As part of the “Inclusive Preschool Education and Care” project implemented by the Ministry of Education, 21 classrooms in the city of Valjevo were equipped with a loan from the World Bank. The preschool institution “Milica Nozica” currently serves 2,217 children in full-time and 314 in half-day programs. With 517 children on the waiting list, there is a pressing need to increase coverage.

The new space, comprising two facilities – “Palcica” with 11 rooms and “Mali Princ” with 10 rooms – will significantly reduce the existing waiting list and enhance the coverage of children. The preschool institution focuses on the inclusion of children, ensuring that the educational program caters to children from different religious affiliations, national minorities (including 31 Roma and 1 Chinese), and children receiving financial and social assistance.

Valjevo, being a city conducive to the development of various industries, attracts numerous foreign and domestic companies, leading to the opening of factories and new job opportunities. This is particularly beneficial for young parents, whose children are now beneficiaries of preschool institutions.

Recognizing this need, the Ministry of Education and the Novak DJokovic Foundation collaborated under the “Inclusive Preschool Education and Care” project to fully equip the 21 study rooms. These rooms include 5 younger daycare groups, 10 older daycare groups, 4 mixed groups, and two preparatory-preschool groups. Along with carefully selected and adapted furniture for each age group, the rooms are furnished with new toys, carpets, lazy bags, easels for painting, books, and necessary consumables. In the new groups in the city of Valjevo, 470 new children between the ages of 1 and 7 have been enrolled, and the rooms are equipped in accordance with the needs of our youngest residents.

You can see the photos here.

As part of the “Inclusive Preschool Upbringing and Education” project implemented by the Ministry of Education, with a loan from the World Bank, 6 workrooms were equipped in the new building of PU “Decija radost” in the municipality of Bosilegrad.

The Ministry of Education, through the World Bank loan and the project “Inclusive Preschool Upbringing and Education,” allocated funds to fully equip 6 workrooms in the new facility. This initiative will facilitate the enrollment of approximately 120 children of preschool and nursery age.

While the construction of the new building was funded by the Ministry of Public Investments, the municipality of Bosilegrad financed the project development, entire project documentation, plan development, and the building permit.

Significantly, the new facility now allows the enrollment of nursery-age children for the first time since the institution’s establishment. Previously, only children aged 3 to school age could attend the “Decija radost” preschool in Bosilegrad. Starting from this school year, three nursery groups will be opened for children aged 1 to 3.

The rooms are furnished with carefully selected furniture, toys, didactics, consumables, picture books, and books, all chosen with special attention to meet the needs of the respective age groups.

You can view the photos here.

As part of the project “Inclusive Preschool Education and Care” implemented by the Ministry of Education, with a loan from the World Bank, 4 educational rooms were equipped in PU “Decje Carstvo”, in the territory of the municipality of Velika Plana.

The preschool institution “Decije carstvo” has been in existence since 1977, providing educational services to children aged 1 to 6. Across several facilities within the entire municipality, educational work is conducted in a total of 53 groups. In the current year, 1,146 children have been enrolled.

Through the “Inclusive Preschool Education and Care” project, the capacities of “Decije Carstvo” were expanded, addressing waiting lists for specific facilities and significantly improving the quality of space and conditions for children’s stay in kindergartens.

The Ministry of Education, utilizing the World Bank loan within the project, allocated funds and fully equipped four classrooms. This enhancement enables the enrollment of 50 preschool-age children and 30 nursery-age children. The project extends its reach to rural areas, including Lozovik and Donja Livadica. With the support of the Ministry of Education, the preschool institution and the municipality of Velika Plana are committed to enhancing the fairness and availability of preschool upbringing and education, particularly for children from vulnerable groups.

The rooms are furnished with carefully selected furniture, toys, didactics, consumables, picture books, and books, all chosen with special attention to meeting the needs of different age groups.

You can see the photos here.

The fair of education and teaching aids entitled “Let’s make the world better” started on 21.10.2023. at the Belgrade Fair, and on the first day at the stand of the Ministry of Education, preschool institutions from all over Serbia presented themselves.

Preschoolers and their teachers from preschool institutions “Decja radost” from Pancevo, “Radost” from Novi Banovac and “Nasa radost” from Sopot presented their activities at the stand of the Ministry of Education, how they explore through play, gain new experiences, build relationships with peers and adults and develop their potential and talents. Children from the preschool institution from Pancevo, together with their teachers, realized workshops within the projects “Nasa prva bajka” and “Zajedno u svetu”, while children from the kindergarten from Novi Banovci showed how they see their parents in the kindergarten.

