A child with special educational needs (SEN / CES) is enrolled in kindergarten on the same calendar as other children, but a disability-grade certificate and/or a school-and-career orientation certificate (from CJRAE) counts as a tiebreak criterion at kindergarten when there are more applications than places. There is no separate reserved quota — it’s a scoring advantage. The assessment and certificates are obtained through the CJRAE Cluj bodies and DGASPC.
This guide explains what SEN means for enrollment, which certificates exist, how to obtain them step by step, and where to go in Cluj.
What SEN means and how it helps with enrollment
At the kindergarten level (preschool, ages 3–6), SEN appears among the general tiebreak criteria — those applied only when the number of applications exceeds places. The methodology (Order ME no. 4018/2024, Art. 11(3)(g)) includes as a criterion:
“the existence of a medical certificate of the child’s disability grade and/or of the school-and-career orientation certificate issued by CJRAE/CMBRAE”
Important to remember:
- It’s a scoring advantage at selection, not a separate admission track or a reserved quota. If there are enough places, all children are admitted anyway.
- At nursery (ante-preschool, ages 0–3), the list of general criteria does not include a child-SEN criterion (only one parent’s disability status appears). So this specific SEN criterion counts at kindergarten.
How selection actually works (counting the criteria) is explained in our guide to the tiebreak criteria.
The two certificates: disability vs. school orientation
There are two different certificates, issued by two different commissions — the child can hold one, the other, or both (that’s why the criterion says “and/or”):
- Disability-grade certificate — issued by the Child Protection Commission (CPC), based on the assessment of the Complex Evaluation Service (SEC) within DGASPC. It is usually valid for a maximum of 2 years.
- School-and-career orientation certificate — issued by COSP (the School and Career Orientation Commission, within CJRAE), based on the SEOSP assessment. Its validity is one school year or one education level, depending on the case.
The legal basis for the process is joint Order no. 1985/1305/5805/2016 (the methodology for assessing, classifying disability grade and school-orientation of children with disabilities and/or SEN).
How to obtain the school-orientation certificate: the steps via CJRAE Cluj
The school-orientation certificate is obtained through SEOSP (the School and Career Evaluation and Orientation Service) within CJRAE Cluj, with the decision issued by COSP:
- Book the file submission — at SEOSP Cluj, files are submitted by appointment only (phone: 0721 249 340). The scanned file can also be sent by email to clujseosp@gmail.com.
- Prepare the file — it usually includes an orientation request, a summary medical sheet, a psycho-pedagogical sheet, a psychological and a psycho-educational assessment, an individualised service plan, and the contract with the family. The exact list and forms may vary, so check them directly with SEOSP Cluj before submitting.
- Assessment and issuance — SEOSP assesses the file, and COSP issues the school-and-career orientation certificate.
SEOSP’s office: Str. Taberei no. 3, building D, 1st floor (Cluj-Napoca). COSP operates at Str. Argeș no. 24, rooms 310–313 (tel. 0364-880711), cjraecluj.ro.
Can a child with SEN enroll at any time?
Here it’s important not to expect more than the law provides. SEN status in itself does not open enrollment outside the normal calendar. There is a single, narrow exception: children with a chronic illness, a malignant condition or other conditions requiring hospitalisation and/or treatment/monitoring longer than 4 weeks may enroll at any time during the year, on supplementary places approved by the ISJ, to access “hospital schooling” (Art. 28¹ of the methodology), with a request + a specialist’s medical letter + the treating doctor’s recommendation.
For all other situations, enrollment follows the normal calendar (re-enrollment → Stage I → Stage II → adjustment stage). See the enrollment calendar.
Support at kindergarten: support teacher and service plan
Children with SEN integrated into mainstream education can receive support services — for example, an itinerant and support teacher, per Order MECTS no. 5574/2011. The school-orientation certificate comes with an individualised service plan, approved by COSP. Special and inclusive education is governed by the Pre-University Education Law no. 198/2023 (Art. 68).
For the general enrollment documents, see our guide to the documents needed for nursery and kindergarten, and for the state-kindergarten steps, enrolling in a state kindergarten.
Useful contacts in Cluj
- CJRAE Cluj / COSP: Str. Argeș no. 24, rooms 310–313, tel. 0364-880711, cjraecluj.ro
- SEOSP Cluj: Str. Taberei no. 3, building D, 1st floor — submission by appointment (tel. 0721 249 340), email clujseosp@gmail.com
- ISJ Cluj: Str. Argeș no. 24, tel. 0264 590 778, isjcj.ro
- DGASPC Cluj — for the disability-grade certificate
Call ahead to confirm the schedule and the current list of documents — these can be updated.
Frequently asked questions
How does an SEN certificate help with kindergarten enrollment? The disability and/or school-orientation certificate is a general tiebreak criterion at kindergarten — it only counts when there are more applications than places, raising the child’s chances. It is not a reserved quota.
Which certificates do I need for a child with SEN? The disability-grade certificate (from the Child Protection Commission, via DGASPC) and/or the school-and-career orientation certificate (from COSP/CJRAE). You can have one or both.
Where do I submit the orientation file in Cluj? At SEOSP Cluj (Str. Taberei no. 3), by appointment only (tel. 0721 249 340), or scanned, to clujseosp@gmail.com.
Can a child with SEN enroll at any time during the year? Not as a rule. The exception applies to children with chronic illness / hospitalisation over 4 weeks (“hospital schooling”), who may enroll at any time on ISJ-approved supplementary places, with medical documents.
What support does the child receive at kindergarten? They may receive an itinerant and support teacher and a COSP-approved individualised service plan, per the special-education legislation.
Sources
- Order ME no. 4018/2024 — Framework enrollment methodology, Art. 11(3)(g) (SEN criterion) and Art. 28¹ (hospital schooling)
- Joint Order no. 1985/1305/5805/2016 — assessment, disability-grade classification and school orientation of children with SEN
- Pre-University Education Law no. 198/2023, Art. 68 (special education)
- Order MECTS no. 5574/2011 — educational support services
- CJRAE Cluj (COSP, SEOSP) and ISJ Cluj
See all our official sources on the data sources page.
Conclusion
For a child with SEN, the two steps that matter are: obtaining the certificates (disability and/or school orientation, via DGASPC and CJRAE Cluj) and enrolling on the normal calendar, where the certificate helps at selection. Call SEOSP Cluj early for the current list of documents. You’ll find every kindergarten and nursery in Cluj-Napoca on the interactive piticluj.ro map.