The Pieszyce municipality, in south-eastern Poland, has a new kindergarten and nursery, thanks in part to EU funding. The modern building replaces a kindergarten that was no longer fit for purpose. It uses renewable sources to meet its energy needs. A green terrace on the roof allows children to spend more time outside and to grow vegetables.
New kindergarten and nursery in Pieszyce, Poland, is a model for green learning
- 14 October 2020
“For our small and poor community, EU funds are very important for financing necessary investments that help us meet the basic needs of our community. These investments allow us to reduce differences in development.”
Before this project, there was no nursery serving the region. The original building that was replaced did not meet Poland’s mandatory requirements for educational facilities.
The building has a heat pump, photovoltaic panels and a solar collector for heating. According to the project’s auditors, the kindergarten is expected to consume 65 megawatt hours a year, much lower than the average for a building of its size.
Indoors and out
The kindergarten, for children aged 3-7, has 200 places, while the nursery can accommodate up to 50 infants from ages 1-3. The 2 143 m2 building is located on a 6 300 m2 plot of land. Children have a large multi-functional playroom and an outdoor playground. There is parking for 60 cars.
Inside, there are eight rooms and a common area for the kindergarten, four rooms for the nursery, a kitchen with a pantry, and administration offices.
On the roof terrace, children can make the most of their outdoor learning. During the warmer months, youngsters can grow vegetables and herbs such as chives, radishes and parsley in pots. The staff use these gardening activities to teach children about the importance of a healthy diet.
A state-of-the-art facility
Learning extends to the energy used to power the building. Staff take care to teach children how easy and ecological it is to generate electricity using renewable sources.
The state-of-the-art facility will act as a model for future kindergartens in the region and could provide lessons for similar learning centres across Europe. Its energy consumption will be analysed after operating for some time – the project was completed in December 2018 – to ensure that energy and maintenance costs stay low.
The new facility has allowed for the employment of five more people. The nursery employs 13 people: 10 are full-time and three half-time staff. The kindergarten employs 31 people.
The municipality of Pieszyce lies near the border with Czechia. It covers an area of 64 km2 and has a population of 9 460.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Construction of a model kindergarten building including the nursery part in Pieszyce” is EUR 2 267 177, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 1 031 115 through the “Dolnośląskie Voivodeship 2014-2020” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period.