In the Conference Hall, the results of the Project “Inclusive Preschool Education and Care” were presented, as well as the experiences of preschool institutions in the application of innovative models of professional development and professional exchange in the function of the quality application of the new program concept “Godine uzleta”, as well as the parenting fairs organized through this project all over Serbia.

Also, the platform for professional development and training “Pasos za ucenje” was presented to the educators, which is implemented in cooperation with ZUOV and UNICEF. Educators from the Preschool “Deciji Dani” from the Old Town shared their experiences in using this platform. Also, preschool institutions “Lane” from Pirot, “Nata Veljkovic” from Krusevac, “Pahuljica” from Brus, and “Nasa radost” from Aleksandrovac presented learning models and exchanged experiences.

During the first day of the fair, preschool institutions “Nada Naumovic” from Kragujevac and “Dragoljub Udicki” from Kikinda also had their presentations.

You can watch the video from the Education Fair HERE

See pictures from the Education Fair HERE

Contracts for the financing and construction of new kindergartens in Leskovac and Cicevac were signed today at the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Serbia. The contracts were signed by the Minister of Education, Ph.D. Slavica DJukic Dejanovic, President of the Municipality of Cicevac, Mirjana Krkic, Deputy Mayor of Leskovac, Lidija Dimitrijevic, and representatives of the contractors.

The construction of two new kindergartens will provide a total of 320 new places for children, with 120 in Leskovac and 200 in Cicevac. The new facility in Leskovac will cover about 780 square meters, with an investment of over 102 million dinars. More than 174 million dinars will be invested in the construction of the new kindergarten in Cicevac, which will cover an area of approximately 1,360 square meters. The planned deadline for the completion of the works is 8 months from the laying of the foundation stone.

“The signing of the contract for the financing and construction of two new kindergartens, with a total value of about 277 million dinars, confirms the commitment of the Ministry of Education to improving the preschool education system. By building new facilities and expanding capacity, we continue with our mission to support the development and education of children from the earliest age. We believe that their inclusion in the system of pre-school education and care is crucial, representing the foundation for their happy childhood, further education, as well as their entire future,” said Minister of Education, Ph.D. Slavica DJukic Dejanovic.

“Carolija” preschool operates in a central building in Cicevac itself, which was built in 1956 for the needs of the ambulance at the time and adapted in 1972 for the needs of the preschool in which it still operates. Further adaptation of such an old building is not possible, and our current needs and the number of children exceed this space. The construction of a new kindergarten will completely change the picture of preschool education for children in our municipality. The biggest benefit will be for our youngest and their parents, and after that, the local self-government, as they will invest fewer funds in the adaptation and repairs of the dilapidated building and its installations. It is particularly significant that our youngest will receive a space built according to the latest standards, where they will develop and grow up in the most sensitive period of their lives,” said Mirjana Krkic, President of the Municipality of Cicevac.

The Deputy Mayor of Leskovac, Lidija Dimitrijevic, mentioned that the city of Leskovac approaches education with dedication and allocates more funds for this area every year, considering it a supporting pillar of the development of the entire society.

“The new facility of the Preschool “Vukica Mitrovic” will increase the capacity for children to stay in kindergartens, which will not fully meet the needs of our city, but it is a step closer to solving the situation we are in. We will build another pleasant and safe place where preschool upbringing and education takes place – a kindergarten where children will enjoy learning and feel safe to explore and do new things,” said Deputy Mayor Dimitrijevic.

The construction of two new kindergartens is part of the “Inclusive Preschool Education and Care” project, which the Ministry of Education is implementing with the support of the World Bank and in cooperation with local governments. The project, in addition to expanding the capacity of preschool institutions, pays special attention to improving preschool education through the introduction of the New Foundations of the Program, as well as the knowledge and skills of professional staff through mentoring support and training for educators. The plan is to build and upgrade a total of 23 facilities in 22 local governments, providing a total of 11,000 new places for children. Additionally, more than 12,000 educators will receive mentoring support and training. An important aspect of the program is the inclusion of children from the earliest age. The total value of the project is 47 million euros.

You can see the photos here.