From January 2023, the so-called university preschool located on the university's premises, at 66 Polanki Street, and run by the Positive Initiatives Foundation, will become public. This means the abolition of tuition fees, which until now have amounted to 600 PLN/month. The facility will continue to be small - the number of places will not change and 30 children will be admitted to the kindergarten.

The University Kindergarten started on September 1, 2019, as a non-public educational institution dedicated primarily to the children of employees, doctoral students and students of the University of Gdańsk. From September 1, 2022, Positive Initiatives is the institution's running body. In line with the promise made during the election campaign by the Rector, prof. Piotr Stepnowski, the kindergarten will become public in 2023. 

- 'As early as April, we announced that the change of the running body entailed a promise of efforts to be made by the foundation to make it public. We are pleased that this commitment has been fulfilled and, together with the preschool's university character, i.e. high, proven childcare standards, it will be able to be attended by preschoolers regardless of whether their parents can or cannot afford to pay the tuition fees,' - says prof. dr hab. Piotr Stepnowski, Rector of the University of Gdańsk. 

- 'The University of Gdańsk, as an institution, strives to make the offer, in this case concerning the preschool, available to everyone regardless of their wallet. Given the need to ensure appropriate pedagogical and organisational supervision, the University decided to delegate the powers of the leading body to the Positive Initiatives Foundation, with which it carries out several ambitious pedagogical projects and educational undertakings,' - says dr hab. Arnold Kłonczyński, prof. UG, Vice-Rector for Students and Quality of Education. 

Parents of children attending the kindergarten will only have to reckon with the cost of food and a fee for using the kindergarten education beyond the established free teaching and care time.

- 'Positive Initiatives runs all its educational facilities in Gdańsk as public establishments. Therefore, from September 2023, parents of the preschool at ul. Polanki 66 will have to pay the same fees as in any other public facility run by the City, i.e. a fee for meals plus a fee of PLN 1 for the time exceeding 5 hours of daily care for a child,' - says dr Piotr Szeląg, Vice-President of the Management Board of the Positive Initiatives Foundation.

The educational offer will not change, and in the educational and didactic work here elements of the Reggio Emilia pedagogical concept will be applied, according to which the teacher's task is above all to accompany the child in the process of independent learning and searching for new solutions.

Recruitment to the preschool will take place in the spring. We will provide more information about the dates just before it starts.