The Ministry of Education and Merit has announced an important news for the future of nursery schools in Italy: a fund of 40.8 million eurosthe result of the savings established in the Nursery Plan, will be reassigned to 64 new projects.
This funding comes from unused resources due to waivers and defunding and will allow us to expand the offer of facilities dedicated to early childhood, with particular attention to the municipalities of Southern Italy.
What are the details of this reassignment? How will the resources be distributed and what are the expected timescales for starting the works?
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A new impulse from the Nursery Plan: 40.8 million for 64 projects
With the Ministerial Decree of 4 November 2024, the Ministry ascertained the presence of unused funds in the Nursery Plan, which will be redistributed to finance further 64 projects.
This intervention was created to follow up on the ranking established last May, scrolling downwards and thus allowing new municipalities to access the funds necessary for the construction of nursery schools.
55% of these resources are destined for the regions of Southern Italy, a targeted choice to strengthen the educational infrastructure in the areas that most need support for early childhood.
Local authorities benefiting from these funds are now obliged to award the works by 28 February 2025, to respect the deadlines.
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The nursery school plan and the PNRR funds
The new nursery school plan was conceived as part of the revision of the objectives of the PNRR, with a total allocation of 734.9 million euros. This program, open to 1868 municipalities and 14 metropolitan capitals, was launched on May 15, 2024, with the aim of encouraging and supporting the opening of new childcare facilities.
The projects presented by the various local authorities were placed in a ranking, where only those positioned above the initial “red line” were immediately eligible for financing.
However, to obtain the resources, these municipalities also had to confirm their willingness to join the procedure, thus avoiding waste of resources.
Thanks to the recent November decree, the Ministry was able to allocate the verified savings to further scroll the ranking, thus allowing 64 projects, previously excluded, to obtain the necessary financing.
The reallocation of funds represents a second opportunity for municipalities that had presented valid projects but were unable to immediately access the available funds.
This measure aims to optimize the use of resources and promote the opening of new nursery schools, responding to the growing need for early childhood infrastructure in Italy.
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Focus on the South: over half of the funds for the Southern regions
One of the main features of the November Ministerial Decree is the targeted distribution of funds: 55% of the resources will be allocated to the Southern regions.
This decision is in line with the objective of bridging the infrastructural gap between Northern and Southern Italy, offering a more widespread network of nursery schools in areas that are often most lacking in terms of childcare services.
The attention to the South is not accidental: encouraging the creation of nursery schools in these areas means supporting families, creating jobs and promoting greater social inclusion, facilitating access to educational and family support services.
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Timing and requirements: constraints for beneficiary bodies
The local authorities benefiting from these funds, thanks to the expansion of the ranking, are required to award the works by February 28, 2025. This deadline, established by the Decree, imposes a clear deadline which aims to guarantee the effectiveness of the intervention and respect the times established by the PNRR.
For municipalities, respecting deadlines is crucial: any delays could lead to the risk of losing funding, slowing down the actual implementation of projects.
The Ministry, therefore, constantly monitors the progress of the procedures, offering support and guidelines to ensure correct management of the funds and compliance with deadlines.
