PEO: €81.59 million for nurseries and kindergartens in 7 regions, call for town halls open until 27 November

On 30 September 2026, the Ministry of Investments and European Projects launched the competitive call "Diversification and flexibilisation of early education services – relaunch 2026" under the Education and Employment Programme (PEO) 2021-2027. The call has a budget of 81,593,710.14 euro and is aimed at local public authorities, county councils and county school inspectorates in the North-East, North-West, South-East, South-West Oltenia, South-Muntenia, West and Centre regions. Applications are submitted in MySMIS2021 by 27 November 2026, 16:00.

In brief

• Programme: Education and Employment Programme 2021-2027, Priority 5, Action 5.f.2 – Diversification and flexibilisation of socio-educational support services
• Authority: the Managing Authority for PEO, within the Ministry of Investments and European Projects
• Beneficiaries: local public administration authorities, county councils, county school inspectorates
• Total budget: 81,593,710.14 euro, from ESF+
• Area: the 7 less developed regions (all except Bucharest-Ilfov)
• Submission period: 30 September 2026, 12:00 – 27 November 2026, 16:00, in MySMIS2021
• Status: competitive call open

What does the call fund?

According to the official sheet, the call supports strategic local actions that give children from birth to 6 years old better access to early education. The specific objective is ESO4.6: equal access to quality and inclusive education and training, starting with early childhood education and care.

This is a relaunch. The first call under the same action was launched in June 2024 with 120 million euro and, according to the Ministry of Education's press release at the time, funded:

• county strategies for the development of early education;
• the establishment or expansion of nurseries, kindergartens and complementary services;
• equipping premises and setting up activity centres;
• speech therapy and psycho-pedagogical support;
• information and counselling for parents.

The exact list of eligible activities for the 2026 relaunch is in the Applicant's guide – specific conditions, published in the call archive on the ministry's website. Check it there: the conditions may differ from those in 2024.

Who can apply?

The call sheet names three categories of public institutions as beneficiaries:

• local public administration authorities (town halls, UATs);
• county councils;
• county school inspectorates.

Private companies are not listed among the applicants in the call sheet. In the 2024 call, private early education providers could join as optional partners. For the relaunch, the partnership rules must be read in the specific guide, because the call page does not detail them.

How much can you request per project?

The minimum and maximum values per project for the 2026 relaunch appear neither in the announcement nor in the call sheet published by the ministry. They can be found in the specific guide in the call archive.

As a reference only: in the 2024 call, a project could have between 201,000 and 7,814,851.40 euro, and the reference cost was 3,117.21 euro per child. Do not assume these values apply to 2026 before checking them in the new guide.

How and by when do you apply?

The funding application is submitted electronically only, in MySMIS2021, between 30 September 2026, 12:00, and 27 November 2026, 16:00. The call is competitive, so projects are evaluated and ranked after submission. The order in which they are submitted does not matter. The guide was in public consultation until 28 August 2026, and the version launched now is the applicable one.

What this means for your town hall or county council

Our recommendation: you have less than two months. For an ESF+ project with children and parents as the target group, most of the time goes on preparation, not on writing the application. It is worth starting now with:

• needs analysis: the number of children aged 0–6 in the locality who do not attend nursery or kindergarten, waiting lists and the distance to the nearest facility;
• partners: discussions with the school inspectorate, with education units and, if the guide allows, with private providers;
• premises: proof of the right of use over the buildings where the services will be organised;
• sustainability: how you will pay for staff and operations after the project ends.

The most common pitfall in projects of this type is an oversized target group that you cannot justify with data. Evaluators compare the number of children promised with demographic data and with the real capacity of the services. The second pitfall is taking the 2024 rules for granted: read the relaunch guide from scratch. You can quickly check whether the project also fits other programmes with the eligibility check.

Frequently asked questions

Can town halls in Bucharest and Ilfov apply?

No. The call sheet covers only the North-East, North-West, South-East, South-West Oltenia, South-Muntenia, West and Centre regions. The Bucharest-Ilfov region is not included.

Can a private kindergarten submit a project on its own?

No, according to the call sheet. Eligible applicants are local public authorities, county councils and county school inspectorates. Whether and how private providers can join as partners is set out in the specific guide for the relaunch.

What is the deadline?

Applications are submitted in MySMIS2021 by 27 November 2026, 16:00. The system opened on 30 September 2026, at 12:00.

What is the call's budget and how much does a project receive?

The call's budget is 81,593,710.14 euro, from ESF+. The per-project ceilings are not published in the announcement but in the specific guide. For the 2024 call, the ceilings were 201,000–7,814,851.40 euro.

Is this the same call as the one for training early education teachers?

No. Training of teaching staff for early education falls under PEO action 5.f.3, "Development of the system of initial and continuous training of teaching staff for early childhood education and care", funded through a non-competitive call. This call is action 5.f.2 and concerns early education services organised at local level.

Official sources

• MIPE – Call sheet "Diversification and flexibilisation of early education services – relaunch 2026"
• MIPE – Call launch announcement
• Call documentation (ZIP archive)
• EU Opportunities – PEO Managing Authority launches the call
• MIPE – Public consultation on the guide
• Ministry of Education – Press release on the 2024 call

Information verified on 30 September 2026. The conditions may be amended by the managing authority — check the guide in force before submitting.