Public kindergarten in Greece is free, and all 4 and 5-year-olds, including children of refugees and asylum-seekers, are required to enrol.
Find more info on registration and the documents you need in this article.
Is my child guaranteed a place?
While you must enrol, it's possible your child will not get a place if the number of enrolled children is high in a kindergarten school. This happens mainly in certain densely populated urban areas, where places in public kindergartens are very limited. Greek families also struggle to find places in kindergartens. However, in these cases, the school principal will try to find a place in another kindergarten, close to this area.
What if I miss the deadline?
You can still enrol your children. But the Ministry of Education warns that you should enrol your children during registration to give them the best chance of getting a place.
What if I’m waiting for Family Reunification?
Your child should enrol even if you are waiting for Family Reunification in another country. Enrolling won’t affect if and when you can leave Greece.
Will my child get a certificate at the end of the year?
Yes, your child will get a certificate of attendance.
Having the certificate will make it easier to enrol your child in primary school when he/she turns 6-years-old.
Will my child attend a special reception class?
There won’t be any special reception classes — your child will attend regular classes alongside Greek children.
My child was born in 2016. Can she enrol in kindergarten?
This year, all kindergartens in Greece are accepting 4-year-olds. Children born in 2016 will attend kindergarten for 2 years before they join primary school.
Who can help you enrol
If you live in an urban accommodation hosted by an NGO, ask a social worker or another NGO worker for help. They will contact the nearest kindergarten, or a Refugee Education Coordinator, who will help you enrol.
If you live in a camp, contact the Ministry of Education's Refugee Education Coordinator in the camp for help.
If you are living in private accommodation, send us a message on Facebook and we will try to help you find an NGO that can help you.
How to enrol
To enrol, visit your nearest kindergarten.
If you’re going to a school alone and don’t speak Greek or English, you can take along this letter (in Greek, English, Arabic, Farsi and Urdu). It asks the school to help you enrol your child.
Make sure you get a number (called a "protokolo" in Greek) for your application.
What to bring
When you visit the school to enrol, bring:
- Proof of vaccination.
- Proof of address. If you live in a private apartment, you can take an electricity bill in your name as proof of address.
- Your child's Registration card or Residence Permit. The school will make a copy.
- For Ukrainian nationals, you need to bring the Temporary Protection card.
If you are missing documents, school principals should enrol your child anyway.
During enrollment, your school will give you a form you must take to a public health centre or clinic. You can also see and print this form in advance here.
A doctor will examine your child for free and give you a health certificate to bring back to your school.