The Revised School Readiness Program will be implemented from the 2024-2025 Academic Year

To improve access to preschool education and facilitate the smooth transition of students to the first level of primary education, school readiness groups will be established in 141 schools across 31 municipalities nationwide starting from the 2024-2025 academic year. An additional 9 schools will join the program from the 2025-2026 academic year, bringing the total to 150 schools. Priority was given to areas without kindergartens, with overcrowded existing kindergartens, or with kindergartens located far from residential areas. This includes highland and borderline villages, as well as villages inhabited by ethnic minorities and schools expecting an influx of children.

To ensure the effective implementation of the revised School Readiness Program (SRP), experts from San Diego State University reviewed and updated the existing school readiness program and educational curriculum for children aged 2-5. Personnel assigned to the 150 school readiness groups in the targeted 31 municipalities have been retrained. The World Bank is providing support by equipping the school groups with necessary furniture, equipment, and educational materials. San Diego State University is also providing a printed version of the updated educational program and the updated school readiness program and the educational program for children 2-5 years old will be available in Armenian and Azerbaijani languages.

This initiative is being carried out with the support of the World Bank under the I2Q Project in collaboration with San Diego State University (SDSU).

Mayors of the target municipalities, educational resource centers, early and preschool education associations/centers/agencies, and educational institutions have expressed their full support for this initiative.