12/03/2026 09:37 h.
Deadline extended for grants for new early childhood education places
The Spanish Ministry of Education extends the implementation and the reporting deadline for these programmes funded by NextGenerationEU
The Spanish Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports has obtained an extension of the implementation and reporting deadlines for several territorial cooperation programmes funded through the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), including the programme aimed at promoting enrolment in the first cycle of Early Childhood Education through the creation of new publicly funded places.
Specifically, the implementation deadline has been extended until 31 May 2026, while the reporting deadline has been extended until 30 June 2026. This extension also affects other education-related programmes, such as the Programme for the Digitalisation of the Education System and the Programme for the Improvement of Digital Educational Competences.
Regarding Early Childhood Education, the programme aims to create 45,611 new public places, primarily targeted at children aged 1 and 2, in order to increase access to early childhood education.
This extension has been approved by the European Commission after several autonomous communities reported difficulties in meeting the programme targets within the originally established timeframe. The measure will allow them to continue implementing the remaining funds and increase the number of beneficiaries.
These grants are regulated by Order EDF/7/2025 of 27 January, which establishes the rules governing the granting of subsidies to local authorities in Catalonia for the financing of infrastructure, equipment and operational costs related to new places in the first cycle of Early Childhood Education in public centres created between 1 January 2021 and 31 October 2025, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.