Families with young children will receive support for kindergarten fees and meals

The government of Cyprus has approved the allocation of €73 million under the "ΘΑλΕΙΑ 2021-2027" program to subsidize tuition and meals for children up to four years old. The funding is shared: part comes from the European Union budget, and part from the Cypriot state budget.

In the 2025-2026 academic year, approximately 21,000 children under the age of four will be able to receive support through this initiative. The main implementing body is the Social Welfare Management Service (ΥΔΕΠ) under the Deputy Ministry of Social Protection.

Of the total €73 million, €43.8 million will be financed from European funds, with the remainder from the state budget. The main goal of the program is to support families with young children, ensure equal access to early childhood education and care, and reduce the risk of child poverty and social exclusion.

Who can apply for support:

• Families receiving child allowance with a child under four years old as of 31 August 2025;
• Provided the child is registered or has a guaranteed place in a kindergarten or nursery participating in the program.

Payments are made not directly to families but to educational and preschool institutions to ensure the funds are used for tuition and meals.

The amount of support depends on family income, household composition, and the age of the child. For children under two years old, up to €350 per month; for children over two, up to €250 per month. An additional €50 per month is provided for children attending afternoon educational programs.

Application procedure:

Applications can be submitted from 1 September 2025 online via the ΥΔΕΠ platform on the government portal Gov.cy, after registering the child in a participating institution.

The list of kindergartens and nurseries included in the program will be published on the ΥΔΕΠ website.

Payments are assigned from the month the application is submitted and do not cover previous periods. Support is provided until the end of the academic year in which the child turns four.

The application process is fully digital, increasing transparency and speeding up data processing.

A ΥΔΕΠ representative noted that this program is "a key tool for supporting families with young children, promotes equality in education, and brings Cyprus closer to modern European social protection standards."

The initiative has been implemented since September 2022, with €47.5 million already allocated to date.