According to an announcement released by Deputy Development Minister Odysseas Konstantinopoulos on Tuesday, the government will grant 200 million euros, and not 160 million as it originally planned, to cover the needs of 89,000 children (from 68,000 last year) at municipal and private kindergartens and Creative Activity Centers.

The decision to grant additional funds was taken during a meeting attended by Alternate Finance Minister Christos Staikouras, Deputy Labour Minister Vassilis Kegeroglou and the president of the Central Union of Municipalities in Greece (KEDE) Kostas Askounis.

The participants in the meeting estimated that the previous 160-million-euro budget would keep a significant number of children out of kindergartens and decided to increase it.

“This decision is strong evidence of the Government’s social policy for the most vulnerable groups, the unemployed and the working mothers and the result of the cooperation between the Government, the Municipalities and the private sector,” said the Deputy minister.