In her correspondence, a reader draws attention to the problem of places at the kindergarten in Nowogrodziec:

For several years, getting a child into the Public Kindergarten in Nowogrodziec has been a problem because of the lack of places. This year, an alarmingly large number of children were not admitted: 37 children (30 at the Public Kindergarten in Nowogrodziec and 7 at the branch in Zebrzydowa). Every year, parents go to the Commune and the Mayor and ask for a new kindergarten group to be created. This year, we also went to the Mayor as parents of children who had not been admitted. (...)

We also met with the Chair of the Councillors, and after speaking with him the situation became clear enough for us to know that the Councillors support opening a group every year, and every year they manage to do so, but finding a place and a room is becoming increasingly difficult. It should not be this way—that parents have to go, write letters and plead for their children to be admitted to kindergarten, when it is the Commune’s (the Mayor’s) duty to ensure the possibility of preschool education for all children aged 3 to 7 living in its area. In our conversation with the Mayor, we learned that the library in Zebrzydowa had been closed in order to expand the kindergarten. However, the number of children not admitted shows where the greater demand is. As local parents, it is neither convenient nor practical for us to take our children to Zebrzydowa when we have a kindergarten nearby. Not every parent is able to transport their child either. And, as we understand it, this kindergarten will not be expanded during the current school year. We parents are surprised that the Mayor is not addressing a situation that has been recurring for several years.

Almost everyone is familiar with the kindergarten admissions process. Parents who both work receive the highest number of points. When only one parent works, they receive 50 points, which automatically rules the child out of admission to kindergarten. It is clear that not every parent can return to work because of the lack of childcare; many of us can return to work only if our child attends kindergarten. Among the children not admitted are also five-year-olds, which to me is already absurd. My daughter will turn four in August, and I was supposed to return to work in September, but in this situation I do not see that happening.

We ask for help and for this situation, which has been recurring in Nowogrodziec for several years, to be publicized.

In this matter, we sent an inquiry to the Mayor of Nowogrodziec, Robert Relich. Below is part of the response we received:

For the 2019/2020 school year, 13 classes and 308 places were planned at the Kindergarten. Taking into account the list of children not admitted to the institution provided by the Director—34 children—a decision was made to organize another, fifth class in the building of the primary school in Nowogrodziec. The number of places would increase by 25, from 308 to 333 (14 classes). (...) During recruitment for the 2020/2021 school year, the number of applications submitted by parents once again exceeded the number of places. Therefore, once again Robert Relich, Mayor of Nowogrodziec, found a solution and decided to create another 25-place kindergarten class located in the building of the Primary School named after Bolesław Chrobry in Nowogrodziec. Consequently, from the 2020/2021 school year, the Kindergarten has 15 classes (358 places), including:

  • Kindergarten building at 46 Kolejowa Street – 150 places,
  • building of the Primary School named after Bolesław Chrobry in Nowogrodziec – 150 places
  • Branch in Zebrzydowa – 58 places.

The number of places will be maintained in the 2021/2022 school year.

In its response to us, the Mayor did not address the issue of the 37 children who, according to the reader, were not admitted to kindergarten this year.