Public kindergartens

The education of children in public kindergartens takes place in Lithuanian, Russian, Polish and Belarusian. Education and meals cost about €60-70 per month, depending on the number of days that the child attends.

Admission to a public kindergarten takes place centrally: applications should be submitted electronically at www.svietimas.vilnius.lt by 10 March. The new groups to attend kindergarten from the upcoming 1 September are decided on 18-31 March of that year. However, children are admitted to vacant spots in the kindergartens all year round.

If a child aged 2-6 is not offered a spot in a public city kindergarten for 1 year, they may be granted compensation of €100 per month for the child’s care and education at home. In this case, it is necessary for both the parents and the child to have their place of residence declared in Vilnius for at least one year.

You can ask for advice about the kindergartens directly with a specialist at Vilnius City Municipality: Danuta Juškiene, E-mail: danuta.juskiene@vilnius.lt, Tel.: +370 612 522 88 (in Russian); or Valerij Mordu, E-mail: valerij.mordas@vilnius.lt, Tel.: +370 604 50 477 (in English).

Private kindergartens

Children can attend not only public kindergartens but also private educational institutions. Admission to a private kindergarten usually takes place all year round, but it is important to note that the private kindergartens have different curricula and follow various methodologies, such as Waldorf, Montessori, etc. In addition, there are some specialised private kindergartens such as those oriented toward art, technology, Baltic traditions, outdoor kindergartens, etc.

Private kindergartens usually offer the option to choose a desired attendance schedule: half a day, several days a week, etc. Attendance at a private kindergarten usually costs between €250 and €600 per month, with an additional charge for meals.

If you declare the place of residence of one of the parents and the child in Vilnius City Municipality and choose for your child to attend a private kindergarten, you can receive compensation of €100 every month.

You can discuss sending your child to a private kindergarten with the Association of Non-State Preschool Education Institutions at www.darzeliuasociacija.lt .

When in Vilnius, you are eligible to apply for Lithuanian/Polish/Russian-speaking schools and kindergartens, even while residing in the country on a visa. There are also multiple options for private tuition in English. If you do not have a residence permit in Lithuania or a Lithuanian personal identification number, but want to register your children in a public kindergarten or school, you should send a free-form signed application by e-mail to savivaldybe@vilnius.lt, or bring it to the Customer Service Department of the Municipality of Vilnius (Konstitucijos pr. 3, Vilnius).

Pre-school (1.5-2 to 4-5 years) education takes place in kindergartens, while pre-primary (4-5 to 6-7 years) education can take place in both kindergartens and in groups at schools. In Lithuania, the school year begins on 1 September.

If a child needs to attend pre-primary education due to their age, parents are advised to check with the schools. If a school offers a pre-primary group, it is recommended that the child should attends to make it easier for that child to move on to primary school. If the school does not have a pre-primary group, the education will take place in a chosen kindergarten until the child reaches 6-7 years old.

Students are admitted to Vilnius city schools all year round, but the main centralised admission process to enrol in public schools runs from 1 March to 31 May. The dates for additional admissions are published on the City Municipality website. When registering a child for school, the identity documents of both the parents and the child must be provided.

Education in public city schools is free, but the parents must provide all the necessary school supplies and exercise books.

Education is provided in Lithuanian, Russian and Polish, and there are also specialised schools that teach in Belarusian and Hebrew. If you want your child to attend an English or French-speaking school, you will have to choose a private school. The cost of a child’s education in a private school is calculated per year and ranges from a few to several thousand euros, depending on the school, with additional payments for meals and other services.

When registering your child for school, you will have to indicate the optional subject for moral education (ethics or religion) and, depending on the child’s age, the first (Grades 1-4) or second (Grades 5-12) foreign language.

It is recommended that you choose the school closest to where you live. The list of schools is available here . The list of vacant spots is updated monthly and is available here .

