Ukraine Abolishes One-Size-Fits-All Design for New Kindergartens

Overhaul of State Building Standards for Preschools

According to Міністерство інфраструктури: Ukraine's Ministry of Development has updated state building regulations for kindergartens and preschools. The most significant shift is the elimination of a single, mandatory design template for all facilities. From now on, architectural and other planning decisions will be tailored to each institution's specific needs. The revised State Building Standards (DBN) introduce greater flexibility in building layouts, allowing spaces to be adapted based on the number of children enrolled.

Instead of fixed area requirements, the floor space for nurseries and kindergartens will now be determined by the actual capacity of children the facility can accommodate. Requirements have been significantly simplified for small preschools serving up to 40 children. Similar streamlined rules apply to specialized kindergartens designed for 24 children. These new standards will primarily apply to newly constructed buildings.

Special Provisions in the Updated Rules

The document also addresses specific challenges related to the reconstruction and major renovation of existing kindergarten buildings. The new state building regulations were developed by an interagency working group that included representatives from:

• The Ministry of Education and Science
• The Ministry of Health
• The Ministry of Internal Affairs
• The State Emergency Service
• A subcommittee of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament)
• Experts and representatives from the World Bank Ukraine

'We are fundamentally changing our approach to designing preschool education facilities. At the core of the new standards is the child and their needs. We are moving away from rigid constraints and creating conditions where each children's institution can be designed with different formats in mind. This provides more freedom while maintaining high requirements for safety, accessibility, and the quality of the educational environment. This is what a modern kindergarten should be.' - Nataliia Kozlovska, Deputy Minister

Updating the state building standards for kindergartens represents a crucial step toward improving conditions for children's development. By shifting the design philosophy to accommodate each institution's unique needs, the quality of education and child safety are expected to improve. The implementation of these new norms also reflects the government's commitment to modernizing educational infrastructure to meet contemporary demands and challenges.

In light of these new regulations, it is worth noting how similar initiatives are being implemented across the country. For example, a recent project in Truskavets has secured €17 million in EU funding for significant energy upgrades to a local kindergarten. This investment not only enhances the facility's infrastructure but also aligns with the updated standards of flexibility and adaptability for educational spaces. To learn more about this important development, visit the energy upgrade project in Truskavets.