Grant Competition for Opening Nurseries in Ukrainian Communities

The Grant Competition supports residents of selected Ukrainian regions who want to establish nurseries for children aged three months to three years, including family-type nurseries. Up to five participants may receive up to US$10,000 each, along with entrepreneurship training, business planning assistance, mentoring, and expert support to help create safe, accessible, and developmentally supportive childcare services.

What Is the Grant Competition?

The Grant Competition is designed to expand access to early childhood education, childcare, and nursery services for children aged three months to three years in selected communities across Ukraine.

The initiative encourages residents to establish safe and inclusive nurseries, including family-type nurseries, that can serve families with different financial capacities.

In addition to financial assistance, the programme provides practical training and mentoring to help participants develop sustainable childcare businesses and services.

What Does the Programme Support?

The programme supports the creation and launch of nurseries that provide care and early development opportunities for young children.

Supported activities include:

• Establishing new nurseries for children aged 3 months to 3 years.
• Creating family-type nurseries.
• Preparing safe and child-friendly childcare environments.
• Developing early childhood care and development services.
• Creating sustainable nursery business models.
• Improving accessibility for families with different financial circumstances.
• Developing services that provide emotional comfort and age-appropriate development.

The initiative also aims to document successful experiences and use the lessons learned to expand similar nursery models to other Ukrainian communities.

Grant Amount

Up to five of the most motivated participants will receive financial support of up to US$10,000 each.

The grants will be provided in the hryvnia equivalent.

Funding is intended to help successful participants establish and launch their nursery services in their communities.

Additional Support for Participants

The programme provides more than financial assistance.

Selected participants will receive:

• In-person entrepreneurship training.
• Training on establishing childcare and early development services.
• Assistance with developing a nursery business plan.
• Mentorship from experts.
• Ongoing professional support.
• Guidance on sustainable service development.
• Opportunities to share experience and contribute to the future scaling of the initiative.

This combination of funding, training, and mentoring is intended to help participants establish childcare services that can continue operating beyond the initial grant period.

Who Is Eligible?

The competition is open to residents of the following Ukrainian regions:

• Dnipropetrovsk
• Zaporizhzhia
• Mykolaiv
• Odesa
• Kharkiv
• Sumy
• Chernihiv

Applicants should be involved in or have an interest in the care and development of children aged three months to three years and intend to establish a nursery in their community.

Applicant Requirements

Applicants must:

• Live in one of the seven eligible Ukrainian regions.
• Be prepared to establish a nursery for children aged 3 months to 3 years.
• Be willing to work directly with children in this age group.
• Demonstrate commitment to children’s care and early development.
• Be prepared to create a safe and emotionally supportive environment.
• Provide opportunities that support children’s development.
• Aim to make childcare services accessible to families with different financial capacities.
• Be willing to participate in the programme’s training and mentoring activities.

What Makes a Strong Nursery Proposal?

A strong proposal should demonstrate a clear understanding of the needs of young children and their families.

Applicants should consider:

• Safety: How will children be protected and cared for?
• Emotional wellbeing: How will the nursery provide a secure and comfortable environment?
• Early development: What activities will support children’s cognitive, emotional, physical, and social development?
• Accessibility: How will families with different financial capacities access the service?
• Sustainability: How will the nursery continue operating after the initial funding?
• Community need: Why is the service needed in the applicant’s community?
• Business planning: How will staffing, costs, services, and daily operations be managed?

How the Grant Competition Works

The programme combines training, business planning, mentoring, and financial support.

Step 1: Submit an Application

Eligible residents should submit an application describing their background, interest in childcare, and plans to establish a nursery.

Step 2: Participate in Training

Selected participants will receive in-person training covering entrepreneurship and the development of childcare and early childhood services.

Step 3: Develop a Business Plan

Participants will receive assistance in preparing a business plan explaining how the nursery will be established, operated, and sustained.

Step 4: Receive Mentorship and Expert Support

Participants will have access to mentors and experts who can help refine their nursery concept and address practical challenges.

Step 5: Selection of Finalists

The most motivated and promising participants will be selected to receive financial support.

Step 6: Establish the Nursery

Up to five selected participants can receive up to US$10,000 in hryvnia equivalent to help open their nurseries.

Step 7: Share Experience

The experiences and lessons from successful participants will help inform the potential expansion of the nursery model to other Ukrainian communities.

Why It Matters

Access to quality childcare is particularly important for families with young children, especially where communities face shortages of early childhood services.

By supporting nurseries for children from three months to three years, the programme can help:

• Expand local childcare availability.
• Support children’s early development.
• Help parents access childcare services.
• Create new community-based services.
• Encourage entrepreneurship.
• Strengthen local early childhood support systems.
• Develop models that can potentially be replicated in other communities.

The emphasis on safe, emotionally supportive, developmentally appropriate, and affordable childcare makes the initiative relevant to both children and their families.

Tips for Applicants

Applicants can strengthen their proposals by:

• Clearly explaining why a nursery is needed in their community.
• Describing their experience with young children.
• Presenting a realistic nursery concept.
• Showing how children will be kept safe.
• Explaining planned developmental and educational activities.
• Demonstrating how services can remain accessible to families with different incomes.
• Preparing a practical business and sustainability plan.
• Clearly explaining how the grant would be used.
• Demonstrating commitment to participating in training and mentoring.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Applicants should avoid:

• Providing an unclear or unrealistic nursery concept.
• Failing to explain the local need for childcare.
• Ignoring child safety and emotional wellbeing.
• Focusing only on financial requirements without explaining expected benefits for children.
• Providing an unrealistic business model.
• Failing to consider families with different financial capacities.
• Underestimating the operational requirements of running a nursery.
• Treating the grant as short-term financial assistance without explaining long-term sustainability.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can apply for the nursery grant?

Residents of Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions of Ukraine can apply if they intend to establish a nursery for children aged three months to three years.

How much funding is available?

Up to five selected participants may receive up to US$10,000 each, provided in the hryvnia equivalent.

What age group must the nursery serve?

The nursery must provide services for children aged three months to three years.

Can applicants establish a family-type nursery?

Yes. The competition specifically supports the creation of family-type nurseries as well as other appropriate nursery models.

What support is provided besides the grant?

Participants can receive in-person entrepreneurship training, childcare-service training, business-plan development assistance, mentoring, and expert support.

What type of environment should applicants create?

Nurseries should provide a safe, emotionally comfortable, accessible, and developmentally supportive environment for young children.

Will the programme support services for families with different incomes?

Yes. Applicants are expected to strive to make their childcare services accessible to families with different financial capacities.

Conclusion

The Grant Competition offers an opportunity for residents of seven Ukrainian regions to establish nurseries and family-type childcare services for children aged three months to three years. With grants of up to US$10,000 for up to five finalists, combined with entrepreneurship training, business planning, mentoring, and expert support, the programme is designed to help participants create sustainable local childcare services.

Applicants should focus on demonstrating community need, child safety, early development, accessibility, and long-term sustainability. The initiative can help expand childcare options for Ukrainian families while creating practical models that may be replicated in other communities.