PRESCHOOL FOR ALL

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, only 44% of children aged 3 to 6 go to kindergarten. UNICEF's Investment Studies suggest that every convertible mark invested would return to society sevenfold.

This type of investment projection may seem abstract at first glance, but from the perspective of parents, who thanks to kindergartens, can devote themselves to education, careers and everything that ultimately increases social income and family stability, this type of service is not at all abstract.

There are currently about 200 children, divided into eleven groups, in the "Čika Jova Zmaj" kindergarten in Foča.

One of them, five-year-old Vlado, is our host and guide through the kindergarten.

"I am now five years old, and this year I will go to school, and I am completely ready. I learned to draw here, and I can also write, let me show you the card I made for my teacher's birthday."

After he remembered my date of birth and promised to write me a card, we return to the conversation. I find out that he has 23 friends, that he is not going to sports with them today, because he had a cold, so he is afraid of infecting them, that he has learned how to share things among friends, without anyone getting angry.

Vlado's mother, Jelena, is a doctor, currently undergoing specialization, so due to the nature of her work, she is often absent.

"The fact that I could leave my child, not in care, but in a place where he will acquire knowledge and life skills, with professional, caring and attentive people, is of key importance for me. I think that kindergarten is financially more affordable than having someone look after a child in your house, but the true value of kindergarten is that Vlado knows how to function as part of a team, and that is necessary before leaving for school," concludes Jelena.

According to data from UNICEF's investment in early childhood development and education studies, increasing the coverage of pre-school education in Bosnia and Herzegovina could enable access to the labor market for over 2,200 women annually. This would generate more than 500 million KM for the BiH economy in the next 30 years.

In addition to the regular kindergarten program, the kindergarten also has a resource center for children with developmental disabilities, where assessment and early intervention of developmental disorders in children is carried out. Most often, we are talking about speech therapy treatments, but also the stimulation of neuro-motor skills, in which some children are late.

Dad Stefan is a priest, and he accompanied five-year-old Nada and two-year-old Josip to kindergarten. Nada has congenital vision problems and has already undergone several medical interventions abroad. This difficulty is not a problem for her when it comes to playing, learning, and socializing. She tells me that she has 5 best friends, that they like to play with dolls, as well as games outside. She has learned to draw and likes to draw, and of the kindergarten food, she likes the cabbage the most

Stefan tells us that it is extremely important for him and his wife that the children are in kindergarten, both for safety, for the acquisition of new skills and socialization, and for the time in which they, as parents, can deal with their work and the rest of the family. The support of the Republika Srpska Children's Fund, which covers the costs of the kindergarten, is important to them since Nada's medical treatments are not cheap. Stefan believes that many families with small children would benefit from this type of support.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, preschool education is insufficiently funded. In the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, only 5.5% of the total budget for education is allocated to preschool, that is, 9.3% in the Republic of Srpska and 7.6% in the Brčko District. Increasing the coverage of preschool education would generate over 33 billion KM for the BiH economy in the next 30 years.

The children and parents we met are feeling these benefits now. It is up to us to make sure that this message reaches those who make decisions about financing pre-school education in Bosnia and Herzegovina, from which no child will be left out.