June is Parenting Month

Belgrade, 19 June 2024 – Every June, UNICEF celebrates Parenting Month to highlight that caring for parents is crucial for the well-being of children, as they play a key role in their children's growth and development. Parenting carries significant responsibility, encompassing much more than meeting basic needs. It lays the foundation for a child's entire life.

The knowledge and skills parents possess are essential for ensuring the optimal development, well-being, and future success of their children. When children are surrounded by love, attention, and support from their parents, they develop into secure, confident individuals ready to face life's challenges. Parenting is a journey, and parents also need advice and support along the way.

“Our goal is to open doors for families with children across Serbia and improve the quality of the support they need. So far, through the Bebbo app alone, 100,000 parents have received valuable parenting advice, over 60,000 children and families have received support through the work of patronage services, preschool educators, and parenting schools. More than 3,000 children have received professional support for early risk and developmental issue identification and early intervention. We want every door parents knock on to be open and the path to solving parenting dilemmas clear,” said Jelena Zajeganovic Jakovljevic, Early Childhood Development Specialist at UNICEF Serbia.

Parents need the support of the entire system to provide nurturing care in a safe environment that respects children's needs. Parents who receive parenting support through information, services, access to support programs, and counselling that help them in their parenting role and promote the well-being of both parents and children – gain more confidence, better skills, and improve their own well-being. Parents with such support are more prepared to provide nurturing care to their children.

Supporting parents benefits not only children but also creates stronger, healthier, and more resilient families and communities. Adequate and well-planned investments in services aimed at improving the quality of life for families with children are crucial for the development and growth of every child. It is important for parents to acquire the knowledge and skills to navigate challenging circumstances from the very beginning and to realize how profoundly and positively they can influence the course of their child's future life.

In collaboration with state institutions and other partners, UNICEF strives to strengthen the family care system in which every door a parent knocks on is open – including patronage services, parenting schools, and specially designed spaces within health centres where both children and parents feel at home.

To support the role of the family in our society, UNICEF has launched a fundraising campaign and calls on citizens and the business sector to contribute to the common goal – for parents to have access to quality and available services across the country, thereby empowering families in Serbia.