The ceremony was attended by the Secretary of State for Social Action and Inclusion, Clara Marques Mendes, and the provider of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Barcelos, Nuno Reis, among other entities. The project, representing an investment of 130 thousand euros with co-financing from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), repurposed a previously unused space.
The Councilor for Education, Dalva Rodrigues, highlighted the importance of networking between institutions and the municipality for children's development and family support, fostering a more inclusive community.
Nuno Reis, provider of the Santa Casa, emphasized the creation of 32 new spots and warned about the financial sustainability challenges of social responses, given the gap between real costs and public co-financing.
In response, Secretary of State Clara Marques Mendes committed to updating public co-financing for preschool education, aiming for 50% of costs by the end of the legislative term, and praised the Santa Casa's work.
These works are part of a series of investments by the Santa Casa in the area of childhood, including interventions at the Rainha Santa Isabel Nursery and the Silveiros Social Center. In total, these projects will provide an additional 105 nursery places and 25 preschool education places in the municipality for the 2026/2027 academic year.
