Strovolos Municipality is moving ahead with the construction of a new nursery, closing a matter that has remained unresolved for more than two decades and is tied to the wish of the late Katina Mikellidou to see her property used for the care of infants and toddlers. The Strovolos Municipal Council, at its meeting on 8 September 2026, decided to proceed with the project, part of a wider effort to strengthen preschool care infrastructure and support families, particularly working parents.
The project's history begins in 2003, when Katina Mikellidou, a Strovolos resident, established the "Katina Mikellidou" Charitable Foundation, donating to it her property on Stadiou Street in Strovolos. Her wish was for the site to become a facility caring for infants and toddlers.
The creation of the nursery had remained in the municipality's plans for years. The Katina Mikellidou Foundation's purpose is the construction and operation of a facility that will care for infants and toddlers in a safe environment, at the lowest possible cost to families. The project has now been included in Strovolos Municipality's strategic plan through 2030, recorded there as the "Creation of a Nursery, the Katina Mikellidou Project," aimed at strengthening family support and preschool care in the community. The timeline set out runs from September 2027 to December 2029, with funding drawn from European, national and the municipality's own resources. The new facility will be designed in line with current legislation and standards governing safety, accessibility and sustainability.
According to the municipality's plans, the aim is to create a modern early-years education and care facility that will meet the needs of infants and toddlers while offering an affordable, reliable option for Strovolos families. The new nursery will join the social facilities already operating under the municipality. The Strovolos Multipurpose Municipal Centre currently provides a range of social support services, including child protection and activity centres, counselling services and family support programmes. With the council's decision, the way is now open for Katina Mikellidou's property, 23 years on, to be used for the purpose for which it was donated.
'Fulfilling an obligation'
Speaking to Politis, Strovolos Mayor Stavros Stavrinides said the decision to build the new nursery fulfils an obligation the municipality has held for years towards the Katina Mikellidou Charitable Foundation. "This is a project of particular social importance, one we owed it to ourselves to move forward with, out of respect for the wish of the late Katina Mikellidou, who donated her property for a specific purpose. We want to create a modern, safe nursery that will offer real support to Strovolos families, and particularly to working parents," he said. Stavrinides added that the procedures for designing and implementing the project will move forward in the coming period, noting that the aim is "for Katina Mikellidou's donation, after all these years, to finally leave the social mark it was intended to."
