Again, 9 months are here, but this time the compulsory school year does not begin only with schoolchildren, it also applies to preschool children, especially their parents. All children who reach the age of 5 must begin forcibly from 4. 9 May will attend kindergarten. The regime is similar to that of the school, 4 hours spent in kindergarten will be mandatory.

Reasons for the change

The main reason for this change was the steady deterioration in school readiness of preschoolers, mainly in primary school admissions. It often happens that children immediately before entering the first class did not know the color, could not have a pencil and could not communicate with adults. All this should be prevented by the preschool year. The main task is to prepare preschoolers for entering the school environment, teach the regime and provide certain basic preparations. This change should help children from predominantly socially excluded areas, and it is generally the worst thing to be ready for school.

Possible Options

Parents are left to choose another way to meet the last preschool years – their children can be educated in primary school preparatory classes or they can be educated individually in a home environment (this will be possible in legitimate cases, for example, when commuting to kindergarten is difficult, or if they are recovering from illness or injury). What is the difference between the two? In the case of individual home education, parents must report this fact to the principal of the kindergarten to which the child belongs and consult with her about further educational courses.The relevant kindergarten sets a deadline for parents and children to come to check and confirm that they have learned together at home.

Penalties for nonconformity

If a parent decides not to enroll a child in kindergarten or fails to attend, he/she commits a crime and faces a fine of up to 5,000 CZK. Kindergarten principals have a list of preschoolers and make sure they are actually registered and attending kindergarten.