A child can attend kindergarten after turning 2 years old up to and including on December 31 of that same year.

There are two types of kindergartens in Armenia: public and private.

Public kindergartens are free of charge and operate five days a week: Monday to Friday.

Private kindergartens require a set monthly fee, which may include transportation (to and from home), meals, extracurricular activities, alternative teaching methods, and extended hours, operating on a six-day schedule (Monday to Saturday).

When choosing a kindergarten, it's important to consider several factors:

• Distance from home
• Class size
• Qualifications of the educators
• Sanitary and hygienic conditions
• Quality of meals
• Variety and methodology of educational programs

Most kindergartens operate Monday to Friday, from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM. Some kindergartens offer extended hours until 6:30 PM.

In kindergarten, children develop:

• Communication skills
• Basic knowledge of numbers and letters
• Drawing and fine motor skills
• Music and dance
• Awareness of the surrounding environment
• Hygiene rules
• Social behavior and etiquette norms

In addition to education, care, and teaching services, children may also receive services from a psychologist or speech therapist, if needed.

Priority is given to:

• Children whose parents are servicemembers, have a first- or second-degree disability, or have three or more children,
• Children with special educational needs,
• Children who have a sibling already attending the same kindergarten,
• Children of staff members at the kindergarten.

An application may be rejected if:

• The information provided by the parent is incomplete or inaccurate,
• The parent submits a written refusal to remain on the waiting list,
• After the spot becomes available, the parent cannot be reached within 3 working days via the provided contact details (phone number and email). The system, by the way, retains the contact information for at least one year.

You may also need to provide:

• A 3x4 cm photo of the child,
• An extract from the child’s outpatient medical record,
• A certificate confirming special educational needs (if applicable).

A child may lose their place if they are absent for at least 75 working days during the school year.

Groups are organized by age as follows:

• Ages 2-3: up to 20 children
• Ages 3-4: up to 30 children
• Ages 4-5: up to 30 children
• Ages 5-6: up to 30 children

Attention

The number of children with special educational needs in a group must not exceed 10% of the total group size.