Koprivnica Ranks Eighth in Croatia for Increased Kindergarten Investment
The city allocated nearly €4.9 million more for preschool education in 2025 than the previous year, with parents paying only €90 per month for their first child.
The city allocated nearly €4.9 million more for preschool education in 2025 than the previous year, with parents paying only €90 per month for their first child.
Koprivnica is among the Croatian cities that have increased their investment in preschool education the most in recent years, according to an analysis by the portal Gradonačelnik.hr. As many as 109 out of 128 cities have boosted funding for kindergartens, and in 2025, Koprivnica allocated nearly €4.9 million more than the previous year, placing it eighth in the country.
Alongside significant investments in new kindergartens and increased capacity, various support measures are available to parents. The full monthly economic cost of kindergarten attendance in city-run facilities reaches €290, while parents pay only €90 for their first child. For a second child, the cost is halved to €45, and for a third or any subsequent child, kindergarten is completely free of charge.
Deputy Mayor Ksenija Ostriž highlighted a special measure whereby mothers who start their own business or company have their child's kindergarten costs fully covered during the first year of operation.
"Today, the City of Koprivnica allocates more than €9 million annually for preschool education, confirming that this is one of the most important areas of city investment. The total budget of the Administrative Department for Social Activities amounts to €38 million, with more than a quarter of that sum directed specifically at our youngest residents," Ostriž stated.
Currently, a total of 930 children are enrolled in the city's kindergartens, Medenjak and Tratinčica. Medenjak has 27 groups, including 9 nursery and 18 kindergarten groups, while Tratinčica has 10 nursery and 17 kindergarten groups.
For the upcoming pedagogical year 2026/2027, 95 children were admitted to Medenjak and 109 newly enrolled at Tratinčica. Crucially for parents, this year there are no children who met the application criteria but did not receive a place. After enrollment was completed, 13 spots remained available at Medenjak and eight at Tratinčica.
At the end of 2024, a new kindergarten was opened in Herešin, and simultaneously, the largest kindergarten investment in the city's history-the construction of a kindergarten in Bajer-was launched. The Medenjak kindergarten, valued at €6.3 million, now accommodates 280 children across 14 educational groups.
Budget data also confirm that preschool education is high on the city administration's priority list. In the 2025 budget, a total of €12.67 million is planned for public needs in preschool education, with more than €5.5 million earmarked exclusively for kindergarten investments.
