Monthly payments to a foundation were demanded at a Kyiv state nursery

At a state preschool education facility located in the Obolon district of the capital, parents were offered to make additional contributions. Families were asked to pay an admission fee of 20,000 hryvnia, followed by monthly transfers of 13,000 hryvnia. These funds were to be deposited into the account of an external charitable foundation. According to calculations, such expenses could amount to between 75,000 and 130,000 hryvnia per year for a single family.

The role of the charitable foundation and management's position

Information about these practices was published by the project "Khapuga.ua". Journalists established that the funds were to be transferred to a charitable foundation headed by Oksandra Skydan. According to the publication, she personally contacted parents during the enrolment of children and conducted introductory tours of the facility for them.

Oksandra Skydan justified the necessity of such payments by the needs of maintaining staff. In her opinion, approximately 70% of the funds received were spent on employee wages. She also emphasised that monthly contributions are mandatory regardless of whether a child attends classes at the nursery. In cases where parents did not have the ability to bear such financial burdens, the foundation head, as journalists claim, recommended that they look for another facility.

Meanwhile, the official website of the charitable foundation states that over the past three years, the organisation has transferred over 8 million hryvnia in top-ups to nursery staff. However, the official management of the municipal facility told journalists that employees had not received any funds from the foundation — neither in cash, nor to bank accounts, nor in the form of targeted financing.

Oksandra Skydan herself refused to speak with journalists. In a message via a messenger, she denied that the foundation sets any tariffs for parents.

Reaction from the ombudsman and authorities

Education ombudsman Nadiia Leshchyk drew attention to potential violations of legislation that go beyond purely financial aspects. She emphasised that the transfer of personal data of children and their parents to third parties may be illegal. In addition, the ombudsman noted that the head of the charitable foundation has no authority to manage the staff of a municipal preschool education facility.

The district education department, as reported by journalists, was aware of the existence of admission fees. However, they stated that all payments were formally arranged as voluntary. This situation raises questions about the real voluntariness of the contributions, the flow of the charitable foundation's funds, and the possibility of using its financing for the needs of a state facility. The circumstances described require thorough investigation by competent authorities.