On Monday, December 1st, 2025, the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (MENFP) organized a three-day workshop to present the preliminary results of the National Survey on Preschool Education.

Before an audience composed primarily of technicians from the Ministry's central office, departmental directors and technicians from the Departmental Directorates of Education, technical and financial partners, and social partners, Minister Augustin Antoine opened the workshop. The workshop provided a forum for discussing the main categories of results obtained from the survey, which was conducted between May 19 and June 30, 2025, and assessed a sample of 480 preschool facilities nationwide.

"This workshop presenting the survey results is the culmination of considerable collaborative work undertaken for over 10 months by the Ministry through the Directorate of Preschool Education, with technical and financial support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)," stated the Minister, who also acknowledged the financial support of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the high quality of work provided by Professor Alain Mingat, one of the experts involved in conducting the survey.

This survey assesses the functioning of preschool centers, taking into account several parameters such as infrastructure, educational support, staff training, children's nutrition, safety, community involvement, operating hours, child grouping methods, the initial and academic training of educators, classroom materials and furniture, the availability of the preschool curriculum and its guide, the availability of small (exercise) materials for children, the availability of running water, latrines, handwashing facilities, and hygiene products, the differentiated use of Creole and French, the source of funding, and expenses per student.

After reviewing the factors hindering the development of preschool education in Haiti, the Minister highlighted the findings of certain international studies which indicate that "children attending a preschool center perform better in primary school than those who have not had this opportunity." “Early childhood education is a strategic lever for building a more equitable, inclusive, and resilient society.”

Minister Antoine reiterated his commitment to strengthening early childhood education throughout the country. "We want early childhood education that gives every child the same opportunities to reach their full potential."

Geetanjali Narayan, UNICEF Representative in Haiti, welcomed the completion of this final phase of the Early Childhood Education Survey. According to her, sharing these results "is an essential step toward developing a genuine national early childhood education policy, based on reliable data and a shared vision to strengthen existing programs and progressively develop this sub-sector in Haiti."

While thanking the Spanish Cooperation for its support, Ms. Narayan called for contributions from other technical and financial partners to assist the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (MENFP) in developing and implementing the National Early Childhood Education Policy.

Marco Peñin, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain to Haiti, reaffirmed his country's commitment to supporting initiatives that prioritize education in Haiti : "[...] we are committed to working with you to improve preschool education, which is an essential pillar for children's cognitive, social, and emotional development. It is clear that early educational support facilitates the transition to primary school by developing linguistic and socio-emotional skills, especially in a context where it is necessary to manage the transition from Creole to French, and the multilingualism so important for this island." He also praised the benefits of preschool education, which reduces the risk of school dropout and juvenile delinquency while laying a solid foundation for children to become more independent and responsible adults.

This Wednesday, the third and final day of this workshop, investment scenarios for strengthening the preschool education sub-sector will be analyzed. Technical and financial partners, as well as representatives from several public funding institutions, will participate in these discussions.

HL/ HaitiLibre