Cost of Complementary Early Childhood Education and Care Services (ECEC) in Romania
QIE Report
Authors
Victor Drugă
Luminița Costache
ISBN
978-606-8927-80-0
Year of publication
2025
Publisher
Expert Projects
How to cite
Drugă, V., Costache, L. (2025 Cost of Complementary Early Childhood Education and Care Services (ECEC) in Romania, UNICEF. Iaşi: Expert Projects, DOI: 10.33788/qie.25.05
Keywords
Early education, complementary early education services, ECEC (Early Childhood Education and Care), early childhood education and care services, cost analysis, UNICEF, LEGO Foundation
Abstract
The study analyzes the costs and funding mechanisms of complementary early childhood education and care (ECEC) services in Romania, in relation to the national legislative framework and comparable European Union models. Its aim is to inform public policy decisions on expanding and diversifying these services to improve access to quality early education for children aged 0–6. The methodology includes an analysis of the legal framework, funding sources, and a cost model adapted to the Romanian context. Findings show that, although legislation and funding create favorable conditions, implementation remains constrained by limited local resources and regional disparities. The advanced expansion scenario, integrating innovative European models, proves to be the most efficient and sustainable option.
Acknowledgments
This report would not have been possible without the involvement and constant support of the Ministry of Education and Research of Romania and the UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia. The report benefited from the provision of information and valuable improvement suggestions from the Ministry of Education and Research, through the generous support of Ms. Viorica Preda and Ms. Cristina Mangiurea, throughout all its stages of development. The improvement of this report was also supported by colleagues from UNICEF Romania, through the feedback provided by Yusuf Bafozoda, Social Policy Specialist, Petre-Vlad Irimie, Social Policy Officer, Eugen Crai, Education Specialist, and Ramona Pavel, Education Officer. We would like to express our gratitude for their support and their contribution to enhancing the quality of this report.