Mobile daycare brings education and support for children in war-torn Ukraine

A mobile education and daycare centre, designed to provide early childhood education and psychosocial support to children in war-torn Ukraine, has been launched. 

The project, named "Fun Academy on Wheels," is a collaboration between Fun Academy, a Finnish startup, and 30 other partner companies. The mobile centre aims to ensure children in Ukraine’s Kherson region continue to receive high-quality early childhood education despite the ongoing conflict.

The centre comes at a critical time for Ukraine, as the war continues to affect the nation’s educational infrastructure. According to reports, nearly 400 educational institutions in the country have been completely destroyed, with close to 3,800 damaged by shelling. With many areas rendered unsafe for traditional day care centres due to landmines and air raids, the mobile unit is designed to provide a safe, adaptable learning environment.

The mobile daycare, which is housed in a bus donated by Finland's largest bus operator, Koiviston Auto, will offer not only education but also psychosocial support to children. This ensures that children can learn and play in a secure setting close to bomb shelters, so they can be evacuated swiftly in case of emergencies.

Fun Academy’s Fun Learning Ambassador Sanna Lukander says:. 

““In traumatic surroundings children need a safe environment where they can play, relax and learn in a natural way," says Sanna Lukander, Fun Learning Ambassador for Fun Academy.

“The possibility to act as a continuing education center extends the project’s influence as Ukrainian professionals can provide remote training to a larger area. However, the main objective of the bus is to ‘transport joy’, as one small child noted when they saw our bus.”

The project, launched with support from the Ministry of the Interior of Finland and Ukrainian organisations like the Ukrainian Board of Education and the Ukrainian Institute of Education Development (UIED), will start its journey in Kherson. It is designed to support both teachers and children by offering a space for learning and psychological relief.

Addressing trauma through psychosocial support

A key focus of the initiative is providing psychosocial support to children who have been deeply affected by the war. Psychologist Olga Dedov, who works with the Municipal Institution "Center for Professional Development of Pedagogical Workers" in the Chernivtsi region, highlighted the importance of this support:

“Our children, like all of us, experience incredible stress, loss, fear and uncertainty about the future. War leaves deep traumas on children's psyche.

“The children who receive the necessary psychosocial support today will be the ones who will rebuild our country tomorrow, who will contribute to its development and prosperity.”

The mobile day care initiative also seeks to assist teachers in their professional development, particularly in areas related to providing educational services in mobile environments. 

The bus is equipped to serve as a training centre, where teachers can receive practical experience and guidance in delivering psychosocial care and educational services to children affected by the war.

Collaboration and contributions

The project was made possible by the contributions of various partner organisations. Koiviston Auto provided the bus, which underwent extensive modifications to transform it into a mobile education centre. Michael Andersson, the company’s technical director, praised the team’s efforts in renovating the bus:

“The amount of modifications needed to transform the bus was extensive, but our chassis repair center in Helsinki with the help of our partner network did a tremendous job.

“In the turn of the year 2022–23 we sent 15 buses to Ukraine to help with transporting school children. We investigated the possibility of cooperating with the Ministry of Interior, but we ended up transporting the buses ourselves. It was a big deal for us, so we were happy to step up again to help Ukraine.”

The project also saw contributions from Finnish daycare children, who sent drawings to Ukrainian children. Two Finnish hobby horse riders, Noora and Kiira, donated some of their prized hobby horses, hoping they would bring joy to children in Ukraine.

A new approach to Early Childhood education

The mobile kindergarten also aligns with a new law in Ukraine, set to come into force in 2025. Article 35 of the Law "On Preschool Education" establishes mobile kindergartens as a form of educational activity. These mobile units can provide educational services in regions where it is currently impossible to build new kindergartens due to the war.

Iryna Novyk, head of the professional development division of the Ukrainian Institute of Education Development highlighted the importance of early education:

“We cannot ignore the fact that investing in early education and care is an important social and economic step. Children who receive proper education and care at an early age are more likely to become healthy, educated and active members of society. 

“This reduces the costs of social services in the future, increases economic productivity and contributes to the general welfare of society. Quality education and care in early childhood is an investment in the future of our country. This is an investment in the health, happiness and success of every child.”