The Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare announced the start of the application period for parents wishing to participate in the Children’s Tuition Subsidy Programs.
The first program is for children over the age of four and up to the age limit for free, compulsory preschool education for the 2026–2027 school year.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
As reported by the Welfare Benefits Management Service of the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare, on May 19, 2026, the Council of Ministers approved the Tuition Subsidy Program forfor children over the age of four and up to the age limit for free compulsory preschool education for the 2026–2027 school year, as part of a reform included in Cyprus’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) (Measure C5.1R3).
According to the decision, all families with children—at least one of whom must be at least four years old—are eligible to participate in the Plan, as of August 31 of the year defining the school year, provided they are legally residing in areas controlled by the Republic of Cyprus.
Tuition subsidies will be approved for eligible recipients provided they have a dependent child who is at least four years old and up to the age limit for free compulsory preschool education (i.e., children born between May 1, 2022, and August 31, 2022), the child is currently enrolled or has been approved/secured a spot and is set to attend a preschool or facility participating in this Program, the child has not been accepted into compulsory public preschool education because they do not fall within the specified age range.
Under the Program, the monthly allowance amounts to 100% of the tuition fees, with a maximum of €130 or €200 per month for each child, depending on whether the child attends a public or private preschool, respectively.
Parents are required to complete a Certificate of Enrollment for the current academic year, with all the necessary information regarding the child’s enrollment, which will be provided by the provider (preschool) listed in the Program Guide.
The application for the eligible child’s participation in the Program may be submitted by only one of the two parents. In cases where parents are separated or divorced, the application may be submitted only by the parent who has custody of the child (i.e., the parent with whom the child lives).
At the end of the academic year, in order for the subsidy amount for June 2027 to be paid, the provider is required to submit to the Implementing Agency (IO) a copy of the certificate of completion of studies for each eligible child.
For children for whom this certificate is not provided, the IA may require the repayment of any amounts already paid.
Parents who wish to receive the subsidy must enroll their child in a preschool participating in the Program and then successfully complete and submit the online application posted on the Government Portal https://www.gov.cy and on the website of the Welfare Benefits Administration Service https://www.wbas.dmsw.gov.cy.
Implementation of the above Plan begins in September 2026, and online applications for parents will be available starting September 7, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. and must be completed by all parents of eligible children.
Beneficiaries who have submitted their online application by September 30, 2026, will be able to receive the subsidy starting September 1,September 2026 or from the start of the child’s schooling, whichever is later; for beneficiaries who submit their application later, the subsidy will begin in the month the application is submitted.
As noted in the announcement, upon submission of the online application and provided that the criteria mentioned above are met, parents will be notified immediately of the application’s approval, and the subsidy will be paid directly to the provider on a monthly basis, starting from the month in which the online application is submitted.
If approved, the subsidy will be valid for the 2026–2027 school year (September 1, 2026–June 30, 2027). Please note that the grant is always paid after the end of each month; therefore, for the month (only) in which the application is submitted, providers are encouraged to pay in advance as per their usual practice and to be reimbursed for the difference afterward.
In addition, the Deputy Ministry of Welfare also announced the start of the application period for parents wishing to participate in the Tuition and Meal Subsidy Program for children up to four years of age for the school year2026–2027.
The Welfare Benefits Administration Service of the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare announced that on May 19, 2026, the Council of Ministers approved the Tuition and Meal Program for Children up to Four Years of Age for the 2026–2027 school year, which essentially constitutes a continuation of the existing program co-funded by the EU under the Cohesion Policy Program “THALIA 2021–2027.”
According to the above decision, beneficiaries of the respective Program are all recipients of the Child Allowance for 2026, who have a dependent child who has not reached the age of four by August 31, 2026, and have enrolled the eligible child in a daycare center or preschool participating in the Program.
Under the Program, up to 80% of the monthly cost of enrolling target-group children in daycare centers and preschools is subsidized. Please note that the same eligibility criteria apply as those for the Tuition and Meal Subsidy Program for Children Up to Four Years of Age, which were in effect during the 2025–26 school year.
Parents who wish to take advantage of the subsidy must enroll their child in a daycare center or preschool participating in the Program and then successfully complete and submitthe online application available on the Government Portal at www.gov.cy and on the website of the Welfare Benefits Management Service at www.wbas.dmsw.gov.cy.
Implementation of the above Plan begins in September 2026, and online applications for parents will open on September 1, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. These applications must be resubmitted, regardless of whether certain parents were already eligible for the 2025–2026 school year.
Beneficiaries who have submitted their online application by September 30, 2026, will be able to receive the subsidy starting on September 1,September 2026 or from the start of the child’s schooling if that date is later; for beneficiaries who submit their application at a later date, the subsidy will begin in the month the application is submitted.
Upon submission of the online application and provided that the criteria listed above are met, parents will be notified immediately of the application’s approval, and the subsidy will be paid directly to the provider on a monthly basis, starting from the month in which the online application is submitted.
If approved, the subsidy will be valid for the entire school year. Please note that the subsidy is always paid after the end of each month and, therefore, covers only the month in which the application is submitted; providers are encouraged to proceed as they normally would and be reimbursed for the difference later.
The Deputy Ministry urges parents to take full advantage of these Programs, “with the aim of strengthening, improving, and developing your child’s skills and integrating them into educational programs and care facilities.”
