KINDERGARTENS AND OTHER LEGAL ENTITIES IMPLEMENTING PRESCHOOL EDUCATION PROGRAMMES. BEGINNING OF 2022/2023 PEDAGOGIC YEAR

 

Compared to the previous pedagogic year, 5 448 more children were enrolled.

At the beginning of the 2022/2023 pedagogic year, according to the methodology of statistical data collection, there were 1 727 reporting units implementing preschool education and care programmes, of which 1 583 were kindergartens and 144 were other legal entities (basic schools, playrooms in libraries or other institutions or organisations).

Kindergartens founded by local government and self-government units were attended by 81.0% of children.

The total number of children covered by any preschool education and care programmes was 147 888, out of which 71 205 were girls (48.1%). There were 135 252 children covered by a regular programme, 8 487 by a preschool programme and 4 149 by a shorter programme.

There were 80.4% of children who spent eight and more hours in a kindergarten.

Out of the total number, 384 were self-contained kindergartens, that is, those without departments, while 289 of them included departments. The number of departments amounted to 910.

As compared to the previous year, the total number of reporting units increased by 1.1%, and the total number of children in reporting units also increased, by 3.8%.

Out of the total number of persons in employment, 60.9% were kindergarten teachers and teachers.

In the 2021/2022 school year, the preschool programme covered 8 487 children who did not attend a regular preschool programme, which was 8.8% less than in the previous year.

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NOTES ON METHODOLOGY

Sources and methods of data collection

Data are the result of statistical data processing collected through the Annual Report on Kindergartens and Other Legal Entities Implementing Preschool Education Programmes (DV-PO form) from self-contained kindergartens, kindergartens with departments, departments and other legal entities (basic schools, playrooms in libraries and other health, social, sports and cultural institutions and organizations implementing preschool education programmes) in the Republic of Croatia active in the 2022/2023 pedagogic year, and refer to 31 October 2022.

Coverage and comparability

The statistical survey covers kindergartens and other legal entities implementing preschool education and care programmes on the territory of the Republic of Croatia. The data are comparable to the data from previous years relating to kindergartens. The coverage for 2004/2005 has been expanded on other legal entities implementing preschool education programmes. Data on the preschool programme refer to the 2021/2022 pedagogic year.

Definitions

Preschool education and care programmes intended for preschool children are implemented in nursery and kindergarten groups in kindergarten, irrespective of the founder, and can be classified as follows: regular programmes, preschool programmes and shorter programmes.

Preschool education programmes (not kindergartens) in other legal entities are realised in basic schools, in health institutions caring for children with developmental difficulties, in social institutions caring for children with developmental difficulties; as playrooms in libraries, shorter programmes in cultural institutions and shorter programmes in different organisations.

All preschool education programmes must be verified by the Ministry of Science and Education. They are established as constitutional units of the legal entities in question and must fulfil all conditions required for work with preschool children.

Kindergartens are public institutions that provide preschool education as a public service. Kindergarten can be established by the Republic of Croatia and local government units (state-owned kindergartens), religious communities (kindergartens established by religious communities) and other domestic legal entities and natural persons (private kindergartens).

Departments are dislocated parts of a central kindergarten, which include one or more education groups, established by kindergartens as required.

Preschool upbringing in kindergartens covers children of 6 months of age until school age.

Preschool education conducted in kindergartens and other legal entities for children over 3 years of age in the Republic of Croatia corresponds to the level 0 of the ISCED 2011.

Professional assistants are education professional, psychologist, special education teacher, foreign language teacher, music teacher, art teacher, dance teacher etc.

Preschool programme is conducted for children aged six who do not attend a regular preschool education programme as a preparation for school.

Shorter programmes include various contents (foreign languages, religious education, sports, dancing, musical or art classes etc.), which children attend for several hours per week or month.

The organisation and activity in kindergartens is based on the Act on Preschool Education (NN, Nos 10/97, 107/07, 94/13, 98/19 and 57/22).

Territorial constitution

Data on counties are presented according to the Act on Territories of Counties, Towns and Municipalities in the Republic of Croatia (NN, Nos 86/06, 125/06, 16/07, 95/08, 46/10, 145/10, 37/13, 44/13, 45/13 and 110/15) with the situation on 31 December 2022.

 

Abbreviations

ISCED 2011	International Standard Classification of Education, 2011 version
NN	Narodne novine, official gazette of the Republic of Croatia

 

Symbols

-	no occurrence

 

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Dubravka Rogić Hadžalić, Director of Demographic and Social Statistics Directorate
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Prepared by:
Marija Gojević, Ana Šojat and Kristina Piškor

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