Starting a private kindergarten in Poland

dangelo	Jan 11, 11, 17:41 #31
Olaf: where do you plan to do it, which city? Either Wroclaw or Lodz, as Kasia has family in both cities.

♂

Edited by: Olaf Jan 14, 11, 15:09 #32

Varsovian:

state kindergartens are not free!!

Not entirely free, but you bay only a fraction of the cost. For example 300 - 400 PLN whereas in a non-public or private ones the price can be 650 - 1100 PLN.

dangelo:

Wroclaw or Lodz

I don't know those towns very well so I won't be able to help locally. But if you need some general information that applies everywhere and concerns childcare - I've pretty much learned it some time ago.

♀

Jan 14, 11, 17:01 #33

In my experience as a parent, I have not seen any private daycare centers in Wrocław that can even compare to my kids' public daycare - and that is without even considering the fees.

Our public daycare center has spacious classrooms fully equipped with desks, toys, books, full WC facilities per room. The playground is extraordinarily well-equipped and has a WC with direct access from the playground. The center also has an auditorium/gym where the kids give performances and enjoy other activities. Every group has 2 teachers and the "little" kids have 2 teachers and a helper. Children attend gymnastic exercise courses and have speech therapy. Catechism is available to those parents who wish to send their children as well.

Our public daycare costs us (with extra fees for the parents group and extra sports) about 400 zl a month per child including cooked meals. If your child is out for the day for whatever reason, you do not pay. The private centers cost at least 800 (up to 1500) plus meals and does not have the facilities of the public.

So where does that leave the private centers? - bursting at the seams. I was afraid that my child would not have enough "points" to get into the public center so that is why I checked into the private centers. They are full of all the overflow kids who didn't get into the public center or who live too far. I have found that private centers are plan B for many parents, not plan A even for those parents who can afford private centers. Judging by the cars in the parking lot, I would say that plenty of parents at our public daycare could afford a private center but the public is just plain better.

So I guess the moral of my story is to either locate yourself in a place where you can catch all the overflow kids and/or make your center so outstanding that it will become a desirable plan A for the parents.

Good luck!

dangelo

Jan 17, 11, 21:12 #34

Olaf:

But if you need some general information that applies everywhere and concerns childcare - I've pretty much learned it some time ago.

Any general information is gratefully received.
I am trying to research into Lodz and Wroclaw at the moment and find I can get some information from City Hall.
What I a would like to get a handle on is the regulations for the building where the Nursery will be located.ie Building, Fire, Health and safety etc. If you can help with this I would be very grateful.

dangelo

dangelo

Jan 17, 11, 21:24 #35

Chris
This is extremely useful information. I guess the old adage of Location, location, location is even more important when it comes to kindergartens. I shall try and find the areas ( in Wroclaw) where there is likely to be a shortage of public places for children. If you have any ideas, please drop me a line. I suppose it is only natural that parents will opt first for the state nursery as it is heavily subsidised. The problem, from what I understand, is that the state places seem to be fairly limited, which is creating the demand for a good alternative.
I hope that Kasia and I will be able to provide care for about 25-30 children.

WroclawThreads: 77 Posts: 7,404 Joined: Apr 1, 06 ♂ [Moderator]	Jan 17, 11, 21:44 #36
dangelo: I guess the old adage of Location, location, location is even more important when it comes to kindergartens u might want to look at the more wealthy districts one or two miles/kms from the town centre. that would be the south part of town with regard to wroclaw.

OlafThreads: 8 Posts: 1,369 Joined: Oct 29, 09 ♂	Jan 18, 11, 09:46 #37
dangelo: Building, Fire, Health and safety etc. If you can help with this I would be very grateful. Ok, but that is a lot of information to give, let me just find some time to write this all. Best would be if we could meet actually.

dangelo	Jan 19, 11, 22:40 #38
Thanks Wroclaw. We are planning to visit next month and will head to this area first.

♂ [Suspended]

Edited by: delphiandomine Jan 19, 11, 23:20 #39

Bear in mind something - the birth rate is very low in Poland among the people who are likely to be able to afford a private kindergarten. Those who actually are rich enough to afford it are also able to slip a bribe or two to get a place for their children - or be well connected enough to make a bribe pointless.

On the other hand, the birth rate among those who cannot afford private kindergartens is higher.

Out of interest, how much do you want to invest in this? My feeling is that you'll be looking at around 15,000 pounds minimum - and that's assuming that you can use an existing location that's already suitable for children.

♀

Jan 20, 11, 20:42 #40

But also keep in mind the point I made about private vs public (in Wroclaw). We are one of those foreign families with bi-lingual children that usually flock to private daycare centers. Additionally, we can afford a private daycare center. However, we chose a public daycare center because it is nicer than any private center we visited (in Wroclaw). And I don't mean it is a little bit better. It is so much better that the choice was simple. Luckily we "got in". Bribes (as mentioned above) were not needed in our case ;)

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