The Importance of Kindergarten

A kindergarten with qualified teachers has many advantages over other forms of care, as the professional staff, using established methods, ensures that children develop:

  • the ability to understand themselves and others,
  • the ability to negotiate, respect diversity, and collaborate in groups,
  • the ability to recognize emotions and encourage emotional experience and expression,
  • curiosity, a spirit of exploration, imagination, intuition, and independent thinking,
  • language skills in both Slovenian and foreign languages, including speech, and later reading and writing,
  • experience of art and artistic expression,
  • acquisition of knowledge from various scientific fields and in the context of everyday life,
  • movement abilities,
  • independence in hygiene habits and health care.
  • Work Methodology

    We perceive the educational process as a holistic experience, which includes parents, educators, and the wider community. In all activities, we encourage children to independently solve challenges and be autonomous in activities for which they are already mature, such as dressing or eating. Educators communicate with children in a friendly, clear, and concrete manner, encouraging them to develop their abilities and a positive outlook on life. They strive to consciously shape good habits and values.

    Activities and work methods are repeated or performed under the same time and spatial conditions. This provides children with a sense of security and enables them to participate in areas where they are capable. Each child is treated individually, and the approach to the child is adapted to their actual characteristics and abilities. The annual work plan and approach to individual children are adjusted to their age and abilities, not the class.

    It is important for children to attend kindergarten regularly. The entire kindergarten life is based on a harmonious rhythm and repetition, ensuring a sense of security and acceptance. If a child is frequently absent, it hinders their connection with group activities. It also helps the child if they arrive at the same time each day. This allows them to integrate more easily into the activities and the overall social environment.

    By attending kindergarten, children are exposed to various illnesses, contagious childhood diseases, and viruses. A sick child should stay at home, as they can spread illness to their peers and require rest, peace, attention, and proper care. Symptoms that alert parents that their child needs home care include: fever, unusual fatigue, irritability, difficulty breathing, continuous crying, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, persistent coughing, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, nasal discharge, use of antibiotics, purulent eye infection, etc. If the educator assesses that the child cannot participate in the educational process due to poor health, they will not admit the child to the class or will call the parents to take the child home. The child has the right to rest and individual care in a suitable environment until the symptoms of the illness disappear.

    Toys are regularly cleaned and, if necessary, disinfected. We use paper tissues and towels for hands, liquid soap, and disposable changing mats for diapering. In case of contagious diseases or viruses, the premises and equipment are disinfected and cleaned, and all bedding is replaced. Staff follow health hygiene regime guidelines to prevent and limit the spread of contagious diseases, undergo regular medical check-ups, and maintain proper documentation in accordance with regulations. We strictly adhere to hygiene principles, including hand washing and other protective measures.

    We ensure children spend time outdoors daily and ensure they are dressed in warm and dry clothes. The diet includes five meals made from quality ingredients (lots of fresh vegetables and fruit, very few sweets, etc.). Lunches for our kindergarten are provided by an external supplier (a nearby kindergarten). Upon request or parental need, we can also provide a special diet for children.

    Rooms are frequently ventilated (when children are not in the room). Educators teach children to wash their hands, wipe, maintain cleanliness in the bathroom, brush their teeth, dress, etc. All these activities are carefully supervised by educators and assistants, who help and encourage the children with songs and stories. After lunch, children rest, and the length of the rest period is determined by the educator based on the needs of the individual child and in agreement with the parents. The educator calms the children by telling stories or singing.

    Educators and other kindergarten staff prepare thoroughly for educational work with children. The preparations include selecting and learning stories, preparing puppet shows, composing circle games, finger games, rhythmic games, preparing celebrations and birthdays, preparing educational content, making and repairing toys, purchasing materials for educational work, cleaning, disinfecting, and rearranging spaces.

    In the kindergarten, we strive for children to explore the world through their own activities rather than through television and other electronic media, which children passively consume and which can lead to media dependence, mental passivity, and consumerism.

    Parents are responsible for the child until they personally hand them over to the educator in the morning and from the moment the educator hands the child back to the parents in the afternoon. If parents cannot pick up the child personally, they can send another adult, who must present written authorization from the parents. Parents and children should not bring jewelry, watches, personal items, sweets, toys, etc., to the kindergarten. The kindergarten cannot be held responsible for such items. During celebrations, trips, and other events attended by parents, parents are responsible for the safety of their child.

    Children have the right to have their personal dignity respected as unique individuals, to equal opportunities and optimal development regardless of gender, nationality, race, social and cultural background, religion, etc., to a safe, healthy, and understanding environment, professional work and treatment that takes into account the characteristics of a child’s development at a given age, to play (as play is for them what learning is for schoolchildren and work is for adults), and to experience true human qualities conveyed by adults as role models.

    Parents have the right to have their role as the primary bearers of responsibility for their child’s upbringing and development respected and considered, the right to freely decide on enrolling their child in kindergarten, thereby exercising their right to choose education, to be informed about the program and operation of the kindergarten, to actively participate in activities proposed by the kindergarten, to be informed about their child’s well-being and development, and to receive professional assistance in their child’s upbringing.

    Parents have the following obligations: to familiarize themselves with the kindergarten’s life and organization of work, to cooperate with educators for the benefit of the child, to report absences, to inform the staff of significant changes regarding the child or family, to bring only a healthy child to kindergarten and ensure that the child fully recovers at home, to regularly meet their financial obligations to the kindergarten, and to respect the professional decisions of the educator and the agreed rules and behavior within the kindergarten premises.