Financing for equity in pre-primary education
1. Education resources to subnational governments
2. Education resources to institutions
3. Education resources to students and families
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Introduction
Key financing indicators (UIS Data)
In the Russian Federation, the official entry age for pre-primary education is 3 years old. While not compulsory, 4 years of free pre-primary education have been granted since 2013. The net enrolment rate increased from 67.55% in 2004 to 82.54% in 2019.
Governance
Responsibility for pre-primary education is shared between the federal Ministry of Education and the education ministries of the 85 regional entities, such as republics, provinces, and federal cities. The federal ministry develops nationwide education policies and standards, while regional governments allocate and oversee budgets for pre-primary education within their territories. Additionally, local municipal authorities are responsible for establishing kindergartens and co-financing them in collaboration with regional governments.
Under Article 43 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, access to preschool education free of charge is guaranteed in state and municipal educational institutions. This guarantee is further reinforced by Article 5 of the Education Act, which affirms that preschool education in the Russian Federation is provided free of charge and in accordance with the federal state educational standard.
Tuition-free status
According to UIS, 4 years of free pre-primary education have been granted.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
There is no universal education-specific transfer mechanism in the Russian Federation; the financing of education, including pre-primary education, takes place within the general system of inter-budgetary relations regulated by the Budget Code of the Russian Federation, which defines the principles and procedures for all types of fiscal transfers across sectors. Under this framework, regional and municipal authorities receive inter-governmental transfers from the federal budget through general-purpose and equalization allocations (dotatsii), which they then distribute among various sectors, including education.
In addition, the Regional Development Fund (RDF) provides targeted investment subsidies aimed at reducing regional disparities in social and economic development; while not dedicated solely to pre-primary education, its eligibility indicators include access of preschool children to day-care services, allowing indirect financing of early-childhood infrastructure projects.
Finally, pre-primary-specific funding mechanisms exist in the form of targeted inter-budgetary. For example, Government Decrees No. 2539 (2021) regulates the procedures for allocating federal subsidies to regional governments for preschool education projects.
2. Education resources to institutions
Public kindergartens receive funding through a per-child normative formula set and financed by regional governments. Regional governments provide funding to municipal kindergartens using a per-child normative formula. This formula incorporates adjustment coefficients for institutions enrolling children from disadvantaged backgrounds or with special educational needs, which covers those with disabilities, chronic illnesses, or developmental delays. These coefficients allow for higher funding to compensate for additional costs such as specialised staff, inclusive learning materials, therapeutic services, and smaller group sizes.
3. Education resources to students and families
In accordance with the Federal Law No. 273-FZ “On Education in the Russian Federation” (2012), each regional government administers its own version of the Parental Fee Compensation Programme. For example, regions such as Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Krasnoyarsk Kra, provide monthly cash reimbursements to parents whose children attend public or licensed private preschool institutions. The programmes are managed by the Department of Education and Science of the City of Moscow, the Committee on Education of the Government of Saint Petersburg, and the Ministry of Education of Krasnoyarsk Krai, respectively. In all three regions, compensation rates are set at approximately 20 percent of the fee for the first child, 50 percent for the second, and 70 percent for the third and subsequent children, with additional priority or higher reimbursement for low-income, single-parent, or large families. Through this unified yet regionally administered mechanism, local authorities aim to ease household financial pressure and promote equitable access to early childhood education across the Russian Federation.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Since 2023, Russia has introduced a Unified Monthly Benefit for Families with Children and Pregnant Women administered by the Social Fund of Russia (SFR). It provides monthly cash transfers to low-income families whose per-capita income does not exceed the regional subsistence minimum. The benefit covers children from birth to 17 years of age, with higher amounts for single-parent families and those raising children with disabilities.
State Support for Eudcation to Families with Children
As noted in the section on public higher education financing, the maternity (family) capital programme, administered by the Social Fund of Russia (SFR), also supports early childhood and school-age education by allowing eligible families to use certified funds for childcare, supervision, and fee-based education in licensed institutions. Payments are transferred directly to service providers, ensuring that public support is used for approved education and care-related purposes.
The Monthly Caregiver Allowance for a Child with Disabilities
The initiative is a federal social assistance programme administered by the SFR under the supervision of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Russian Federation. Especially in Krasnoyarsk Kra region, the programme provides monthly financial support to non-working parents, guardians, or relatives caring for a child under 18 with an officially recognized disability, to compensate families for the income lost due to full-time caregiving and helps cover additional expenses linked to the child’s daily care, medical rehabilitation, and educational development. In particular, the allowance is designed to enable caregivers to ensure continuous access to early learning, developmental therapy, and home-based or specialised preschool education, especially in remote areas of Krasnoyarsk Krai where institutional support is limited. ‘
This profile was reviewed by Stanislav Avdeev, Independent contributor.
