I want to send my child to kindergarten or school in Vilnius. What should I do? 

Public kindergartens  

 The education of children in public kindergartens takes place in Lithuanian, Russian, Polish and Belarusian. Education and meals cost about €60-70 per month, depending on the number of days that the child attends. The list of kindergartens is available here: https://aktai.vilnius.lt/document/30365205. 

Admission to a public kindergarten takes place centrally: applications should be submitted electronically at www.svietimas.vilnius.lt by 10 March. The new groups to attend kindergarten from the upcoming 1 September are decided on 18-31 March of that year. However, children are admitted to vacant spots in the kindergartens all year round.  

 If a child aged 2-6 is not offered a spot in a public city kindergarten for 1 year, they may be granted compensation of €100 per month for the child’s care and education at home. In this case, it is necessary for both the parents and the child to have their place of residence declared in Vilnius for at least one year. 

 You can ask for advice about the kindergartens directly with a specialist at Vilnius City Municipality: Danuta Juškiene, E-mail: [email protected], Tel.: +370 612 522 88 (in Russian); or Valerij Mordu, E-mail: [email protected], Tel.: +370 604 50 477 (in English).  

 Private kindergartens 

Children can attend not only public kindergartens but also private educational institutions. Admission to a private kindergarten usually takes place all year round, but it is important to note that the private kindergartens have different curricula and follow various methodologies, such as Waldorf, Montessori, etc. In addition, there are some specialised private kindergartens such as those oriented toward art, technology, Baltic traditions, outdoor kindergartens, etc.  

Private kindergartens usually offer the option to choose a desired attendance schedule: half a day, several days a week, etc. Attendance at a private kindergarten usually costs between €250 and €600 per month, with an additional charge for meals.  

 If you declare the place of residence of one of the parents and the child in Vilnius City Municipality and choose for your child to attend a private kindergarten, you can receive compensation of €100 every month.  

 You can discuss sending your child to a private kindergarten with the Association of Non-State Preschool Education Institutions at http://www.darzeliuasociacija.lt/. 

 School education 

 Pre-school (1.5-2 to 4-5 years) education takes place in kindergartens, while pre-primary (4-5 to 6-7 years) education can take place in both kindergartens and in groups at schools. In Lithuania, the school year begins on 1 September. 

 If a child needs to attend pre-primary education due to their age, parents are advised to check with the schools. If a school offers a pre-primary group, it is recommended that the child should attends to make it easier for that child to move on to primary school. If the school does not have a pre-primary group, the education will take place in a chosen kindergarten until the child reaches 6-7 years old.  

 Students are admitted to Vilnius city schools all year round, but the main centralised admission process to enrol in public schools runs from 1 March to 31 May. The dates for additional admissions are published on the City Municipality website. When registering a child for school, the identity documents of both the parents and the child must be provided. 

 Education in public city schools is free, but the parents must provide all the necessary school supplies and exercise books.  

 Education is provided in Lithuanian, Russian and Polish, and there are also specialised schools that teach in Belarusian and Hebrew. If you want your child to attend an English or French-speaking school, you will have to choose a private school. The cost of a child’s education in a private school is calculated per year and ranges from a few to several thousand euros, depending on the school, with additional payments for meals and other services. 

 When registering your child for school, you will have to indicate the optional subject for moral education (ethics or religion) and, depending on the child’s age, the first (Grades 1-4) or second (Grades 5-12) foreign language.  

 It is recommended that you choose the school closest to where you live. The list of schools is available here: https://vilnius.lt/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/sss.pdf. The list of vacant spots is updated monthly and is available here: https://vilnius.lt/lt/savivaldybe/svietimas-kultura-ir-sportas/informacija-apie-priemima-i-mokyklas/ 

 What should you do if you do not yet have a residence permit in Lithuania, but want to send your child to an educational institution? 

 If you do not have a residence permit in Lithuania and a Lithuanian personal identification number, but you want to register your children in a Vilnius public kindergarten or school, you should send a free-form signed application by e-mail to [email protected], or bring it to the Customer Service Department of Vilnius City Municipality (Konstitucijos pr. 3, Vilnius).  

 The free-form signed application must state the full name of one of the parents, the address of the declared or actual place of residence, contact details, as well as the child’s name, date of birth, preferred institution and language. Copies of the personal identification documents must be submitted with the application.  

 The procedure for admission to a private educational institution and the required documents will differ for each one, so we advise you to contact the institution directly to find out. 

 The IH Vilnius service centre providing centralised services to highly-qualified foreigners arriving in the Lithuanian capital can help to facilitate the process of your relocation and integration in the country.