The Yakutia Republic is currently working to update its early childhood development (ECD) system. Its goal is to ensure a high quality environment for early learning and child care and to enable higher enrolment levels. Currently, a high priority for the Government of Yakutia is to increase access to pre-school education, given the significant level of unmet demand in the Republic. This priority is reflected in its plans, which are supported by the World Bank, to renovate existing preschool facilities and increase capacity by building new ones. In this context, in September 2011 an international team of experts conducted a preparatory mission to Yakutia. It toured 13 of the region's kindergartens: some facilities were standard; others were new and about to open, while others were being renovated. Several meetings were held with the government's main architectural offices to exchange views on the existing conditions in kindergarten facilities and their design, as well as the possibility of optimising cost, quality and pedagogy. While carrying out the on-site visits, the team was able to assess the conditions and capacity of the existing facilities, and take stock of current construction techniques and recent projects funded by the government. The field visit to Yakutia's kindergartens resulted in a plan to identify five to six different sized designs, which would constitute cost-effective and economic construction models.