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)
The official entrance age to pre-primary education is 3. Three years of free pre-primary education are granted in legal frameworks. Compulsory pre-primary education is not granted in legal frameworks. The net enrolment rate for pre-primary for both sexes was 52% in 2024.
Governance
The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports is the primary ministry responsible for financing pre-primary education, including allocating and overseeing budgets.
Tuition-free status
Three years of free pre-primary education are granted in legal frameworks.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
Armenia’s preschool sector was historically financed through community-based initiatives with minimal central government support. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Armenian government sharply reduced central budget allocations for preschool education in the 1990s, shifting financial responsibility to local municipalities. From 2013 to 2022, the World Bank’s Education Improvement Project (EIP) sought to improve preprimary education by building on the historical practice of local ownership and community support using a co-financing model that provided 75% donor funds for preschool projects upon meeting the requirement for 25% local support. In 2024, Armenia shifted to a more centralized model with the launch of a preschool education programme, with the state budget allocating funds directly to institutions.
2. Education resources to institutions
In 2024, the Ministry of Education, Science, Cultural and Sports (MESCS) launched the "Preschool Education" Programme. The 2024 Education Sector Budget allocates substantial subsidies to public pre-primary education through this initiative. The programme features explicit equity-focused measures designed to improve access for disadvantaged groups, with 66.9% of the budget dedicated to the scheme “Providing preschool education for children aged 1.5–5 years from certain social groups.” This measure targets vulnerable populations, including children from families with vulnerability scores above 28 points, as well as 360 children with special educational and developmental needs.
In addition, the government is investing in improving infrastructure through the Creation, Construction, and Improvement of Public Educational and Preschool Institutions Programme, which supports the reconstruction and major repair of kindergarten buildings to enhance learning environments and expand access.
3. Education resources to students and families
State funding for pre-primary education in Armenia follows a targeted, needs-based approach, prioritising access for children from socioeconomically vulnerable households and groups with additional support needs rather than providing universal coverage. According to the 2024 State Budget’s Preschool Education Programme, 66.9% of total programme allocations are directed to the measure “Providing preschool education for children aged 1.5–5 years from certain social groups.” Eligibility is defined through national social protection criteria, including family vulnerability scores above 28 points, and includes children with special educational and developmental needs as well as children of servicemen. The programme is designed to support approximately 360 children with special educational and developmental needs and 1,677 children of servicemen, reflecting a child-targeted financing model implemented through recent reforms aimed at strengthening equity in access to early childhood education.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
In Armenia, social protection policies play an important role in improving access to pre-primary education by providing targeted resource transfers to families with young children. These policies help reduce financial barriers that may limit participation in early childhood education and care, particularly for low-income and vulnerable households.
The Family Benefit Programme, established in 1999 and administered by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, is a key social policy supporting families with young children and has significant implications for access to pre-primary education. The programme provides targeted cash assistance to low-income and vulnerable families, with eligibility and benefit levels determined through a scoring system that assesses household income, assets, and vulnerability factors. This approach ensures that support is directed to families with the greatest needs.
As part of the Family Benefit Programme, families with children under the age of two receive an additional childcare supplement. Although this benefit is not a direct subsidy for pre-primary education, it increases household disposable income and helps offset childcare-related costs, facilitating access to early learning opportunities as children approach pre-school age. According to state budget allocations, approximately USD 77.5 million (equivalent) has been allocated for this childcare benefit, benefiting around 67,943 recipients nationwide. The benefit is means-tested and designed to prioritize families with lower incomes and fewer assets.
The programme also includes additional targeted support measures to address equity concerns and improve access to services for particularly vulnerable groups, with indirect effects on children’s participation in pre-primary education. These measures include extra monthly payments and utility support for forcibly displaced families, including those displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as supplementary assistance for families meeting specific vulnerability criteria, such as households with disabled members or large families. Together, these social policies help ensure that financial hardship does not prevent children from accessing early childhood education and care.
This profile was reviewed by Arevik Ohanyan, Doctoral Candidate in Higher Education Administration (Executive EdD), Boston College; Founding Board Member, Eurasia International University and Ohanyan Educational Complex (pre-K through K12); Education Reform Consultant.
