About us

Growing Up Together Center for Parenting Support

The Growing Up Together Programme of Workshops for the Parents of the Youngest Children was developed under the Project on the Parenting Support in the Community (2007-2009). It was implemented by N. Pećnik and B. Starc as part of the Early Childhood Development and Positive Parenting Programme, called ''The First Three Years Are the Most Important'', run by the UNICEF Office for Croatia and in cooperation with the Education and Teacher Training Agency. As of 2010, the latter took charge of educating new leaders of the Growing Up Together Programme and extended the availability of the programme to the kindergartens throughout Croatia.

In 2010, the Quality Development Council was established with the goal to provide continuous monitoring and evaluation of the Growing Up Together Programme implementation and also to advance the professional support to the Programme leaders by way of consultations, meetings of fellow experts and annual conferences. The Council comprised authors of the Programme, kindergartens and family centres leaders, and representatives of UNICEF and the Education and Teacher Training Agency.

The Growing Up Together Center for Parenting Support was established in 2013 as a continuation of the earlier activities of the Quality Control Council, with the aim to contribute to a more effective support to the Network of Coordinators in their pursuit of adequate responses to the needs and interests of parents in different communities all across Croatia.

The ultimate goal is to ensure wide availability, sustainability and high quality of implementation of existing programmes Growing Up Together, and to develop more similar programmes. Establishment of the Center created preconditions for a better communication among the participants eager to launch supplemental projects that would contribute to the realization of that goal.

Board of Directors: Nina Pećnik (president), Branka Starc (vice president), Eleonora Glavina, Mirela Medved and Ines Puhar (members).
Early in 2017, the first branch office of the Centre was established in the Istrian County. It is seated In Rovinj and led by Sandra Orbanić. In 2019 a branch office in the Međimurje County was established. It is seated in Čakovec and led by Eleonora Glavina. The third branch office in Zagreb was established in 2022. and is led by Mirela Medved.

Our Recognized Group-leaders and Implementing Organizations

Center Growing up Together awards group-leaders of the Growing up Together programs with Award + for their persistent work with parents. The first awards Group-Leader 5+ for 5 cycles of workshops with parents were given to the group-leaders at the 3rd conference of Growing up Together group-leaders in Rovinj in 2012. Since 2016, Group-Leader 10+, since 2019, Group-Leader 15+ , since 2023, Group-leader 20+ awards have been given. Also, at the 8th conference in Rab in 2018, for the first-time the organizations implementing the Growing up Together programs were awarded with Kindergarten 10+ and Family Center 10+. Since 2023 awards 20+ and 30+ were given to organisations.

Our Conferences

The annual conferences of the group-leaders of the "Growing up Together" programmes are regular and favorite professional gatherings of the network of experts who implement "All our colors" throughout Croatia.

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