It was a gloomy Wednesday morning, but our team was working in full force. Novak’s birthday campaign was coming up, we were preparing for the Walk a Mile for a Smile, and at the same time, we were working on an opening of… Well, we’ll leave that last one as a surprise! However, besides all those new projects, Marko, our project manager, also decided to revisit an old one. In February this year, the Novak Djokovic Foundation in cooperation with local authorities, opened the first kindergarten in the village near Sabac. Marko wanted to see how the kids and teachers settled in and to bring them some additional gifts. He decided to bring you all with him and give you an exclusive insight into our work. You can watch Marko’s full field trip in Prnjavor right here.

So, let’s start from the beginning – why do we invest in early childhood development?

James Heckman, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago and an expert in the economics of human development, has proved that quality early childhood development heavily influences health, economic and social outcomes for individuals and society at large. He said:

“A solid body of research shows the cost-effectiveness of early childhood development in helping to prevent achievement gaps, boost school achievement, promote better health outcomes, improve our workforce, increase productivity, and reduce the need for costly social spending.”

In 2014, UNICEF research showed that, in Serbia, only 50% of children aged 3 to 5 are enrolled in a preschool program. In rural areas, this percentage drops down to 22%.   So, we pledged to change these statistics for the better. To us, every child is a champion and deserves a chance to make all of his dreams come true. We wanted to give every child in Serbia a quality start that would help him develop all of his potentials. We wanted that not only for the benefit of him and his family – but, for the benefit of all of us as.

Kid playing with his new toys in the kindergarten in the village of Macvan Prnjavor.

Until now we have built or reconstructed 43 kindergartens, supported 980 families, trained around 1.575 teachers and helped around 22.000 children. But, how did we achieve that?

The key ingredient of our work is that we only invest in sustainable, long-term projects.

After unloading some gifts from the van (a couple of carpets that are perfect for children’s play), Marko explained how the opening of kindergarten in Prnjavor was an endeavor that will result in many long term benefits.

“We first mapped different parts of Serbia and scanned for economically challenged rural areas that require preschool education.   Prnjavor was chosen because, among the 4,000 people living here, there were many parents with children aged three to six who didn’t have a chance to attend kindergarten. We realized the importance of investing in this area and signed the cooperation agreement with the town of Sabac. We worked with the local authorities that helped us find this building. They also helped us resolve all technical documentation and install new carpentry on the building.

 This kindergarten was actually an old Health Centre before, that we managed to reconstruct with the help of our partners. We changed all the installations and equipped it with modern furniture, toys, books, didactic material, etc. We also built two playgrounds. The result is this modern facility that provides more than 100 children with early quality education“, explained Marko while proudly strolling down kindergarten hallways.

Kindergarten in Prnjavor before and after the reconstruction by the Novak Djokovic Foundation.

 So, the major part of our achievements is our close cooperation with local authorities.

They help us find a building that we can refurbish or a piece of land on which we can build a kindergarten. They also provide us with all necessary technical documentation so we could obtain all permits and building licenses. By working with local authorities, the kindergartens become a powerful part of the community. While children receive the quality education they deserve, at the same time the whole community receives a long term benefit that can cross generations. By opening a kindergarten in these rural areas, we invest in their economies.

Namely, if there are no quality schools, families have to move to cities in search of a better future for their children. That further contributes to the centralization of Serbia and impoverishment of rural areas. However, when we open a kindergarten, we give an incentive to the families to stay in their villages. That also inspires the Serbian government to further invest in the early development which additionally contributes to the sustainability of our projects.

But besides toys and books, what do we all remember when we daydream about our kindergarten days? Our teachers.

Teachers are the heartbeat of a school. That is why we are passionate about training and encouraging our teachers. Again, by working with local authorities, we educate, train, and empower teachers. That way we ensure that all future generations living in these rural areas receive quality early education.

The kindergarten in Prnjavor was no exception – there we have provided accredited programs for 30 educators. We continually check in with our teachers and offer them ongoing guidance and support. So, Marko sat down with Branka, one of the teachers in Prnjavor to talk about how everyone got accustomed to the kindergarten.

“Kids love to mix among themselves and to visit other groups. Recently they started creating theater plays on their own! Their parents are very satisfied, which you can tell by the number of enrolled children – over 100! Also, thanks to all the training the teachers received, including me, now we can implement some modern teaching methods”, said Branka.

Branka, the teacher (left), Jelena Djokovic (center) and Marko Kovacevic (right) playing with kids during the opening of the kindergarten.

And that is the final part of our projects – modern teaching methods.

Our schools focus on each child as an individual and as a member of society as a whole. We use an up-to-date curriculum because we believe that each child has the right to discover their own limitless potential so that as they grow they can contribute to the world in positive ways. In the kindergartens and preschools we build, we promote healthy lifestyles. Children learn the importance of healthy nutrition, exercise, sports, and quality leisure time.

However, when we open a kindergarten we do not stop there. We continue to invest in projects that build a complete support network for children in those areas.

