The capital authorities are preparing a plan to optimize kindergartens.
"We have areas where there is a catastrophic shortage of places in kindergartens — the center, Skanste. But there are also areas where the number of children is decreasing. And kindergartens are operating at partial capacity — 60-70%. We will have to make decisions in the future and assess where we might even close," said Riga Mayor Viesturs Kleinbergs (Progressives) in an interview with TV-3.
As reported by the TV-3 news service, while a few years ago parents complained about queues at Riga kindergartens, the situation in certain areas is now sharply the opposite.
Currently, there are over 150 municipal kindergartens operating in Riga, but, as noted by the Riga City Council, not all of them are fully loaded. The municipality is considering optimizing the network of kindergartens. Various scenarios are being discussed, from merging institutions to closing kindergartens. The municipality acknowledges that the existing number of institutions no longer corresponds to real demand.
"Since 2016, the decline in the number of newborns in Riga has been 50%. This is faster than in Latvia as a whole. This leaves its mark on kindergartens and schools," noted Riga City Council member Elina Treija (National Alliance).
This Monday, the Riga City Council held its first working meeting to discuss the optimization of the kindergarten network. It is not yet reported how many and which specific institutions may be affected by the changes, but it is heard in the corridors that they may concern several dozen kindergartens.
