This publication - produced for the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs by the Research Institute for Labour and Social Affairs and financially supported by UNICEF - maps the operation of children's groups and of maternity, family and community centres and their services in the Czech Republic. Particular attention is paid to analysing the access that children with special needs and Ukrainian children have to these services. Research carried out included in-depth interviews with early childhood care experts, surveys, and focus groups with service providers.  

Key findings

Although the Czech Republic has one of the highest employment rates for women in the EU, the research finds that representation of mothers of children under 3 within this rate is very low, mainly due to the insufficient capacity of kindergartens and other relevant services. Children's groups, which children can join from age 2-3, often offer an alternative to kindergartens, but are run by non-profit organisations rather than municipalities or employers and can struggle financially. This in turn, according to the report, can make it difficult to meet caregiver qualification requirements and hinder the admission of children with specific needs. Other key findings of the research include:

• 25% of children's groups in the Czech Republic currently have at least one refugee child from Ukraine.
• The majority of children from Ukraine who participate in the activities of the maternity, family and community centres are of pre-school age.
• Among all participants in these centres' programmes, the majority are of pre-school age.
• 57% of the centres have experience with families with children that have fled Ukraine.
• Families with children that have fled Ukraine most often access material assistance, Czech language courses and counselling related to children's education.