Through our project called “Support, not perfection  “,  we also support their parents. Parents go through an educative, interactive and motivational cycle of workshops. They receive professional support for resolving all their potential parenthood dilemmas. They are given space where they can share their problems, experience, and feelings with other parents and learn something new.

Therefore, by building new and fully equipped kindergartens, working closely with local authorities, providing modern methods of teaching and supporting teachers and parents – we invest in long-term, sustainable projects that will benefit all future generations. When we nurture and encourage our children through quality early development, we first and foremost contribute to our future society. “It’s amazing to see how everyone made this kindergarten as their little home. I am so eager to see it blossom years to come”, said Marko and went to enjoy the music performance children prepared for him.

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Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Early Childhood Development (ECD) are consistently proven to be of unfathomable importance to a child’s developing brain. Students who begin school early, around three or four years of age, consistently and unambiguously perform better in school in subsequent years, and, as a result, for the rest of their lives. Their whole lives! This isn’t a matter of improving one or two years of a child’s life. Early education is much more vital than that: it sets a child up to be a successful and well-rounded adolescent, adult, professional, parent, and citizen. We’re hopped up on getting as many children into preschool and kindergarten as possible because these children deserve a lifetime of happiness and stability. We love them as the children they are and for the adults they deserve to be. And so, with your amazing and generous help, we’re building schools and classrooms to give as many children as possible the chance to thrive forever.

Our latest project is in the suburb of Medosevac, in the city of Nis, at a primary school known locally as Milan Rakic. The community of Medosevac rallied together, and the local government and existing primary school worked closely with the NDF to identify an old school building which, once refurbished, will be able to accommodate three preschool classrooms for one hundred children. One hundred children! Each year.

With an initial investment of EUR 62,000 from the NDF and an added contribution of EUR 24,000, as well as an additional EUR 26,000 from the city of NIS, a total of EUR 112,000 will be used to completely renovate the 250 m2 (2,690 ft2) space.

Everything about this space will be completely transformed. We will be replacing old windows and doors, plastering and painting internal walls and ceilings, laying new flooring, and installing new wiring, and a comprehensive fire protection system.

The preschool will meet all safety and health standards, and will include a modern kitchen, nursery room for unwell children, teacher’s office, bathrooms, as well as three well-appointed classrooms.  

And in order that the outside matches the inside, we’re going ahead and repairing the façade, glazing external entrances, so to meet energy efficiency requirements, and installing ramps for people with disabilities at the main facility entrance.

We’re so excited about this project.

Like really, really excited.

So we decided to hold a celebration at Milan Rakic with Novak Djokovic for the families and children who will enjoy the finished preschool facilities. And look at their faces! So much enthusiasm and playfulness and fun.

During the day, in between exploring with the children and chatting with moms and dads, Novak said:

It’s a great privilege for me and my foundation to be able to help those in need and support projects initiated by people willing to make great things happen in their communities. I’m glad we all share the same goal – to create a safe, caring and stimulating environment for the proper development and education of children and thus give them a good start in life. The fact that over 100 wonderful boys and girls will benefit from attending this preschool fills my heart with happiness. Here they will learn many new things, discover their hidden talents, master valuable skills, play and enjoy with their peers, forge new friendships and cultivate fond memories of that time. Kindergarten lays a vital foundation for later academic success and this new facility will provide children in Medosevac and nearby places the opportunity to enjoy high-quality preschool programs, which is extremely important for their early development.

We couldn’t have said it better, Novak. This project, this school, and all of the schools we’ve refurbished or built, and all of the schools we’ve yet to refurbish or rebuild, fill our hearts with the unspeakable happiness of knowing that the little ones we see with such clarity and affection will go on to have a life well lived. A life full of joy and love.

The kind of life they are so very worthy of. Don’t you agree?

The post How Novak Djokovic Spent a Day with Kids in Medosevac appeared first on Novak Djokovic Foundation.

– No?

– We can’t either.

Colors, imagination, fun: this all comes into mind when somebody starts to design a space for children. Their world is, after all, made of dreams, colors and rainbows, so an architect really needs to let his inner child out so he can design a place that a kid too will love and enjoy.

This is why we have decided to start a series of texts showing the world’s most interesting kindergartens. Let’s let our inner child out and get inspired to give the best to our kids too. Maybe some of these designs will inspire an architect to design a kindergarten in your neighbourhood too.

Inside the world’s most interesting kindergarten

How do you build school where you let children be children?

Think like a kid, says Takaharu Tezuka.

At Fuji Kindergarten outside Tokyo, kids make the most of a magical environment designed just for them. The roof of their oval-shaped school, designed by Tokyo-based firm Tezuka Architects, is an endless playground, and trees grow right through classrooms.

The main designer, Takahuru Tezuka, said that the main source of inspiration for this kindergarten were his own kids, who are now 12 and 9. Whenever he felt in doubt, he would channel them and try to think like they think, feel what they feel.

Listen to his charming talk where he talks about a design process that made this kindergarten kids’ favorite:

What do you think? Would you too wish that there are schools like this in your neighbourhood? What about the concept? How do you like it?

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