Most Moldovan children of final preschool year ready for school, study shows

The vast majority of children in their final preschool year, or 89 percent, are ready for school. At least this is shown by the results of a study presented in Chisinau today, which included 1,768 children from 195 preschools of Moldova.

The assessment was carried out with the technical support of the organization, Save the Children, using the international Early Learning and Development Assessment tool IDELA, adapted to the context of Moldova. Data collection at national level was conducted by a sociological company, along with operators designated by the Education and Research Ministry (MEC).

The evaluation aimed to analyze the situation in the field, so that the authorities would have data allowing them to identify aspects that require more support, in order to inform educational policies and to support the process of curriculum’s reform and the revision of early learning and development standards for children.

Secretary of State at MEC Valentina Olaru has said that the presentation of the study marked an important moment for the education system of Moldova, since for the first time the country has a nationally representative assessment that offers a clearer picture of the level of development and school readiness of children at the end of early education.

“We need objective data, in order to better understand what works, where difficulties persist and how we can direct our resources and interventions more efficiently. The overall results of the study are encouraging. At the same time, they highlight areas that require increased attention, in particular children’s socio-emotional development, the reduction of differences between regions, between rural and urban areas, as well as support for children in situations of vulnerability,” said Valentina Olaru.

The official emphasized that, for Education and Research Ministry, this assessment became a tool for improving the system. According to her, the study’s conclusions will be used in developing early education policies, in the continuous training of preschool teachers, as well as in improving learning conditions and directing support to the institutions and children with the greatest needs.

“These results must be used correctly and in a timely manner, as the purpose of the assessment is not to classify children, educators, or educational institutions. The purpose is to better understand reality and to build more effective and more equitable interventions,” concluded Valentina Olaru.

Deyana Kostadinova, Representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Moldova, stressed that for the first time, Moldova was using a study to analyze precisely the moment when school success begins.

“Instead of asking how well our children are doing, this assessment addresses an even more fundamental question: how do we support our children for success from the very beginning? The results of this study inspire confidence. More than 89 percent of children are at a level of development appropriate for the transition to primary school. At the same time, the study reveals lower chances for children from the north of the country compared to those from the central and southern regions of Moldova. Likewise, children in rural areas have poorer results compared to the ones from urban communities. Also, boys have slightly lower chances than girls of keeping up with the usual pace, and the greatest gap is seen when we talk about children with special educational needs,” said Deyana Kostadinova.

Mihai Bologan, executive director of the sociological company that conducted the study, said that the average IDELA score was 81 percent, which means that, on the whole, all children are very well prepared for school.

“In general, the vast majority of children have an IDELA score of 80 percent and above, with some scores coming close to 100 percent,” stressed Mihai Bologan.

There are 1,465 preschools operating in Moldova, in which about 123,000 children were enrolled in 2025.