If you do not have a residence permit in Lithuania and a Lithuanian personal identification number, but you want to register your children in a Vilnius public kindergarten or school, you should send a free-form signed application by e-mail to savivaldybe@vilnius.lt, or bring it to the Customer Service Department of Vilnius City Municipality (Konstitucijos pr. 3, Vilnius).

The free-form signed application must state the full name of one of the parents, the address of the declared or actual place of residence, contact details, as well as the child’s name, date of birth, preferred institution and language. Copies of the personal identification documents must be submitted with the application.

The procedure for admission to a private educational institution and the required documents will differ for each one, so we advise you to contact the institution directly to find out.

The free-form signed application must state the full name of one of the parents, the address of the declared or actual place of residence, contact details, as well as the child’s name, date of birth, preferred institution and language. Copies of the personal identification documents must also be submitted with the application. For more information please visit svietimas.vilnius.lt (choose your preferred language in the online Google browser and all information will be provided in your native language).

Useful contacts:

Regarding enrolment to kindergartens: Danuta Juškienė (danuta.juskiene@vilnius.lt, +370 612 52288 (consultations in Russian) and Valery Mordas (valerij.mordas@vilnius.lt, +370 604 50477 (consultations in English).

Regarding enrolment to schools: Ana Lapajeva (ana.lapajeva@vilnius.lt, +370 694 91337, Danuta Verbaitienė (danuta.verbaitiene@vilnius.lt, +370 665 28380).

Very useful information (textbooks and other online resources) available here .

Documents for admission to the school can be submitted online on the website "Electronic registration in institutions of general secondary education" at the link . To do this, you need to register on the site, choose an institution of general secondary education, create an application and confirm it with documents in the institution

Electronic registration is not available in Kyiv, but it is possible to submit an application online to the school's e-mail address (at the applicant's choice). Enrollment will be carried out on the basis of the application of one of the parents, submitted in person or scanned copies or photocopies. Documents must confirm the place of residence of the child, one of his parents (or people who replace them) in the territory of the institution. If parents do not have the opportunity to obtain a medical certificate for their child by May 31, this is not a reason to refuse enrollment. Original documents and medical certificates must be submitted to the educational institution no later than August 18, inclusive. More details at the link .

If your child are in danger or need urgent medical care, call the emergency number 112.

You can go to a doctor, a peduatrician or the hospital (in case of ermergency).

The telephone number of the State Patients’ Fund is +370 523 22 222. Contacts for regional sickness funds.

Students whose studies have been interrupted in Ukraine can continue their studies in Lithuania. In Lithuania, you can study in English and Russian. Study programmes and higher education institutions can be found at www.studyin.lt .

On tuition fees: Depending on the capacity of higher education institutions, studies by Ukrainian nationals will be (partially) supported. Some Lithuanian higher education institutions plan to exempt Ukrainian students from tuition fees or provide significant tuition fee discounts. The amount and conditions of the support will be communicated by the selected higher education institution.

Crediting of study subjects due to interrupted studies is available for both documented and undocumented students. More detailed information will be available from the higher education institution on a case-by-case basis.

For more information on study programmes, tuition fee reimbursement and scholarships, please visit the websites of each higher education institution .

You can use the list of universities that help Ukrainian students and scientists on the English-language educational search platform Erudera . The platform contains 70 offers from universities around the world, including the USA, Australia and Canada. In addition to the country and the name of the university, the table indicates the type of aid and a link to the university's website.

Science For Ukraine is a public group of volunteer researchers and students from academic institutions in Europe and around the world who help Ukrainians. You can apply for help through the website, and you can view the entire list of institutions that agree to cooperate with Ukrainian scientists by following the link .

Useful Telegram channel "Nonformal O" - scholarships, grants, courses, volunteer projects in all countries for Ukrainians.

Useful Telegram channel "Opportunities" , where the latest volunteer, educational, career projects in Ukraine and various countries are published. Link to backup channel .

In Lithuania, you can study in English and Russian. Study programmes and higher education institutions can be found at www.studyin.lt .

You can find information about the TOEFL test here and the IELTS test here .