Head of Department
izvanredni profesor
Zagreb, Katedra umjetničkog područja
marijana.zbenic@ufzg.hr
Deputy Head of Department
redoviti profesor
Zagreb, Katedra umjetničkog područja
kristina.horvat-blazinovic@ufzg.hr
The Department of Early Childhood and Preschool Education was established in 1968 with the launch of the Preschool Education Study Programme. Its primary objective was to train professionals equipped to work with preschool-aged children. At that time, the programme was delivered as a two-year study course. Following a 2005 decision by the University of Zagreb, the programme transitioned to a three-year format and operated in this capacity until 2011. Subsequently, it evolved into the three-year Undergraduate University Study Programme in Early Childhood and Preschool Education. This study programme is delivered in both full-time and part-time formats. A year later, in 2012, the two-year part-time Graduate University Study Programme in Early Childhood and Preschool Education was launched, followed by the introduction of the full-time Graduate Study Programme in 2015.
The undergraduate study programme in Early Childhood and Preschool Education facilitates student mobility within the framework of lifelong learning, with its structure and content predominantly aligned with contemporary pedagogical paradigms. The educational process is no longer conceptualised as a transmission model – in which planned content is imparted to children via direct instruction; rather, children are recognised as proactive, creative agents who independently and collaboratively (with peers and educators) construct, verify, revise, and expand their knowledge. Consequently, this marks a shift from a transmission-based to a transactional educational model, prioritising learning how to learn over merely what to learn, thereby rendering the formative process as critical as the final outcome. The introduction of the University Graduate Study Programme in Early Childhood and Preschool Education at the Faculty of Teacher Education enabled students to pursue further education in this highly specialised field, thereby facilitating progression to specialist and academic doctoral programmes across various pedagogical branches. The Department of Preschool Education is a constituent unit of the Faculty of Teacher Education, comprising 50 academic staff across the research, teaching, and associate ranks. The Department operates at all three locations – Zagreb, Čakovec, and Petrinja.