Solutions from Ukraine: First underground kindergarten opens in Kharkiv region for 260 children
Because of security risks in frontline communities, in-person education for children remains difficult. To allow kindergarten pupils to attend classes offline and quickly move to shelter during an air alert, the Pisochyn community created an underground educational space.
The underground kindergarten was equipped as a protective facility where children and staff can stay at the same time. It includes:
The underground space has autonomous power supply. Two independent electricity sources provide power, and backup generators are also available.
The underground kindergarten building is connected to the facility's main buildings by safe passages. Thanks to this, children and staff do not need to go outside during an air alert to reach the shelter.
The community also took separate care to make the space barrier-free. The kindergarten has:
The underground kindergarten was built with joint funding from the state, regional and local budgets.
In 2026, the state allocated a separate subvention for the first time to equip shelters in preschool education institutions. In total, more than 972 million hryvnias were earmarked for such projects.
Relevant projects are currently being implemented in nine regions of Ukraine: Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv and Kherson.
Background
It should be noted that in April 2024, Kharkiv completed construction of its first underground school, with 20 classrooms that can accommodate 900 pupils in two shifts.
It was also reported that a new underground school began operating in Kharkiv's Kholodnohirskyi district on January 20, where pupils are already studying in safe conditions.
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8 of September 2026
