Aragón grants 852,267 euros to town councils for rural Early Childhood Centers

The Vice President and Councilor for Deregulation, Social Welfare, and Family, Alejandro Nolasco Asensio, signed on October 16 Order DBF/1538/2026, which resolves the 2026 call for grants for the development of the “Childhood Houses in the Aragonese Rural Environment” service, aimed at the care of children from 0 to 3 years old. The resolution is published in the Official Gazette of Aragon number 208, dated October 27, 2026, under reference BOA20261027018, and distributes a total of 852,267.66 euros among the selected city councils.

852,267.66 euros in two aid lines

The total amount granted amounts to eight hundred fifty-two thousand two hundred sixty-seven euros and sixty-six cents, with the following breakdown:

• Line 1: 634,088.98 euros, charged to budget applications G/3133/460329/35017 and G/3133/460329/91002, destined for personnel expenses, consumable materials, supplies, dissemination, management, and administration.
• Line 2: 218,178.68 euros, charged to application G/3133/760247/91002, for investments and equipment necessary for the operation of the Childhood House.

The available credit in the call was 150,000 euros charged to the Corresponsables Plan, 674,602.08 euros for childhood aid in the rural environment, and 250,000 euros for investments. The evaluation of the applications was carried out according to the criteria of the thirteenth section of Order DBF/1209/2026, of July 28, which required a minimum score of 50 points to access the aid.

Beneficiary city councils and service requirements

The call is addressed to the city councils of Aragon that assume the commitment to launch and maintain the service in municipalities where, preferably, no other continuous care resource exists for that age group. The list of beneficiary entities, the purpose of each grant, the score obtained, and the amount granted appear in Annex I, accessible via the address https://mia.aragon.es/documentos with the verification code CSV1H59WNJ5L6150XFIL.

The service conditions approved in the call establish:

• Care for children from 0 to 3 years old, including nutrition, hygiene, rest, and physical, motor, affective, intellectual, and social development activities, in collaboration with families.
• A general ratio of one caregiver for every five children, which is assessed individually if minors with specific support needs are integrated.
• Priority access for families residing or working in the municipality, and the possibility of admitting families from nearby municipalities.
• The freedom of each city council to establish the service as free or with co-payment.

The assessment, carried out by the Assessment Commission on October 8, 2026, scored the technical quality of the project, the Synthetic Index of Territorial Development of the locality, the lack of childcare services, the social and family impact, the capacity to generate employment and retain population, the economic viability, and the available resources and equipment.

One inadmissible file, one withdrawn, and one denied

Along with the grants, the order adopts three unfavorable decisions, all detailed in annexes II, III, and IV, which can be consulted using the same verification code:

• Inadmissibility of the request in annex II for being submitted after the deadline, pursuant to article 68.4 of Law 39/2015, of October 1.
• Withdrawal of the request in annex III.
• Denial of the request in annex IV because the requesting entity was not up to date with tax obligations to the Autonomous Community of Aragon.

The procedure was processed under Order CDS/1427/2021, of October 21, which approves the regulatory bases for subsidies to Aragonese local entities, and the consolidated text of the Subsidies Law of Aragon, approved by Legislative Decree 2/2023. The hearing process was waived as there were no other facts or allegations beyond those provided by the interested entities.

90% advance payment and justification calendar

Payment will be made as an advance of 90% of the granted aid, without the need to present a guarantee; the remaining 10% will be released upon justification of 10% of the total project amount. The established deadlines are:

• From November 3 to 17, 2026, for expenses relating to 10% of the total execution.
• From July 1 to 30, 2027, for the remaining 90% of the execution.

Beneficiary entities must comply with the obligations of the fifteenth section of the call order and article 21 of Order CDS/1427/2021, and provide any requested information regarding transparency within fifteen days.

Relevance

The resolution closes the 2026 aid map for a service that supports work-life balance in Aragonese rural centers, where the absence of continuous care resources for children under three affects the permanence of young families. Against the order, which exhausts the administrative route, an appeal for reversal may be filed before the Vice President and Councilor for Deregulation, Social Welfare and Family within one month, or a contentious-administrative appeal before the Contentious-Administrative Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Aragon within two months, counting from the day following its publication.

Source: Official Gazette of Aragon, number 208, of October 27, 2026, section III (official reference: BOA20261027018).