In recent years, the number of children attending nurseries or private kindergartens has increased from approximately 16,000 (in 2013) to 36,000 (in 2021), according to website clubulcopiilor.ro, which ranked the cities of the country with the most expensive nurseries and private kindergartens. According to the analysis, Cluj-Napoca and Bucharest have the highest prices, while Arad and Giurgiu have the lowest.

Children accompanied by their parents to schoolPhoto: Inquam Photos – Virgil Simionescu

While the number of children attending private kindergartens and nurseries has increased in recent years, the number attending public schools has decreased from around 568,000 in 2013 to 481,000 in 2021.

  • “Some parents choose private preschool education because of the flexibility of extended hours, shorter vacations, and because of the facilities and educational program offered, sometimes better than in the public system.
  • But more and more parents are forced to choose a private pre-school or preschool education system for their children, because they are faced with a lack of available places in public nurseries and kindergartens. This is more important in the country’s big cities, or in their sleepy settlements, where finding a place in a kindergarten, and especially in a state nursery, is sometimes almost impossible,” the authors of the rating say.

The rating was compiled after analyzing the cost of 150 private kindergartens and nurseries in the country.

Top 10 cities with the highest average monthly cost of kindergarten

Source: clubulcopiilor.ro

The costs include both the monthly fee and the cost of food, which is charged separately in most cases, according to the source cited above. The most expensive nurseries/kindergartens in Bucharest.

Source: clubulcopiilor.ro

Top 10 cities with the lowest average monthly costs for kindergartens

Source: clubulcopiilor.ro

At the national level, 1,600 lei is the average monthly fee per child for pre-school and pre-school education. The fee also includes daily meals, which are usually paid separately, but do not include other costs – for example, electives offered by some kindergartens, the authors of the rating also note.