TenerifeGran CanariaLa PalmaLa GomeraEl HierroLanzaroteFuerteventuraÁrea Metropolitana de Santa Cruz - La LagunaAcentejoValle de La OrotavaIcodDauteSuroeste de TenerifeAbonaValle de GüímarÁrea Metropolitana de Las PalmasCentro Norte de Gran CanariaNoroeste de Gran CanariaOeste de Gran CanariaSuroeste de Gran CanariaSureste de Gran CanariaLa Palma CapitalinaValle de AridaneNoroeste de La PalmaNoreste de La PalmaLa Gomera NorteLa Gomera SurEl Hierro (comarca)Lanzarote NorteLanzarote EsteLanzarote SuroesteFuerteventura NorteFuerteventura CentroFuerteventura SurTenerifeGran CanariaLa PalmaLa GomeraEl HierroLanzaroteFuerteventuraÁrea Metropolitana de Santa Cruz - La LagunaAcentejoValle de La OrotavaIcodDauteSuroeste de TenerifeAbonaValle de GüímarÁrea Metropolitana de Las PalmasCentro Norte de Gran CanariaNoroeste de Gran CanariaOeste de Gran CanariaSuroeste de Gran CanariaSureste de Gran CanariaLa Palma CapitalinaValle de AridaneNoroeste de La PalmaNoreste de La PalmaLa Gomera NorteLa Gomera SurEl Hierro (comarca)Lanzarote NorteLanzarote EsteLanzarote SuroesteFuerteventura NorteFuerteventura CentroFuerteventura Sur
ES|EN
La Voz Canaria logoLa Voz Canaria

Zárate's Las Folías nursery school to remain open next academic year

The Department of Social Welfare guarantees the continuity of the service until 2027 following months of neighborhood and political mobilization.

Generic image of a public nursery school with a playground area.
IA

Generic image of a public nursery school with a playground area.

The Las Folías Nursery School, located in the Zárate neighborhood of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, will continue to operate at least through the 2026-2027 academic year. This decision averts its previously announced closure by the Department of Social Welfare and ensures the service for local families.

The Zárate neighborhood association has celebrated the continuation of the Las Folías Nursery School, which will remain open at least until the 2026-2027 academic year. This decision, announced this Wednesday, prevents the closure previously announced by the Department of Social Welfare and guarantees the continuity of the public service for children under three years old in the neighborhood.
The neighborhood entity considers this maintenance a "decisive step" for the future of the center, which is the only public facility in Zárate for children up to three years old. Its closure would have necessitated the transfer of students and staff to other facilities.
The Department of Social Welfare had justified the initial closure based on a reorganization of its nursery school network and a decrease in enrollment. These reasons prompted protests and the collection of over 3,000 signatures from affected families, workers, and residents.
Although the Department of Education announced the opening of a classroom for two to three-year-olds at CEIP Alisios, with 18 places, those affected argued that this alternative did not cover all age groups nor replace the full offering of Las Folías.
The center's continuity has been achieved following mediation by the Minister of Education, Poli Suárez, with Social Welfare, to consider the social reality of the neighborhood. The measure ensures the opening for the next academic year, although the school's long-term future is not yet definitively resolved.
The demand to keep the school open also reached the Parliament of the Canary Islands and the City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, where initiatives were approved to request the suspension of the closure.
The neighborhood association has expressed its gratitude to the PSOE, Podemos, and Hablemos Ahora, as well as their representatives in the City Council and the Cabildo, and to deputy Elena Máñez. They have also acknowledged the involvement of families, workers, and residents, emphasizing that "rights are not granted, they are defended and conquered."

Related News