s, when public kindergartens began to close en masse due to underfunding. And now for the child's parents, finding the appropriate institution is "a whole quest." But as they say, "demand creates supply", that's why a large number of private kindergartens have appeared in the last few years. Therefore, in this article, we will talk about the main points that you should pay attention to if you plan to start such a business.

Register a legal entity or sole proprietorship . For registration, you need to choose KVED 85.10 and 88.91. A natural person can establish a private kindergarten, but must meet the requirements set for managers of such institutions. If this is not your case, you can always register a legal entity and hire a manager who meets the requirements specified in Part 2 of Art. 31 of the Law of Ukraine "On Preschool Education" . These requirements include:

• fluency in the Ukrainian language;
• availability of higher education (for private kindergartens, education does not necessarily have to be pedagogical);
• appropriate state of health (including mental health, which allows working with children).

Ukrainian citizenship is a mandatory requirement. Thus, any entrepreneur who is a citizen of Ukraine, has a higher education and meets the specified criteria can open a private kindergarten.

Obtaining a license . According to Part 3 of Art. 11 of the Law "On Preschool Education", a preschool education institution carries out its activities with a license for the right to conduct educational activities in the field of preschool education, issued in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Ukraine. To obtain a license, it is necessary to apply to the local state administration, where the structural subdivisions of the Ministry of Education and Culture are usually located.

The premises must comply with building and sanitary standards and state building standards . If you are considering the possibility of purchasing a room or planning to build it yourself, be sure to consult with specialists about the area, equipment and layout of the room and rooms. This will help to avoid surprises during license processing or future inspections. Currently, the availability of a bomb shelter is a particularly urgent issue. Although the license conditions do not require the presence of a bomb shelter, its absence will not affect the obtaining of a license. However, after obtaining a license, during the educational process, the responsibility for the safety of children, including the availability of shelter, rests with the staff of the institution, especially the head. If there is no shelter in your premises, you can enter into an agreement with the owners of the building where it is, the main thing is that it is within walking distance.

Staff . Kindergarten must be staffed by teaching staff, it can be people with higher teaching education or those who have the qualification of a teacher. In addition, if the kindergarten specializes in a certain area (for example, the study of foreign languages), teachers from these areas can work on a contractual basis with a certain frequency. Also, the staff of the kindergarten must include at least one medical worker. For his employment, it will be necessary to additionally obtain a medical license.

Contractual activity . Before the very start, be sure to prepare a draft contract for child care, which will specify all the necessary areas of regulation: educational program, work schedule, payment, transfer of the child, responsibility of the parties, force majeure or use our ready-made template of the contract for the provision of services child care , which is suitable for FOP and legal entities.

As you can see, the process of opening a kindergarten is not an easy one, so calculate all the moments and make a step-by-step action plan. Be sure to ask for advice or hire a lawyer for the project who will help with registration of the business entity, obtaining a license, choosing a taxation system and preparing other necessary documents . We wish you success and remember that, in addition to profit, such a business has a great social function, because good upbringing of children is a strategy for the development of all civilized countries.