Zagreb Announces 1,250 Free Kindergarten Places
Of the total, 811 places are in municipal institutions, 373 in private and religious kindergartens, and 66 in licensed childminder businesses.
Of the total, 811 places are in municipal institutions, 373 in private and religious kindergartens, and 66 in licensed childminder businesses.
As of August 1, 2026, there were a total of 1,250 free places in Zagreb's kindergartens, as announced on the Central Kindergarten Website of the City of Zagreb. According to data reported by HRT, Net.hr, and N1, 811 of these places are in municipal institutions, 373 in private and religious kindergartens, and an additional 66 places are offered by licensed childminders.
Deputy Mayor Danijela Dolenec reminded of earlier capacity issues. "Two years ago, over 3,000 children had no place in municipal kindergartens, and thanks to our investments, that number is now four times smaller," Dolenec said.
Among the municipal capacities, there are 234 nursery places and 577 kindergarten places. Private and religious kindergartens offer 208 nursery places and 165 places for kindergarten-age children. Parents can find detailed information on the Central Kindergarten Website of the City of Zagreb, where data is sorted by city district, type and name of institution, and children's age.
Applications for the 2026/2027 pedagogical year are submitted online throughout the year. As stated on the Central Kindergarten Website of the City of Zagreb, "the process is fully digitalized, with integration with state and public registries that allows retrieval of all essential data and submission of applications without unnecessary paperwork."
Parents log into the system using a NIAS credential of substantial or high assurance level and can submit an application for one or more kindergartens. Those who prefer not to use the digital route can submit their documentation in person at the chosen institution. For any additional information, they can contact the selected kindergarten directly. "If the kindergarten has available places and the child meets the requirements, enrollment will be possible. In case the kindergarten does not have enough places for all children, each kindergarten publishes a priority list on its website and enrolls children in order of the list as places become available," the instructions explain.
In early July, the City of Zagreb announced the final enrollment results for municipal kindergartens, according to which 7,267 children were enrolled, while 863 remained unenrolled. With additional places in private and religious institutions, which last year admitted approximately 1,600 children, the City expects that by September all children will have a place.
Dolenec added that the City continues to invest so that every family "can enroll their child in a municipal kindergarten, right in their own neighborhood, while simultaneously raising the quality of the municipal preschool education system."
In this mandate, more than 75 million euros have been invested in preschool institutions. Eleven kindergartens have been completed, six facilities are under construction, and according to city announcements, by 2027 Zagreb will have a total of 28 new kindergartens. Information about available places in all municipal kindergartens will be published on the City's website starting August 1 and updated monthly.
