UNICEF and Vojput equipped six kindergarten rooms in Subotica

Stari Žednik/Subotica, 24 April 2024 – Kindergarten “Morska zvezda” (“Starfish”) in Stari Žednik is one of six kindergartens that received furniture and the necessary didactic equipment, thanks to UNICEF and the donation from company Vojput from Subotica. “Morska zvezda” belongs to the Preschool Institution “Naša radost” which directed the donation in the amount of 3.54 million dinars to equipping a total of six kindergarten rooms on the territory of the municipality of Subotica, with appropriate equipment, furniture and didactic materials that are the necessary tools for learning and exploration of children in kindergartens.

“We know that preschool age is a unique age in the life of every child, a period of acquiring first knowledge and gaining experiences that will mark a person’s entire life. This is the period of the child’s socialization, intensive socializing with peers and learning by playing. Attending preschool education prepares children for starting school and we are very grateful for this donation, and we will use it to provide the furniture and equipment necessary for work in six kindergartens in Subotica”, said Violeta Vrcelj Odri, pedagogist at the Preschool Institution “Naša radost” in Subotica.

At preschool age, a child’s brain develops at a speed that our brains will never reach again, and participating in preschool education programmes encourages learning and creates a solid foundation for further progress in life. That is why UNICEF is one of the partners of the Ministry of Education in efforts to increase the coverage, develop the quality and fairness of preschool education in Serbia. 

“If we guide children towards learning from an early age, and simultaneously encourage them to socialize and establish contacts with their peers and people from their environment, we are giving them a healthy foundation for their entire life. As a father of three daughters, whom I raised from the earliest age to learn and to get an education and to be curious, I wanted to send a donation to the future and simultaneously support the local community in which the Vojput has been operating for years”, said Goran Janković, Director of Vojput.

Symbolically named “Years of Ascent”, the new preschool curriculum framework allows children to learn through play, gain self-confidence and develop important life skills, such as creativity, curiosity, persistence, resilience, decision-making and communicativeness and empathy. More than 21,300 preschool teachers, pedagogues, psychologists and directors have been trained for the implementation of the new Preschool Curriculum Framework.

“UNICEF is committed to ensuring that children start learning from the earliest age, because this is when a child’s brain develops the fastest, while a child who does not attend preschool is at greater risk of poor school performance, repeating grades and dropping out of school. Investing in education is the best way to fight poverty and build a fairer society, and it is important to make preschool education available to every child. UNICEF has the strength to unite different partners around the same cause, and we are all very grateful to Vojput, who have supported various UNICEF programmes in the last three years with more than 10 million dinars”, said Jelena Kovačević from UNICEF Serbia.

In our country, only 11% of children from the poorest households and only 7% of children from Roma settlements attend preschool education and UNICEF continues to work with partners both on empowering professionals from preschool institutions and equipping kindergartens so that preschool education is available to all children throughout Serbia.