Childhood and parenting without kindergartens

Babina Greda, a small village in Vukovar-Srijem County, still does not have a kindergarten. It didn't have one when Lucija gave birth to Marko either.

“I used to drive him to a kindergarten in Cerna, which is 15 kilometres away, which means that I used to do 15 kilometres in both directions and then I had to do it again. Financially, it was a big expense and in terms of time, don’t let me get started on that because you know that when you work and have three children, every minute counts,” says Lucija, who runs her own hairdresser’s salon.

In the neighbouring Sikirevci, a small municipality in Brod-Posavina County, the situation is the same, particularly since most families here have at least three children.

“We depend on grandmothers, grandfathers, neighbours, and we do the best we can. … Very few young women my age go to work because there is no one they can entrust their children to,” says Dajana, a mother of three from Sikirevci.

In both villages, there are play centres in which children spend three hours, which is a big change and a great joy for the children.

“I love to play with friends. I love it when we paint together and when we play in the sand, and when we are doing something together. At home, there and no children. I have a little sister, but she doesn’t know how to play really,” says Lea (6) from Babina Greda when we asked why she loves the play centre.

“I love to play school with friends,” adds three-year-old Mario who enjoys playing with bigger girls who teach him new skills.

Parents have noticed great progress in knowledge, skills and in the social skills of their children and wonder how much greater that progress would be if there were whole-day kindergartens in their settlements.

“There is a big difference because they work with children a lot,” says Lucija from Babina Greda.

“You can really tell how the child is happier, more joyful. Their days are filled with quality activities,” adds Dajana, a mum from Sikirevci.

In Vukovar-Srijem County, only one in three children attend kindergarten, while Brod-Posavina is the county where the number of children in kindergarten is the lowest, at only 24.4 percent. In contrast, in Zagreb, 82.8 percent of girls and boys go to kindergarten.

Kindergartens are more than just baby-sitting centres for working parents. It is a place where the child’s potential develops from the earliest age. Children who do not go to kindergarten are denied opportunities to develop their skills, talents and to learn in a modern way. Public investment in preschools and in education for all girls and boys provide multiple benefits for children, families, and society as a whole.