Monthly fee co-financed by the City of Zagreb.
At Zvonček, children of different ages share the group, from the youngest in nursery (1.5 yrs) to preschoolers (5–6 yrs), with the same teachers across years. This isn't an organizational compromise but a pedagogical choice with concrete developmental benefits, drawing on the work of Maria Montessori and Lev Vygotsky.
Roughly half the group is between 1.5 and 2.5 years old, the other half between 3 and 5. Whoever enrolls has playmates their own age plus older siblings to learn from by watching.
Younger children imitate and learn by watching older ones: language, self-care, play. Older children deepen their own knowledge by passing it on. Vygotsky described this through the zone of proximal development: a child learns most when guided by someone just slightly ahead of them.
Older children in the group develop a deep, almost sibling-like attachment to the youngest. They approach them on their own, hold their hand on the way outside, share toys, comfort the ones who cry. In caring for the younger ones, they practice theory of mind (recognising that another person feels something different), and the younger ones gain trust that the world is a safe space.
There's no "average" the child has to fit into and no comparison of who's faster at what. Older children naturally take the role of mentor, not competitor. The focus shifts to personal progress and the joy of discovery.
Children stay in the same group with the same teachers for years. No stressful annual transitions to new rooms and new collectives. The continuity of relationships is the foundation of security.
A vertical group more naturally mirrors family dynamics, where siblings of different ages grow up alongside each other. Many children who don't have siblings at home find them here.
Sources: Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society; Montessori, M. (1967). The Absorbent Mind; Lillard, A. S. (2017). Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius; Lillard et al. (2023), meta-analysis of Montessori preschool programs; Stanford Bing Nursery School (2020), In Support of Mixed-Age Groupings.
The group is mixed-age: the youngest are around 1.5 years old, the oldest are preschool age. Each child has a personal symbol on the hallway cubby so they can find their own spot.
Day care, 4 meals, sport, trips, materials, special events — all in one monthly fee. We apply the City of Zagreb co-financing automatically.
Monthly fee co-financed by the City of Zagreb.