Around 2,000 new preschool spots over the next five years
Nearly 2,000 new preschool spots will be added across Reykjavík’s neighborhoods over the next five years, according to proposals approved today by the City Executive Council. The proposals are based on a report from the mayor’s working group on preschool development.
The mayor’s working group on preschool development was formed following City Executive Council approval on March 20. The group was tasked with reviewing the Bridge the Gap steering committee’s action plan, which aims to expand preschool spaces to welcome children from 12 months of age, and with proposing new projects for building or expanding preschools — with a focus on construction that could be completed within the next two years. The group was also assigned to evaluate existing plans for staffing and maintenance of preschool facilities and to recommend improvements if needed.
A range of proposals for preschool development
The group submitted a report with proposals that the City Executive Council approved today. The report outlines nine development projects that could create about 900 new preschool spots. An additional 164 spots would come from expanding existing city preschools using portable buildings. The third section includes general proposals such as startup grants, better use of school and recreation facilities during construction, and ideas for partnerships with sports clubs to establish active preschools. It also discusses the Department of Education and Youth’s plans to revise preschool regulations, with the goal of improving staffing conditions and working environments in City preschools. The fourth section provides an overview of all upcoming projects expected to increase preschool capacity over the next five years, including those already approved and underway by the Bridge the Gap steering committee. In total, 1,987 new preschool spots are planned, distributed across city neighborhoods as shown in the report.
Total: 1,987 new preschool spots over the next five years.
The working group included city council members Dóra Björt Guðjónsdóttir, Helga Þórðardóttir, Sanna Magdalena Mörtudóttir, and Skúli Helgason, who also chaired the group. The proposals were approved by the City Executive Council today and referred to the City Council for discussion.
Helga Þórðardóttir, Dóra Björt Guðjónsdóttir, Sanna Magdalena Mörtudóttir, and Skúli Helgason.