Kindergartens in Kazakhstan

There are many similarities between kindergartens in Kazakhstan and in South Korea. When I was young, I attended kindergarten from 2 to 7 years old, while today children start at 3 and finish at 6 years old. In Astana, there are 336 pre-school organizations, 98 public and 188 private. Since there are not many kindergartens, people tend to register their children to the kindergarten list as soon as they are born. After receiving the documents, families can apply at the service center, register their children at the kindergarten and wait their turn. The waiting time can take 1 to 3 years.

For instance, when my first daughter was born, I applied for the kindergarten service and I discovered there were other 14,000,000 children before our turn. When she was almost 4 years old, her turn came. However, it turned out that the kindergarten was 20 kilometers far from home. So my wife and I decided to bring our daughter to a private one. State kindergartens ask for a fee but it is not expensive as for private structures. Charging food, the fee is around 50-70$ per month, but for those who want additional classes the price increases to 80 -100$.

In order to ensure the transparency, in January 2017 a system was launched for preschool organizations in Astana, including also private kindergartens. Thanks to that system, applying for kindergartens seems easier than before but more expensive payment.

Private organizations are subject to state subsidies. It means that if the monthly payment is 120$, the government usually pays 60$. In private kindergartens the price changes from 120 up to 150$. Moreover, private kindergartens allow one-year-old children to join their programs. Personally speaking, after some financial difficulties, I decided to educate my daughters at home. After speaking to my friend who is living in Japan, I discovered that Japanese children are also in charge of cleaning their kindergarten. I founded it very interesting.